Additional historical background of the Kalinga

History of Kalinga
The name "Kalingga" is believed to have been derived from the Ibanag word "kalinga" and
the Gaddang word "kalinga", both meaning headhunters. The Spaniards picked up the term
because of their headhunting tradition, and the Americans followed suit. The Kalingas have
numerous songs, such as the salidummay, the dong-dong-ay, the oggayam, the ading, the
wasani, the paliwat, the owawi, and the dandanag. But its enduring and distinct rite is the
"Bodong" that has become an institution for peace up to this day. Kalinga is classified
according to bodong-holding groups or ili, or sub-tribes, namely the Tinglayans, the
Lubuagans, the Tanudans, the Pasils, the Balbalans, the Pinukpuks, and the Tabuks. (Source:
Igorot, the Cordillera Schools Group.)
The Province of Kalinga, is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera
Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the
south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north.
Prior to 1995, Kalinga and Apayao used to be a single province named Kalinga-Apayao, until
they were split into two to better service the needs of individual native tribes in the provinces.
There are many sub tribes in the province. The strong sense of tribal membership and filial
loyalty results in frequent tribal unrest and occasional outright war. Due to the mountainous
terrain and warrior-culture of the people, the Kalingas were able to maintain their culture
despite the attempted occupation of the Spaniards, Japanese, and Americans. Unknown to
many, the last stand of President Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines was
in this province, in Lubuagan, which he proclaimed the national capital , and where the
Aguinaldo Museum commemorates him and those events.
The Kalinga people are the most extensive rice farmers of the Cordillera peoples, having been
blessed with some of the most suitable land for both wet and dry rice farming. Like the
Ifugaos, the Kalingas are one of the extensive terrace builders in the country. The Kalingas
are also skilled potters with pot making concentrated in the lower Chico River Valley. They
are also excellent in basketry, loom weaving and metal works.

--

The Kalinga People

by Manny Bigornia, University of the Philippines, Diliman
 7 February 2011

Quezon City - Esteemed as “the strong people of the Cordilleras”, Kalingans, simultaneously,
profoundly cherish family and kinship. A Kalinga household consists of a nuclear family and
sometimes, an aged grandparent; generally speaking, they show great respect towards elders
and, are clannish. Thus, the household, extended household of the kinship circle, and
territorial region are significant units of Kalinga society. Historically, they attained leadership
and respect through headhunting, along with other skills at which an individual excelled.
Consequently, neighbors and invaders alike feared them due to their reputations as
headhunters. The name Kalinga believed to have originated from the Gaddang and Ibanag
languages, means “headhunter.”
They settled on the leveled or terraced areas on the slopes of steep mountains near rivers and
streams with free, clear, running water through the Chico, Pasig, Tanduan rivers with wide
plateaus and floodplains, as well as, large portions of open grasslands. As a result, principal
sources of livelihood among the Kalinga is the payaw (ricefields) and the uma (swidden
farm). Aside from food production, cattle are pastured in the fields and poultry raised in the
backyard. Small fish (ugadiw), shell, and marine life are gathered from rivers. Traditional
hunting continued to be practiced and by men only, in the forest using spears, indigenous
traps or rifles for wild pigs, deer and wild fowl. Fruit trees, coconut, coffee, and bananas are
grown while sugarcane is planted and made into basi (wine). Other economic-driven activities
among the Kalinga are cloth and basket weaving, blacksmithing, and pottery; they're
renowned for their intricate hand-woven textiles and magnificent, colorful beaded jewelry.
Kalinga society may be stratified into lawa or kapus (poor) and the baknang (wealthy).
Among the signs of prestige and wealth are possessions of several ricefields, working
animals, heirlooms like china plates and jars, agate head/necklaces and brass gongs.
Moreover, the identification of the self with the kinship circle could be such that whatever an
individual does is the responsibility of the group; likewise, whatever threatens the security of
the group must be opposed by the individual. Therefore, many villages or ili, in Kalinga are
located in strategic areas where the villagers can be forewarned of intruders, or where the
surrounding terrain is rugged and form a natural defense against “tribal wars.” Tribal wars
happen when a bodong peace pact (system) was either broken or violated. Essentially, the
bodong is the most meritorious and efficient Kalinga institution; it is a peace pact/treaty
between two tribes, wherein the Pagta or laws on intertribal relations are established. The
bodong also represents the Magna Carta of the Kalinga.

