BSU study on Benguet attires

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

(This week’s column is written by J.Sagpa-ey andJS Tabangcura)

The early people of Benguet actually used ethnic blankets woven by the Ilocanos of Tagudin and Bangar, Ilocos Province. Contrary to the present generation’s notion that ethnic blankets and other accessories are only used for death related rituals and ceremonies, the early iBenguets used blankets daily. These blankets have different names and kinds depending on their owners’ status, age and gender.

This was revealed through a baseline study by Erlinda Alupias, Betty Gayao, Dalen Meldoz and Jaila Sagpa-ey under the Angara funded CARSUC RDE titled “Improving the Textile Industry in Benguet.”

The study further revealed that the lifestyle of the Benguet people since the early 1960s was gradually influenced by traders and migrants from the lowlands who had more access to different kinds of blankets, clothes and other attires.

However, the designs and figures can not be disclosed by the old folks and even the Ilocano weavers because the knowledge was passed on orally until it became a part of the culture among Benguet Ibalois and Kankana-eys. This process is locally termed as tinmaru-tarun. Since only the rich could afford the woven products from the Ilocanos embroidered with different designs, the blankets became associated to their status, hence the status blankets.

Benguet status blankets and clothing have a common combination of red, black or dark blue and white or dirty white. The designs are figures of “x” and the eyelet design which may represent a shield, a man, and a snake. Genuine blankets can be determined on the arrangement of the design wherein the snake sign should be placed after the man.

In the case of the salibobo/sadipopo or bedbed, a headband used by rich old men or community leaders, the design corresponds with the status blanket. Most often, the status level is determined by the number of eyelet designs. If there are 9 or 13 or 15 eyelet designs, this is the corresponding number of animals to be butchered or have been butchered in a cañao.

Blankets worn only by those who already performed certain steps of cañao are called alahdang/alechang, pinagpagan, dilli/shengdi and kuabaw/sarong. Blankets worn by the poor with simple designs are called bayaong/kolebaw and bandala/safey. Blankets like manta and mabli are used in the later years.

Status blankets can be inherited or acquired. There are areas in Benguet with people particular on the ruling that ethnic blankets worn by someone should be identical to what his/her ancestors used. To other areas, the prestige of using status blankets may be attained after performing levels of ca ñao.

Historically, Benguet people wore g-strings out of tree barks. When g-strings out of woven cloth was introduced, those who can afford discarded their tree bark g-strings.

In areas near Metro Baguio like Atok, it was in the late 1940s that kuba was seldom worn. In Kibungan, old men from the outskirt baranggays stopped using kuba in the late 1980s. In Kabayan, men stopped using toto/kubal in the 1970s.

There are no meanings and interpretations of the colors of the kuba. Generally, the kuba worn by a man should be the kuba worn by his forefathers. The kankana-eys have several kinds of g-string: the baa, binoltong, pillac, pinangsas and sinulaman. For the Ibaloi men they have the pinangsas, padasan and donas.

The wrap around skirt worn by women is called devit or etten and the matching blouse is called sa-dey, kambal and sambra. The designs are combinations of bangkoro and kambayashu, combination of black, red and white stripes.

At present, people who still practice the old traditions prefer ethnic clothes out of pure cotton and loose because they believe that clothing that will be worn by their dead relative must decompose with the corpse at the same time. Clothing with synthetic materials will take longer years to decay causing the spirit of the dead to cause trouble to the living relatives.