kalinga

• Kalinga lies at the heart of the Cordillera Region in Northern

  Luzon, Philippines. The province is politically subdivided into

  eight municipalities: in the southwestern part of the province

  are the municipalities of Tinglayan, Lubuagan, and Pasil; the

  municipality of Tanudana in the eastern part located near the

  boundaries of Isabela province; the municipalities of Balbalan

  and Pinukpuk in the northwestern portion; and the

  municipalities of Tabuk and Rizal in the north central portion

  that is adjacent to the Kalinga-Cagayan Valley boundary.
• Dubbed as the land of living waters,

  Kalinga boasts of several natural rivers,

  which are potential sources of irrigation

  and electricity.
• • The Chico River (the longest river in theCordillera Region), being the main riversystem of the province, plays a veryimportant role as an inland water resourcefor the irrigation waters of Tabuk andQuezon, Isabela.
• Kalinga boasts further ofmore natural attractions in itsmajestic landforms.

  Mt. Matting-oy Dinayao orSleeping Beauty Mountain isthe legendary landmarkbordering Tinglayan andTanudan municipalities;romantic epics and myths areattributed to this mountain.Its unique setting and summitoffer an existing challengefor mountaineering and theadventure sports.
• Looking over the Sungang

  viewpoint are the Tulgao rice

  terraces in Tinglayan which can

  duplicate the attractions of the

  Ifugao rice terraces. Other terraces

  are found in Tanudan, Pinukpuk,

  Balbalan and Lubuagan which

  reflect the ingenuity of the

  Kalinga in using indigenous

  agricultural engineering and

  technology.
• Kalinga is also believed to

  have been a sanctuary of

  prehistoric animals as

  evidenced by archeological

  relics such as the bones and

  remains of pre-historic

  elephants found in Awichon

  mesa between Pasil and

  Lubuagan. The most recent

  archeological diggings in

  Elephant Hill in Rizal

  municipality revealed the

  remains of mammoth.
• Mongolian 


  These ancestors of the Kalinga were able to thrive with an existence largely dependent onhunting, fishing, pasturing, and crop-raising through the primitive technology of slash-and-burn cultivation.
• The term "Kalinga," according to early researchers associated with its etymological

  definition, is derived from the term "Kalinga- ga" or the Ibanag term "Kalinga," both of

  which mean "headhunter," "fighter," or "enemy" and suggest the mountain tribe's bravery

  as a people
• The Kalingas are one of the major ethnolinguisticgroups inhabiting Northern Luzon and distinguishedinto three sub-cultural and geographical groupings(Dozier, 1966) namely:

  southern Kalinga, eastern Kalinga, and northernKalinga.
• The deeply religious nature of the Kalinga is revealed intheir observance of ritual practices and ceremonies duringfestivities, which serve as unifying threads that interweavethe different worldviews of the Kalinga into one cosmicsocial order. Rituals and ceremonies are manifestations ofreverence to Kabuniyan.
• Chomchomog


  A ritual to cleanse the environment and

  strengthen the structure of buildings and

  roads
• Sissiwa


  A ritual performed by an elder in the rice fields

  before the day's work begins. The elder chants

  to ensure a good harvest, strong farmers, and

  a healthy family.
• The ba-ag or loincloth has yellow stripes. In the upper

  regions like Tinglayan, Tanudan, and Lubuagan, the

  men do not wear an upper garment; instead they just

  show off their muscular build with tattoos running

  down their arms and chests.
• The subtribes in Northern

  Kalinga wear a short, colorfully ornamented, and

  tight- fitting jacket called dinaya or siniwat. During

  special traditional occasions, the men in Northern

  Kalinga wear red and striped tapis around their

  shoulders, which reaches down to their knees.
• They

  wear a bead necklace called kulkul and a headgear

  with rooster's feathers called lawi.