The Philippines is a culturally diverse country with an estimated 14- 17 million Indigenous Peoples
(IPs) belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups. They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon
(Cordillera Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups in the Visayas area.
The Philippine Constitution, in recognition of this diversity and under the framework of national unity
and development, mandates state recognition, protection, promotion, and fulfillment of the rights of
Indigenous Peoples. Further, Republic Act 8371, also known as the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act”
(1997, IPRA), recognized the right of IPs to manage their ancestral domains; it has become the
cornerstone of current national policy on IPs.

Dayaw 2015 To Raise Awareness on Indigenous Peoples and Their Rights, Issues And Concerns
Posted on October 12, 2015
HYPERLINK "http://ncca.gov.ph/dayaw-2015-to-raise-awareness-on-indigenous-peoples-
and-their-rights-issues-and-concerns/"
There are about 12 to 15 million indigenous people (IP) who inhabit the Philippines, which is
approximately 15 to 20 percent of the country’s total population. These IPs belong to about 110 ethnic
communities and speak around 170 languages, majority of them (about 60 percent) live in Mindanao,
about 33 percent dwell in Luzon, and the remaining (6%) are in Visayas region.

While these indigenous people groups belong to the very dynamic and culturally-
diverse sector of the society, they all have experienced decades of exploitation,
poverty, negligence from the government and social discrimination that have further
marginalized them and pushed them inland and upland. Generally considered the
poorest sector in the Philippines today, the IPs have to deal with issues concerning
basic human rights, war and conflict resolution, employment opportunities and
discrimination, jurisdiction and ancestral domain, and preservation of their cultures
and traditions.

The growing incidents of displacements and rising death cases have taken its toll on
the IP communities. The IPs have become innocent victims of development
aggression, with their ancestral lands taken away from them. Political and economic
players have neglected the respect and protection of the IPs’ rights to their ancestral
domain. Their ancestral lands have been central to their communities, directly linked
to their cultural integrity and identity. Their ancestral domain is the key to the
preservation of their indigenous knowledge, cultural systems, traditional practices and
rich heritage.

This October, over 400 indigenous peoples from 60 cultural communities all over the
Philippines will gather together to discuss the issues that have been haunting them for
decades and possibly find shared solutions to their predicaments in DAYAW 2015:
The Indigenous Peoples Month Celebration, a collaborative effort between various
government agencies, primarily headed by the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts (NCCA)’s Sub-commission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, to
be held on October 15 to 17, 2015 in Angeles, Pampanga.

The word “Dayaw” means “to present with pride what is distinctly and essentially
inherent to oneself” in old Tigaonon of Surigao del Sur; “to show one’s best with
pride and dignity coupled with excitement” in old Catandunganon; and, “honor” in
Ilokano.

With this year’s theme “Katutubong Kaalaman para sa Kalikasan at Kapayapaan,” the
festival serves as a good venue to raise awareness on indigenous peoples and their
rights, issues and concerns. The festival also aims to raise the appreciation of the
Filipino culture and its diversity. Through various activities, the festival will highlight
traditional and local knowledge on environment protection and advocate peace, while
sharing the uniqueness of each cultural community in the Philippines.

In the biggest gathering of different cultural communities in the Philippines, there will
be Summit Sessions where IP leaders exchanges wisdom of their indigenous
knowledge systems and practices, as well as discussion on various issues affecting the
IP communities while at the same time asserting their rights, promoting their own
interests, and protecting their culture and traditions while dealing with the realities of
their daily existence amid the face of globalization, turbulent social situation and
national political challenges.

There will also be outreach performances and cultural exchanges in various locations
in Pampanga. The IP groups will showcase their traditional dances, songs and chants.
In exchange, the host community will share their culture and traditions to the IP
participants through a heritage tour. The IP delegates will also demonstrate their
traditional games and share their cuisine.