Ibaloi

• Ibaloi


  An indigenous ethnic group found in the northern Philippines
• The name "Ibaloi" is derived from "Ipaway," the term used by the Kalanguyas, which means "those who live in the grasslands"
• In Ibaloi mythology, their origins are traced back to a couple who survived a great flood sent by Kabunian, a deity in their beliefs
• Ibaloi society

  • Bilateral Kinship System - a crucial role in shaping Ibaloi life
• Traditional Ibaloi clothing(K,K, A or D)

  • Kuval - a g-string for Men
  • Kambal - blouse for Women
  • Aten or Divet - skirt for women
• Ibaloi people take pride in their unique attire, which reflects their cultural identity
• Kinuday


  A native traditional delicacy of the Ibaloi tribe, their way of preserving meat
• Ibaloi arts and crafts(P, W, I B, W F, E J)

  • Pottery
  • Woodcarving
  • Intricate basketry
  • Weaved fabrics
  • Ethnic jewelry with unique designs
• Traditional Ibaloi dances

  • Bendiyan
  • Tayaw
• Bendiyan


  A ritual and ceremonial dance to celebrate victory and vengeance, a "fatigue dance"
• Tayaw


  A traditional Ibaloi dance, performed to express feast, joy, or celebration
• The Ibaloys believe in spirits of ancestors whom they call amed and of a supreme being generally called Kavuniyan or Kabunyan
• Ibaloi spirits and deities

  • Nature spirits - the ones that always create disasters or calamities
  • Ancestral spirits (Ka-apuan) - appear in dreams or make a member of the family sick to make known their wishes
  • Banig - are spirits of an almost dying person or one who just passed away
  • Penten - are spirits of people who died a violent death
• Nature spirits

  • Amdag - spirits that travel with the wind who carry nets to catch the soul of persons
  • Ampasit - they dwell in caves and they are believed to mislead people who are travelling at night or at dusk
  • Tinmongao - malevolent spirits that live in caves, stones and trees that cause injury or sickness to a person who steps on their dwelling place
  • Pinad-eng - spirits living in the forest who own the wild pigs and chickens
  • Butat-tew - spirits who group themselves to misguide people in their paths or in their activities
• Mambunong


  The maker of prayers, presides in all feasts requiring the recitation of bunong or prayers
• Mansip-ok


  The person who identifies the causes of illness and determines the reasons for the sickness
• Mankutom


  Wise man, interprets the meaning of events
• Burik are the tattoos practiced by both men and women among the Ibaloi and Itneg people</b>
• The Ibaloi once mummified their honored dead and laid them to rest in hollowed logs in the caves around what is now the Filipino municipality of Kabayan
• The Ibaloy (Ibaloi, Ibadoy, Igodor, Benguet Igorot, Nabaloi, Benguet, and Iniballuy) constitute a large ethnic group that numbers approximately 240,000 people in the country
• The Ibaloy are mostly found in Benguet province, numbering 112,447 people, principally in the municipalities of Itogon, Tuba, La Trinidad, Bokod, Baguio, and Atok
• Ibaloi livelihoods

  • Farming
  • Mining
  • Livestock raising
  • Hunting
  • Fishing
• Uma or kaingin


  The common activity of the Ibaloys, where they plant root crops, corn, cowpeas, and bananas
• Kuwen


  Thinly sliced and sun dried camote which is pounded into flour and cooked or steamed like cake
• Varieties of rice grown by the Ibaloi

  • Kintoman (red variety)
  • Talon (white lowland type)
• The Ibaloy in the gold-rich areas of Benguet are engaged in small-scale mining, using methods like local mining or labon and placer mining
• Tools used in Ibaloi mining

  • Gai-dan (large flat stone)
  • Alidan (small flat stone)
  • Sabak (wooden gold separator)
  • Dayasan (water placed in a trough)
• Hunting was one of the chief means of livelihood among the early Ibaloy settlers, using tools like spears, bows and arrows, and trained hunting dogs
• The Ibaloy used methods like bana-at and akdeb to catch small fish, with the most common kind being bonog and jojo
• The Participatory Action Research project by the NCIP aims to empower IP communities, particularly younger generations, to be researchers and storytellers of their own Ancestral Domains
• Ceremonies

  • Peshit - a grand feast marking the end of mourning for a decreased loved one
  • Pedit - performed to drive away bad spirits or omens that may bring illness or misfortune
  • Begnas - a communal feast that's usually held to celebrate a bountiful harvest, to pay for healing, or to seek protection from natural calamities
  • Semong - a healing ritual performed by a mambunong, to cure ailments believed to be caused by supernatural forces
  • Mamising - a ritual performed to honor the spirits of the ancestors