Building the Ivatan traditional house is tedious and difficult.

So as in his contest with the soil, he resorts to his trusted labor cooperatives such as the kayvayvanan or kapaidungan. Thus, every single Ivatan home is literally the work of the community. Florentino H. Hornedo, 2000, p. 9

Photo Credits: Alejandro Sugatain, Claudia Rivera and Lorina Navarro

Kayvayvanan Under Fire:

By Lorina Navarro, Francis Ramirez, Alejandro Sugatain

The Challenges of Cooperative Cogon Roofbuilding in Barangay Chavayan

n the northernmost tip of the Philippine archipelago lies a group of islands seemingly isolated from the rest. Characterized

However, what is considered by many as the traditional Ivatan home was not a local invention. In fact, it was during the 18th century when the Spaniards introduced the technology of using mortar made out of lime and sand for their stone walls (Hornedo, 2000). Prior to this, the Ivatans lived in low houses with cogon walls and roofs called jinjin, which were constructed on cliffside settlements. As early as the 19th century, galvanized iron (G.I.) roofs were introduced to Batanes, and in the second decade of the 20th century, cement buildings were being adopted for public buildings (Hidalgo, 1996). Soon enough, houses with G.I. roofs and concrete structures coexisted with the lime-andstone houses. Because of the introduction of these new materials, the traditional stone houses started dwindling in numbers in Basco, the main municipality of Batanes, which is almost overridden by more modern forms of housing, while most of the remaining stone houses are found in Sabtang Island. The barangay of Chavayan does not seem immune to these developments

by its heavy winds, crushing waves, huge rock formations and sloping hills, Batanes is known for its natural beauty and also its environmental pressures. For the Ivatans, the residents of these islands, these are the conditions that have continuously shaped their lives for centuries. At the same time, the Ivatans have also devised ways to cope with their living environments. The island of Sabtang is only one of the three inhabited islands in Batanes. It is also the home to six barangays, including Barangay Chavayan, which was nominated in the UNESCO World Heritage list for its stone houses, with walls made of lime (amud) and stones and with thatched roofs made out of cogon (vuchid), a type of grass that grows in the area. A defining feature of Batanes, these stone houses are the living vestiges of the Ivatans adaptive history against the strong winds that continue to ravage the islands and the extreme heat and cold experienced during the different seasons.

Kayvayvanan Under Fire

Uncle Domingo Gallo in the process of building the supporting structures for his rahawung, which was designed to become an extension of his home. Photo credits: Claudia Rivera

either. When we first arrived there, we noticed a handful of houses built with materials transported from Luzon such as galvanized iron and concrete. Second-story houses with whitewashed walls pop out in the distance. Hybrid byproducts of traditional and modern architectural styles are also becoming a common sight stone walls with galvanized iron roofs, cement walls with cogon roofs, stone walls plastered with cement, etc. While the main structures of the Ivatan home, namely the rakuh (living room house), rahawung (shed used to store firewood, farm equipment, etc.) and the kusina (kitchen) are generally still followed, what moves the residents of Chavayan to change their roofs is a compelling issue. This question is raised especially in the light of the supposed advantages that cogon roofs have over galvanized iron and cement roofs such as in durability, coolness and cost. Why do people change their

practice of housebuilding in Batanes presumes the involvement of the whole community fostered by a bayanihan-type

cooperative system called kayvayvanan. Kayvayvanan, literally meaning friendship is chiefly used for building the foundation , of a house and also in pag-aatep (constructing the roof). It is built on principle of reciprocation, that is one provides work for another person, who in turn, will give back the same amount of labor (Hornedo, 2000). Aside from being a cooperative system, kayvayvanan is also a formal organization with a body of members including elected officers. Kabisilya is the term used to refer to the head of kayvayvanan. The other officers of the organization include a secretary who is in charge of keeping track of the attendance and the contributions of each member and another officer called kamangelkaman, who is in charge of making the baratay or the ladder used for climbing the roof, removing the roof, and making sure that there is food to be served. Like any other organization, there are rules to be followed once you are listed as a member of the kayvayvanan. First is the mandatory contribution to be made per member as determined by the kabisilya. This includes the materials

roofs? Moreover, what affects their decisions to change them?

