Ruby Tuesday: The Ifugao People

For Ruby Tuesday November 3rd edition, I just thought it would be lovely to pose something which is a part of the Filipino culture.. - The Ifugao Native People.

You may not have heard of the Ifugao people of the Banaue area of the Philippines, but you have quite likely seen their handiwork. For over a period spanning thousands of years, the Ifugao have labored to transform the precipitous mountain sides of their homeland into an amazing series of stepped rice terraces. In fact the rice terraces here are so plentiful that if they were placed end to end it has been estimated that they would stretch half way around the earth. Thousands of tourists come to visit rice terraces every year, yet few bother to learn about the Ifugao people who are responsible for their construction. These people occupy an area of about 900 square miles in the province of Ifugao.

The Ifugao have some customs and rituals that seem rather strange to the Western observer. In some areas, for instance they do not bury the dead. Instead they wrap them in cloth and hang them in trees where they drip during decomposition. Once the body has been reduced to a skeleton it is wrapped in what is called a death blanket and kept under the eaves of the hut. The Ifugao people also engage in elaborate rituals to appease their dead ancestors. Priests plead on behalf of the people to request the dead not to come back for their relatives. Animal sacrifices are also offered to appease these dead ones.

Ifugao's are known for their rich handiwork and their tribal dances.

An Ifugao, building a hut... (this was taken at Tam-awan Village during our tour to Baguio)

Some of the beautiful handiwork of the Ifugao's sold at Tam-awan Village Shop

An Ifugao Dance.. (They have tribal shows at Tam-awan Village on some occassions)

I love the color of their costume. Actually Ifugao's one of the most dominant colors in their artworks and costumes is RED.

By the way, this is the Banaue Rice Terraces one of the seven wonders in the world and this is one of the masterpieces of the Ifugao people . Take note they did this by hand.



For more Ruby Tuesday entries, please visit Mary.

with Love,