Laying to rest ‘victims’ of headhunting in Mt Province

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Warriors engaged in headhunting forays in Mountain Province and other parts of the Cordillera had been extolled as heroes in the olden days.
    It was a cultural practice then but considered by modern society as abhorrent.
    Some sectors like the religious are now trying to remove the stigma and have started a “cleansing” and “laying to rest’ victims of headhunting in this capital town and the province.
    Hereunder is an article sent to us about the matter:
    In a historic act and an attempt to recompense the horrific mistakes of the cultural past, Bishop Valentin C. Dimoc,     Apostolic Vicar of Bontoc-Lagawe, presided a burial mass for the remains of humans displayed at the Bontoc Museum which he refers as victims of violence on Nov. 21, 2020.
    The remains are the skulls of people who have been victims of head hunting, a cultural practice associated with bravery, masculinity and revenge in some Mt. Province indigenous tribes in the olden times.
    "These victims of violence, of revenge, represent all the other victims of cultural violence. Now, these remnants of the past, these deemed human trophies, will be buried," starts Bishop Dimoc. "The culture of the past have an impact to the present, and so it is imperative now to show an evidence of a dialogue of the Catholic faith and our operative, our living culture," he pointed out.
    The bishop said his desire to finally lay the human remains, which include human jaws attached to the khangsa (gongs), is anchored to the fact that culturally, Igorot people give due respect to the dead, consequently to their remains. Now that Christianity is embraced, human dignity is given more reverence by people.
    "It is beyond question that our museum should truly be a window of our culture in the past. But, being a living museum, it should also be a reflection of our culture, our faith, at present," he said. "The museum should not keep displaying a culture of the past, that which embodies violence and revenge, but of now - an evangelized community who have deep respect for human life and dignity of the human body," argued the bishop.
    He said that he is being disturbed that every time there are occasions, olden gongs ornamented with human jaws are being brought out and used in celebrations. "Material cultures, like the gongs, reflect what happened in the past. As people of the Christian faith, are we not disturbed that we use material cultures that represent violence?" Dimoc said. He said these "human trophies" should be afforded proper actions.
    The Apostolic Vicar of Bontoc-Lagawe urged folks, which include families, LGUs, communities and anyone who still possess gongs and other material culture that represent violence and revenge, to do the same.
    "If we truly believe in Jesus, that we belong to one family of God, then we should also respond materially. As Christianized indigenous peoples, we should act accordingly," the bishop said.
    The historic event was attended and witnessed by Provincial Governor Bonifacio Jr. Lacwasan, members of the Holy Family, Funyag, teachers and student-representatives of the Vicariate Schools of Mountain Province, and Bontoc community elders.