The researchers pose with a tool called a pantuan. It is used to measure cogon bundles. Photo credits: Lorina Navarro

it is also important to note that the

n weighing the factors that may influence the Ichavayans,

for housebuilding the cogon which can be primarily taken from the chamantad (farm) or the ahad (mountains). In building a roof, the kayvayvanan provides one-half of the cogon while

Kayvayvanan Under Fire

the owner is responsible for the other half and also the other necessary materials such as bamboo and lumber (kayu). Aside from the mountains, cogon is also commercially available in the adjacent barangay, Barangay Savidug. Chintuan refers to the unit of measurement used for seven to eight bundles of cogon. A wooden tool called pantuan is used to determine one chintuan. One chintuan is usually sold for around 300 to 350 pesos. It takes around 300 to 500 bundles of cogon to build an average-sized Ivatan house. In case all the bundles of cogon are bought, the house will cost around 15,000 pesos. Each member also has to serve for a fixed number of hours. Members of the kayvayvanan for the rakuh have to work for eight hours while members of the kayvayvanvan for the kitchen have to work for seven hours. The difference in the membership depends from the material of the roof. One of our informants explains that his rakuh is no longer included in kayvayvanan because his roof is made out of galvanized iron, but his kusina is still included because of its cogon construction. In order to belong to the kayvayvanan, you must first introduce yourself to the community. As mentioned, there are those who do not consider themselves members of the kayvayvanan, such as the newcomers who have just moved into Chavayan, and those who do not need the assistance of the kayvayvanan in building and maintaining their houses. A member in need of the assistance of the kayvayvanan presents his case to the kabisilya, whose role is also to determine whether a roof needs replacing or not. He also decides how much cogon is needed for the house to be built. Finally, he calls the kayvayvanan to assemble whenever a house needs to be constructed. In general, around 25 people are needed in raising a roof. One or two members from each household usually help out in this activity. The men of the community build the roof while the women pass the materials used for the roof or tie up the cogon. One of our informants remarked that in the

case of housebuilding, it is harmful for the womens health to handle the apog (limestone) especially if they are pregnant. There is no monetary payment involved in kayvayvanan, although the owner of the house normally provides the food and refreshments for the workers. When the roof is constructed late in the day, the owner can even offer gin. The owner can also hold roof construction on the same day of his birthday and slaughter a pig for the guests and members of the kayvayvanan, hitting two birds with one stone. A cogon roof can last for around 25 years before it is replaced as opposed to galvanized irons one- to five-year lifespan. In case of roof repairs, however, the kayvayvanan need not be called, but the owners can work on them by patching up the cogon (seksekan), asking for assistance from friends and relatives or hiring skilled

Kung wala ka ng pagkukunan ng cogon, edi umisip ka ng paraan. Mariano Gecha, kabisilya

laborers.

n spite of the consensus that cogon is more economical and

durable than the alternatives, why do people still switch to cement and galvanized iron? Most of the reasons given by our informants indicate that this is more from practicality than anything else. At present, there is a shortage in the supply of cogon. At the chamantad where the cogon is grown, there are several adversaries. For one, the area is used as a pasture by some of the locals, who need the cogon as fodder for their goats. Aside from this, cogon is also burned down allegedly to get rid of pests. Unlike other crops cogon is not actively planted but is allowed to grow on its own so that after one year people can harvest it. It comes as no surprise that people look for other sources of roofing due to the shortage. One of the more popular sources of alternatives is galvanized iron sheets. Ten feet of galvanized iron costs around 300 pesos as opposed to the 300 pesos per one chintuan

