Ifugao's post-harvest ritual 'Punnuk' amazes DOT head

HUNGDUAN, Ifugao -- Practiced for decades, passed on from generation to generation, the ''Punnuk'' rite of the Ifugaos has never failed to amaze tourists and locals alike, especially with its unique activity called "guyyud", a word in the vernacular literally meaning "pull".

The Punnuk rite marks the culmination of the rice-reaping season, to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

Performed in the river amid strong waves, the Punnuk is done by members of the communities from Barangays Baang, Nunggulunan, and Hapao.

As a post-harvest ritual of tribesmen from the communities, Punnuk was tagged as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015.

Pablo Cuhayon, former mayor of Hungduan town, said what makes the ritual unique is that it is done in a river by the villagers, donning their traditional g-string and tapis and holding their traditional "Pakid" and "Kinaag".

"           Pakid" is a hooked sapling used in the tugging rite, instead of a rope. "Kinaag" is a human-like figure made of rice stalks.

Cuhayon explained that Punnuk is a thanksgiving ritual after a bountiful rice harvest. It signals to the people that they can start trading their produce and consume their agricultural products.

Guyyud is also regarded as a form of entertainment for the people, as they celebrate the lifting of some prohibitions at the end of harvest season.

It is also an occasion for the members of the communities to come together and celebrate as one people. Men, women, children, and old alike from the three barangays challenge each other in the distinct kind of tug-of-war game.

The celebration begins with the ritual holder or the "Dumupag", the owner of the widest track of terraced land used in rice production, announcing the start of the festivities.

From an old-age cultural practice, Punnuk has evolved into a small festival starting in 1986.

The practice of Punnuk ceased, however, for some time. Thanks to Baguio-based filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik and his Hapao sculptor-friend Lopez Nauyac, the ritual was revived in 1997.

Still, the practice of this colorful, unique, though small, festival is not yet done as regularly as before.

But Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who travelled over 12 hours to Ifugao from Metro Manila via Baguio City, wants to preserve such one-of-a-kind post-harvest ritual.

"It was so nice we were able to partake in the tradition and (would like to share) the culture with other people,” Puyat said after joining the now rarely observed festival last week.

She said joining the Punnuk has been one of her best experiences.

She shared that before her appointment with the DOT, as a then-Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture, her concern was only the locals' agricultural produce. Now it's more than that.

“It was just plain promotion of the heirloom rice. Now, it’s promoting the practices related to rice planting,” she said.

Puyat wants Philippine culture and heritage always kept intact through small festivals like Punnuk, which would help make rice planting thrive and the cultural heritage preserved at the same time.

"Seeing the tribes simultaneously emerging, it was like a movie, where you really get captivated,” the DOT Secretary beamed.

In their traditional red native costume--men in their g-strings and women in their "tapis"--the villagers began converging at the river around 7 a.m.

Some joined the tug-of-war game, some cheered, some stood as interested spectators, while the millennials among them took photos with their smart cellphones and cameras.

On promoting a place or a small town festival, Puyat said that they want to promote sustainable and responsible tourism, considering the carrying capacity of the area.

Puyat said promoting tourism without harming the environment is the DOT's objective now.

"Of course, we want the other people to experience what we have experienced here. But we have to discuss it well with the community,” she said.

She said a dialogue with the locals is vital when promoting a place, as the influx of tourists might get difficult to control.

“We want tourists to experience the culture, not disrupt the ritual itself," she said. -- Pamela Mariz Geminiano/PNA