Cordillera Autonomous Region

Isneg live in the Northwesterly end of Northern Luzon, in the upper half of Cordillera Province known as Kalinga-Apayao. Isneg can described as of slender and graceful structure, with a good manners such as kind, hospitable and generous, possessed with the spirit of self-reliance and courage and clearly artistic in their temperament. They are living in just simple life. Their main staple food is rice which they have traditionally produced in abundance. Aside from that, other crops raised are corn, taro, sweet potato, sugar cane for making Basi or sugar cane wine, bananas, yams, and other tubers, the planting of which are all preceded by appropriate rituals and ceremonies. They can have their own land through the first use or pioneer principles are: the banuwag (swidden) the sarra or angnganupan (forest and hunting grounds) and the usat or angnigayan (water and aquatic resources). They can also have land through tawid or inheritance.

The Isneg women traditionally give birth in a kneeling position, using a mushroom as a talisman to ensure a succesful delivery. And like the other provinces, the girl's parents allow courtship to take place in their house, in their presence. If the suitor has become acceptable he can sleep in the home of the girl for several nights. Sexual relationship takes place,after the boy's parents discussed the matter of engagement and marriage. And they discussed about the tadug or the price of the bride.

There are actually no gods or hierarchical in the other world of Isneg, only good or bad spirits.

The Tingguian or Itneg are the other early inhabitants in Abra. Abra occupies the Western portion of the Cordillera Region in Northern Luzon. This provinces is hemmed in by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the West and the Cordillera Central in East. Most Tingguians are farmers who tend rice in kaingins and rice teraces. Their major crops are rice, corn, and root crops; and such commercial produce as coffee, tobacco, and coconut.

Ifugao refers to a group of people living in Ifugao province in the Central Cordillera mountains of Northern Luzon. The name Ifugao may also have been derived from the word "ipugo" which means from the hill. They live at the most rugged and mountainous part of the country. They harvest rice and variety of crops and vegetables. The lounge chair hagibi is a status symbol indicating the family belongs to Kadangyan class or Aristocracy. The Ifugao believe that the universe is divided into five worlds or region: the skyworld called Kabunian, the Earth world called pugaw; the underworld called dalum; the downstream region or lagod; and the upstream region called dayya or daiya. Beneath the world is a substream called dagah-na. Their houses is a three-level stucture with the spherical interior with no windows and with only a front and back door for ventilation. About musical instruments, gangsa or gangha are the most popular. Ayyuding and babbong are the string instruments made of bamboo and rattan. Ungiyong is a noseflute made of bamboo while Tongali is a mouth flute. Ritual song is called Alim while Hudhud is a non-ritual song, the liwliwa and the Salidummay. The way of their living is very different even their traditions.

The term "Bontocs" refers to the people of the Mountain Province . The main agricultural product of the Bontoc is rice, of which there are two kinds: the chinacon, which is the superior variety, and the pak-ang. Sweet potato and other crops like coffee, millet, beans, bananas, persimmon, tangerines, cabbages , carrots and cauliflowers are also produced. They believe that their laws were given them by Lumawig, their culture hero, when he came to live as one of them. There are three social classes in the Bontoc community: the Kadangyan/ Kachagyan (the traditional rich), the wad-ay ngachara (the middle class), and the pusi/lawa (the poor). The Bontoc also believe in the Anitos or Spirits of their anscestors and in spirits dwelling in nature. And their god is Lumawig, their culture hero and son of the god Kabunian.

Kankanays are the third largest cultural community in the mountain province. They practice three types of agriculture: slash-and-burn, terracing for wet rice production, and holticulture. Members of the family are expected to do their responsibilities related to economic and ritual activities. The Kadanyan or baknang occupies the top most rank a hereditary "aristocracy" or the richest and the second rank are the independent property holders called komidwa. Kodo is the poor and who are individuals or families who do not own riceland and other valuable possessions.

The Kalinga and other Cordillera people are believed to have arrived in separate migrations from the Southeastern and eastern Asia. The classes in their society are Kapus(the lowest class, baknang (middle class) and kadangyan (the upper class) where leaders and kinship groups and the pangat belong. Arranged marriage is rarely practiced today except among wealthy families in Southern Kalinga. Kalinga literature consists of riddles, legends, chanted or sung myths, epics or ballads. Ullalim is the epic of the Kalinga, a mountain tribe in Luzon.

The Isinay is a group of people who occupied Nueva Viscaya and other municipalities like Dupax del Sur, Aritao, and Bambang. While the Spaniards entered to Cagayan Valley, their major economic activities were agriculture, fishing, and domestication of animals. And soon, the Isinay were reduced like the Isneg, the Itave, the Kalinga, the Ibanag, and the Gaddang who had been previously settled in ranchers or in larger pueblos. They produced taro, yam, rice and corn and their main economic activity is agriculture. They produced rice and vegetables and also cultivated sweet potato and cassava while poultry and piggery remained secondary occupation. They raised cattle and goat. They also manufactured wood and wood products, textile, wearing apparel, leather, food and beverage and tobacco.Parents were responsible for choosing spouses for thei children and they can betroth their children even before they were born and that practice is called "purung". This ritual is accompanied by a ritual attended by their parents, relatives, and friends. The christianized Isinay believed in life after death- the good souls go to heaven while the bad souls go to hell. Those who die without being baptized enter the dark purgatory, which they refer to as "kinto limbo" or fifth limbo.