Kayvayvanan Under Fire

bundle of cogon. In addition to the decrease in costs, it is also much easier to assemble galvanized iron in terms of labor and resources. If someone wants to put up a makeshift rahawung in a hurry galvanized iron roofing becomes an expedient choice as it is cheap and its construction requires one person at the least. On the downside, galvanized iron is easy to rust in Chavayans seaside environment unless repainted annually, and it is also vulnerable to storms. Alternatively, others choose cement houses because in terms of maintenance, they say they require the least amount of work, but they are also the most expensive to build (P319 per bag of cement). Although it is more dangerous in cases of earthquakes, you dont have to regularly replace it, it is very durable against storms, and it is very unlikely to be infested with termites. With a cogon roof, if poorly constructed, it is possible that there will be leaks, you have to constantly repair damaged parts, and it can be vulnerable to storms. In this case, the practice among Ivatans is to carefully fasten their cogon roofs with rattan and cover them with a rope net (sagep). It may seem that changing the roof material affects the social structure of Chavayan in the sense that one of its community practices is becoming less frequent in favor of more individualistic forms of housebuilding, and many have in fact denied membership in the kayvayvanan because of their roof types. Cogon is very critical to maintaining the kayvayvanan, as this organization is almost always associated with cogon roofbuilding although it has also shown flexibility towards constructing cement roofs. Some of our informants have mentioned that cement houses, which are costly in terms of labor and especially capital, can still be a part of kayvayvanan so long as the owner still provides the materials for the house. In this new scenario, however, the materials are no longer freely taken and given, and money has entered the equation. Thus the reciprocal obligations and relationships derived from cogon construction are less clearly stated. In spite of the new housebuilding technology and practices, it doesnt necessarily mean that the sense of community in Barangay Chavayan is dying out. It manifests itself

in

cooperative

practices

Indeed, their world view of houses and human settlement has evolved, without rejecting the indigenous. Cesar A. Hidalgo, 2006, p. 393

outside the organization of is kayvayvanan. evident in This

observed

practices of the residents seeking to help out if necessary, kayvayvanan or

none, such as in the pabaha, which occurs when a non-member of the kayvayvanan, such as an owner of a galvanized iron roof, chooses to freely lend his help in cogon housebuilding. Outside the practice of roof construction, there are other forms of selfhelp traditions such as the payuhwan, which involves close friends performing smaller scale farm jobs (Hornedo, 2000). There are also other types of cooperatives not explored in our paper such as for fishing and boat-making. Practicality aside, the kayvayvanan, as set of relations and practices is a also tradition rife with symbolic meanings, reinforcing community-wide reciprocal relationships and

values while pursuing the need to adapt to the environmental conditions. Through housebuilding, we get a glimpse of the Ichavayans indigenous knowledge of architecture, including each detail of the support structures of a house. Unfortunately, much of the knowledge and relationships derived from this practice are compromised, much like the reserves of cogon after they were razed and exploited. In the supposed problem of the changing roofs from the locally gathered to the externally procured materials, it is therefore very pressing to address the sustainability of the cogon resources in relation to preserving the definitive trait of Chavayan not merely their stone houses but more importantly their spirit of community.
This article is based on the paper Raising the Roof: Investigating the Reasons behind the Changing Roofs in Chavayan by Navarro et. al originally submitted for the course Anthro 196 (Field Methods in Social Anthropology) under Edwin Valientes of the University of the Philippines Department of Anthropology. References Hidalgo, C.A. (1996). The making of the Ivatans: The cultural history of Batanes. Pasig, Metro Manila: Cognita TRC. Hornedo, F.H. (2000). Taming the wind: Ethno-cultural history on the Ivatan of the Batanes isles. Manila, Philippines: University of Santo Tomas Pub. House. Navarro, C.M. (2009). Batanes: Cooperative practices of its people. Quezon City: Giraffe. Kayvayvanan Under Fire 4