“Ifugao” refers to the group of people living in Ifugao province ...

inipul is of large beads of light colored agate. Sometimes these beads are worn around
the neck.
The women put their belongings in the folds of their tapis in front or in a pouch made
of cloth similar to that used by men, except that it has no rings and is thus carried in
the hands or placed in the folds of the tapis. Women also tattoo their arms up to the
shoulder blade, with designs similar to the men. Earrings and pendants used by men are
also worn by women. The necklaces hang lower than those of the men, sometimes
reaching the navel. Copper bracelets are also used by women.
The Ifugao produce baskets to serve the needs of the household, and many other
purposes. They have baskets for winnowing, storing, catching pests, and
domesticating animals, storing grains and cooked food, keeping household utensils,
clothes, and personal belongings, and for rituals and religious ceremonies. Carrying
baskets have been so designed as to leave a person’s hands free to carry other loads.
Rattan is commonly used as material for household baskets. Their appearance is
somewhat corrugated due to the half-round characteristic of the split-rattan. All
baskets have a natural resilience due to the nature of rattan.
Another commonly used material is the kokolongkoy vine. The natural luster and
resilience of the vine produce baskets with great expansiveness, using the twilled
technique called roping. Sometimes the kokolongkoy is split up and used as butit or
locust jar. The kokolongkoy and rattan materials are used for twining and decorative
twill construction.
Bamboo is also one of the favorite materials for use in Ifugao baskets. In Kiangan and
Lagaue villages, the split-rattan tradition is commonly used for household baskets, such
as the labba or farm bowl, ligao or winnowing tray, and plaited storage jars.
Rice is cooked only once a day in the Ifugao household, and is then stored in baskets.
The huop, a square-covered bamboo basket with a tight-fitting cover used to store
cooked rice, is placed over the fire to help preserve the freshness of the rice. Meat is
also stored in these baskets. In central Ifugao, the ulbong or rice-storage baskets are in
the coiled tradition, and the form seems to have been influenced by Oriental ceramics.
A very popular form of Ifugao art is sculpture. Most of Ifugao sculptures are carved
in wood, although a few are in metal.
The Ifugao mark life crises with rituals and ceremonies which invoke the gods and
deities. In these rituals, the bulul is the most common and traditional ritual sculpture.
This is used in rituals seeking a bountiful harvest, revenge, or the healing of a sick
person.
The bulul is commonly known as the “Igorot rice god” (Monpaot 1991:10-11). Bulul
are usually made in pairs but there seems to be no rule with regard to sex and posture.