"Ilongot" or "Ilungot" inhabits the forest of Nueva Viscaya. They are noted for their rice wine called basi, which they also like to consume. Their "bottles" are bamboo tubes. Later, the provincial government of Nueva Viscaya used education and pacification as tools for civilization. They fish with nets and traps; sometimes they dive to shoot larger fish with bow and arrow. They use kaingin system (swidden) for farming. The Ilongot men wear loin cloth held around the waist by a cagit or either a brass wire or rattan. Gabed, a piece of bark cloth is wrapped around the legs and tied at the font and back with a string belt. Ilongot women wear cloth embroidered skillfully and make cotton tassels which they tie on their horse hair ornament.

The Ivatan are the people of Batanes, a group of ten islands in the Northern most part of the Philippines and is the smallest province in the country. Ivatans settle only on these islands; Itbayat, the largest island in Batanes , Batan, the most populated where Basco, the capital lies and Sabtang, seven km. southwest of Batan. Ivatan is the language spoken in the islands of Batan and Sabtang while Initbayat language spoken mainly on the islands of Itbayat and other languages are spoken in Filipino, English and Ilocano. The Batanes islands were created by series of volcanic activity and other geologic changes. Eruptions of Mt. Iraya on Batan were responsible for the goelogic features and fertile soil of Batan Island. Ivatonic are faring people who lived by fishing, hunting, and cultivation of root crops, bananas, and sugarcane from which they produced Palik (fermented cane juice). Ivatan had Neolithic tools and pottery which they used as burail jars. The traditional Ivatan society was made up of form distinct classes: the Mangpus, Mapolon, Cailanes, and Slaves. Manpus and Mapolon are the elite group. Mangpus collect revenues and administered justice and led their people to war against another mountain people. Cailanes are those who cultivate the land and the Slaves, the lower in rank. Children showed respect for the authority of parents. Arrange marriages were traditional among the Ivatan.

Ibanag or a "people of the river" is a group of Spaniards landed in Northern Luzon in a place known as Buquey. Cagayan Valley got its name from the word Cagayan (river) but others claimed that the name was derived from the word tagay (a kind of plant that grew in abundance in the North). They engaged in agriculture, fishing and hunting as their means of subsistence. They cooked their foods in earthen pots and vessels made of clay. They also believed in spirits they called i ari nga urasingan. They sacrificed animals during their rituals to the patron saint. They also believed in Mangibariao, a curse or bad wish. Ibanag is also consider children as a gift from God and source of luck for the family and thos couples without children are unlucky and should be punished. Mamattang is a ritual made to eliminate pains during pregnancy. The manggagakao is a ritualto bring back the soul of a child who is shocked or scared. Mangagaya is the native term of courtship that usually starts at the age of 16. The Ibanag's main economic activity is planting with rice as the most dominant agricultural product in farmlands, and tobacco, as their commercial product. The head of traditional Ibanag community was called dakal na barangay and the leader must be a kin or karaga, as in the old datu system.

About my opinion about the story of Biuag at Malana, I believe that the supernatural powers that the goddess gave to Biuag was not deserve to him. He used his power in bad and not in good. But then, I liked the story about Biuag at Malana. That was very interesting. One thing that I didn' like in this story is that, it has no an happy ending. Iliked the whole story though it is unbelievable.

The story about the life of Cardo touched my heart. For me, this story has a lot of lessons that we should learn. This shows that even if you are ugly and look like a devil, you are still part of this world wherein God creates you. Cardo is not a bad person although he is ugly. And as long as he is a good person, he is still beautiful in the eyes of god. Because of this story, it made mme realize that that ugly person shoul not treat bad. It made me also asked to myself too, what was this beauty in life that others fight and die for, that what is in beauty that evrybody was desired. I realized also that you are beautiful as long as you are a good person. We have no right to judge people like Cardo because even if he is look ugly, he is a good person who has a good soul and golden heart which is the most important.

Biag ni Lam-ang

For me, this story is unbelievable. No one was birth with the power to speech and an unusual physical form. I don't believe that this story can true in real life. There are parts of this story that for me is not that good like the parts where he slew those Igorots who killed his father and torture the last one before releasing. For me,it wasn't good even if he had that power he shouldn't have do that.

I wasn't that interested in Biag ni Lam-ang. Although I think I liked the setting but I didn't like the story. Lam-ang is not that a good person but I am not telling that he is that bad. One thing that I liked him was the way he was in love with Kannoyan. He was really dedicated to court Kannoyan even if he knew Kannoyan is the daughter of the richest man of the town of Kalanutian. He faced Sumarang who was his rival and Sarindang who tried to seduce him but he rejected her. It is maybe because he is stick to one of loving someone. For me that is the only thing that makes this story interesting. But the whole was not.