  Kalinga warrior displaying his tufay (spear) and

  kalasag (shield)
• The Kalinga women's traditional skirts called tapis or

  ka- in have yellow and deep blue stripes on a red

  background; in the Northern areas, the tapis are adorned

  with shells, beads, or old coins. The women have tattoos

  on their arms and wear necklaces called basiklo, large

  earrings called lubai, and bracelets called tinali. They

  wear necklaces or heirloom beads called ong-ong.
• The Kalinga are famous as the "Peacocks of the North." Thisreputation is due to the fact that Kalinga, when dressed for festiveoccasions, look like peacocks in their colorful outfits emblazonedwith geometric designs.
• Kalingas are known for the elaborate

  symmetry of their traditional tattoo practice

  called batek. The batek are inscriptions on the

  skin and body, a visually powerful rendering

  of symmetry and unity of design,

  characterized by the permanent marking of a

  design on a surface. Done by pricking the skin

  initially with kammai, a piece of wood carved

  with tattoo designs, which had been dipped in

  a traditionally-fermented ink called merteka.

  The skin is then pierced and the design is

  filled in through slow and repeated tapping of

  the pat-ik, a stick made out of carabao gisi or

  horn.
• Each tattoo design is supposed to conveydifferent meanings and interpretations. Tattoodesign depicting rivers, mountains, or treesmeans the wearer is considered a lover ofnature and the environment. When a warriorwears on his face and cheeks the tattoo of acentipede, it means he has successfullyundergone trials in combat. The snake designmeans the warrior wearing it has killed thefiercest enemy warrior. And the lizard designmeans that the warrior has proven his braveryagainst a phalanx of enemies and has survivedvictoriously.
• There are many Kalinga terms which refer to a house although they differ in

  pronunciation and spelling: "foruy," "buloy," "fuloy," "buyoy."
• Say-ang or Tufay


  spears with different shapes

  for spearheads, called balbog;

  they are used in hunting

  animals and in combat
• Sinawit


  a half-foot long, light,

  thin blade made of

  iron and with a

  hardwood handle.
• Kalasag


  A wooden shield made out of

  light sturdy wood from the

  traditional tree called

  sablang.
• Pasiking


  A rattan- wicker backpack for

  carrying the ba- on and other needs

  when a kalinga goes out to do battle

  or on long journey
• Banga


  a cooking utensil or pot made out of clayand glazed with libo, a tree sap used aswater- proofing for water jars
• Farming as a traditional occupation was seasonal, normallyconducted in the payaw system (terrace-farming) and in theuma or the swidden farm (kaingin) system.
• • Selecting sites for construction of terrace farms or pappayaw is a meticulous task.
• If there are no bad omens, the next stage

  follows, which is clearing of bushes and

  grass, and cutting down of obstructing

  trees. the pappangu or ab-abbuyog(cooperative work), which is equivalent tothe bataris or bayanihan practice oflowlanders, facilitates the rapid completionof work.
• • The traditional Kalinga uma or kainginfollows several stages of preparationand tillage which are conducted withdue observance of religious beliefs andritual practices.
• • The first stage is the selection of theproposed swidden site and initial clearingof the land and marking boundaries.
• • 2nd stage, the group undertakesa keen examination of signs and omenswhich will be the basis of either continuingor canceling the next stage in the swiddenactivity.
• • The third stage is burning dried debris, apractical way of removing obstructions andgetting rid of pests and rodents, after whichfollows a period of one or two weeks' rest,followed in turn by removing whateverremained of the debris.
• fourth stage, removal of stumps, roots, rocks, andother like obstructions constitutes the fourthstage. After this, the swidden site is left idleuntil the first days of rainfall
• • The fifth stage consists of planting theseeds of crops in selected spots,followed by putting up barricades oftimber or bamboo to secure the farmfrom the intrusion of animals.
• The Kalingas call the planting of seeds

  in the uma osok or man-osok.
• sixth stage comes with theharvesting of rice and crops, drying, andtransporting them to the agamang (asmall thatch-roofed edifice for storinggrain).
• Gadang sharp pointed hardwood stick

  for boring seed holes in the ground
• • Kolong - bamboo tube seed container
• • Salowan - flat, iron-tipped diggingmaterial used for prying stones
• • Kalop - flat wooden board made ofhardwood used as shovel