MYTHOLOGIES OF THE KALINGA TRIBE
“Kalinga” comes from the common noun kalinga, which means “enemy,” “fighter,” or “headhunter” in the Ibanag and Gaddang languages. The inhabitants of Cagayan and Isabela considered the Kalinga as enemies, since they conducted headhunting attacks on Ibanag and Gaddang territory. As such, the name is considered a misnomer, since it has no geographic or ethnic basis. Yet the term has become the official ethnic name accepted even by the natives themselves. The number of culture groups in Kalinga varies according to different systems of classification. Nonetheless, authorities on Kalinga culture today agree that there are over 30 such groups. Northern Kalinga culture groups include Banao, Buaya, Dao-angan, Gubang, Mabaca, Poswoy, Salogsog, Ammacian, Ballayangon, Limos, Pinukpuk, Wagud, Allay / Kalakkad, Biga, Gamonang, Gobgob, Guilayon, Nanong, and Tobog. Located in Eastern Kalinga are the Dakalan, Gaang, Lubo, Majukayong, Mangali, and Taloktok culture groups. In southern Kalinga are the Bangad, Basao, Butbut, Sumadel, Tongrayan, Tulgao, Lubuagan, Mabungtot, Tanglag, Uma, Ablog, Balatoc, Balinciagao, Cagaluan, Colayo, Dalupa, Dangtalan, Guina-ang, and Magsilay-Bulen. Other culture groups are Aciga, Colminga, Dallak, Dugpa (Limos-Guilayon), Magaogao, Malagnat, Malbong, Minanga, Pangol / Bawac-Pangol, and the Kalakkad, also called Gaddang. Many of the Kalinga also identify themselves topographically with either “Upper Kalinga,” covering the more mountainous municipalities of Balbalan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Tanudan, and Tinglayan; or “Lower Kalinga,” composed of Pinukpuk, Rizal, and Tabuk.
Although at present speaking mutually intelligible dialects and possessing a strong sense of ethnic identity nurtured by a peace-pact system, the Kalinga display much cultural diversity among themselves. This is because of their division into small endogamous territories (boboloy) and perhaps also to their disparate origins as relatively recent refugees from the lower Abra valley to the west and the Cagayan valley to the east. The name Kalinga itself is a negative marker. It comes from the word for “enemy” in Ibanag, the language of Christianized Cagayan lowlanders. Major differences exist between the Kalinga north and south of the Pacil River; the southerners grow wet-rice on terraces and share many cultural elements with the Bontok and Ifugao, who depend on the same type of agriculture. The Kalinga occupy a northern section of northern Luzon’s Cordillera Central, which is drained by the middle Chico River and its tributaries. The territory of the Isneg people of the Apayao basin intervenes between the Kalinga and the sea. Towards the southern edge of Kalinga territory, ridges rise to 1,830 m (6,000 ft), while the mountains are lower in the northern area. Pine trees crown the ridge tops, cogon grass blankets the steep slopes, and dense semitropical vegetation covers the valley bottoms where settlements are located (still 610 m or 2,000 ft above sea level).
The Kalinga people have a reputation for being “the strong people of the Cordilleras.” At the same time, Kalingas greatly value family and kinship; thus, the household, extended household of the kinship circle, and territorial region are significant units of Kalinga society. In the past, they gained leadership and respect through headhunting, along with other skills at which an individual excelled. Their neighbors and even invaders feared them due to their as headhunters. In fact, the name Kalinga, which originated from the Gaddang and Ibanag languages, means “headhunter.” The Kalingas are a proud people and well known for their intricate hand-woven textiles and beautiful and colorful beaded jewelry. In every celebration, they incorporate dance and traditional music as a form of thanksgiving and cultural preservation.
Known to be a warrior tribe for centuries, the Kalingas have been known to defend and fight for their community. The headhunting Kalinga warriors were ruthless and kept count on their number of kills. To celebrate and commemorate their victories, the Kalinga warriors would acquire special markings with patterns as tattoos. This turned out to be their sign of bravado. For Kalinga women, the story of getting a tattoo is quite different. Having tattoos decorated on their bodies is a sign of strength and beauty. Kalinga parents would pay a tattoo artist or ‘Mambabatok’ to get ornate tattoos decorated on their daughter’s bodies to make them more beautiful. Even at the early age of 13, Kalinga girls are sent to a ‘mambabatok’ so that they could get a beautiful tattoo.
Kalinga is both a tribal community and a landlocked province in the heart of the Cordillera region in northern Luzon, the Philippines. Until recently Kalinga people could be identified from a distance by their distinctive body art. Immersed in the magnificent mountains, Kalinga people lived modest but passionate lives in a world where your skin communicated your social status to the local community. The Kalinga have rich cultural traditions and expressions of music, dance and artisan work. They continue to enforce the “bodong” or peace pacts within the sub-tribes to resolve tribal conflicts. Scholars and enthusiasts worldwide now flock to the province to learn the ancient method of “batok” or hand-tapped tattoo
Generally, when a person dies, a pig is immediately butchered to honor the spirit of the dead and the meat of the butchered animal will be distributed to the visitors or neighbors except for the relatives as they are forbidden to eat the said meat. When a dead person is an old man or woman, bigger livestock such as carabao or cow is butchered for the community to share and as usual, the relatives are not allowed to partake of the meat. Wake for the dead takes only two nights or three days. After the burial of the dead body, another set of animals that need to be butchered and distributed to immediate family, relatives or visitors. An exception to this practice, there is no butchering of any animals if the death comes from the hands of an enemy. In addition, the wake period is only for one day and one night.
Last Tattooed Women of the Philippines’ Kalinga Tribe
The Kalingas have been mentioned as a major tribe in the legendary text Mahabharata. In the 3rd century BCE, the region came under Mauryan control as a result of the Kalinga War. It was subsequently ruled by several regional dynasties whose rulers bore the title Kalingādhipati (“Lord of Kalinga”); these dynasties included Mahameghavahana, Vasishtha, Mathara, Pitrbhakta, Shailodbhava, Somavamshi, and Eastern Ganga. The medieval era rulers to rule over the Kalinga region were the Suryavamsa Gajapatis, Bhoi dynasty, Paralakhemundi Gangas and the zamindaris of Ganjam and Vizagapatam.
Comments
Post a Comment