Butatiw or Butattew: The Ghostly Lights in Cordillera's Mountains

The "butatiw" or "butattew" is a phenomenon that has fascinated people for centuries. It's a bright light or group of lights that you see from a distance at night-time. You usually see them at a far-off mountain. They look like they are dancing as they tend to dart from side to side. 

The "butatiw" inexplicably grows bright, dims, then grows bright again. It also has the abilities to divide, multiply in number, and then merge again to become one. One moment, you are seeing one light, the next moment you see two or three lights. It also seem to be able to travel from one place to another with amazing speed. In the blink of an eye, the light can disappear then reappear on the other side of the mountain. 

Cordillerans have various names for this mysterious light. They call it "butattaw" in Kalinga. The Kalanguyas call it the "banbanillag". The Ibalois call it the "buntatew" or "buntato". The Balangaos in Mountain Province call it the "manmanangaw". The Bontocs call it the "futattiw".

What exactly is this "butatiw"? The answers are diverse depending on who you ask. Some say these are harmless ghosts. Some say these are bad omens - a sign that there will be a death in the village or a natural disaster is approaching. Some say these are friendly spirits that guide lost travelers. Some say these are gods who have come down to earth to check on their creations. More modern interpretations say these are the lost souls of those who died during the Japanese occupation.

Taking these folkloric interpretations aside, is there a scientific explanation for these ghostly lights. Actually, there is and it's called the will-o-the-wisp phenomenon. The lights are a product of the combustion of natural gases. This combustion often occurs in marshy lands. This combustion produces the flame-like phosphoresence that people see from a distance.

This makes sense because the "butatiw" usually makes an appearance after a heavy rain.

These mysterious lights are very common in folklore all over the world.

Who Brought Horses to the Cordillera Region?

Who brought the first horses to the Cordillera region? There are several theories on how these animals came to our region.

Theory 1: Horses arrived in the Cordillera region way before the Philippines was colonized by Spain. Chinese historical accounts show that there were busy trading ports in what is now modern Pangasinan and La Union. Merchants from China and Japan arrived at these ports to do business. Merchants during these times didn't just trade goods, they also traded animals. It's possible that their ships came with horses. 

It's also an established fact that pre-colonial Igorots often went down to the lowlands (Agoo, etc.) to trade. So it's possible that Igorots bought horses with their precious gold. 

However, this theory is contested by some historians citing that there's no record of horses from China/Japan being traded in Pangasinan/La Union trading ports. They add however that there's evidence of donkeys being carried by these trading ships. A Chinese shipwreck for example, contained donkey bones, not horse bones.

Theory 2: Malaysians brought horses to southern Mindanao (also in pre-colonial times). Through trade and ports, these horses made their way to Luzon and eventually to the mountains of the Cordillera region. There's very good evidence that horses were indeed brought to Mindanao from neighboring Malaysia. However, there's no evidence that these horses found their way all the way to Luzon. 

Theory 3: Horses were introduced by the Spaniards. This is the most accepted theory as it's backed by historical evidence and accounts. The Spaniards tried numerous times to put the Igorots under their control. Expensive expeditions were launched to map the Cordillera region and subjugate the local populations. Hundreds of horses were used during these expeditions. 

The Spaniards were able to set up many command posts (comandancias) within the Cordillera region. Travel to these comandancias often utilized horses. 

*The accompanying image is from the archives of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (website). It shows a young man and a pony in Bontoc, Mountain Province. Taken between 1898 and 1912.

The Karowewin of the Gaddangs

I am yet to see a real "karowewin" in person. I've only seen these Gaddang collar beads in pictures and illustrations. 

Also, of all the indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region, I think the Gaddangs are among the least studied. The literature about them is minute compared to other Cordilleran indigenous peoples. 

I took this photo of a page from the 2024 calendar of the Museo Kordilyera at the University of the Philippines Baguio.

It's accompanied by the following description:

"The karowewin is an elaborate beaded collar necklace worn by Gaddang women. It has a large section composed of tiny red, yellow, white, black, and blue glass beads called bukat which is woven to form a net. From this bead net hangs evenly sized cowrie shells and metal bells. It is also common for old Spanish and American era coins to be seen attached on the karowewin. From this large section emanates a single strand of larger beads which serves as the strap of the necklace. The large section is displayed on the back and the single strand of beads is worn on the front."

Reasons Why Kalinga Women Got Tattoos on Their Bodies

As part of their celebration for National Women's Month, the Museo Kordilyera at the University of the Philippines Baguio held an event called "INKheritage: Women, Tattoos, and Cultural Identity in the Cordillera". The highlight of the event was a talk by Ammin Acha-ur, a traditional tattoo artist (mambabatok) from Kalinga. 

In her talk, Acha-ur explained the history and significance of tattoos in Kalinga, especially among the women. She pointed out the main reasons why Kalinga women got inked. These were as follows:

1. For fertility. They believed that getting a tattoo increases their chances of conceiving a child. 

2. For healing. They believed that getting a tattoo helps in getting well from an illness or disease. Applying "batok" on the part of the body that is experiencing pain will make the pain and sickness go away.

3. For protection. They believed that getting inked can help in shielding them from harm. They have this belief that hurting or attacking a tattooed woman brings bad fortune to the attacker. Think of it as bad karma. This gives pause to anyone intending to harm a tattooed woman. If you harm a tattooed woman, bad things will happen to you, sooner or later. 

4. For body decoration. 

Acha-ur also briefly discussed the reasons why Kalinga men had their bodies inked. But these would be for another post.

Face Tattoos Among Bontoc Igorots

"Face Tattoos Among Bontoc Igorots"

During a forum a few months back at the University of the Philippines Baguio, a speaker mentioned that tattooing the face was quite common in the past especially among Igorots in Bontoc and adjacent regions.

I was doubtful about the claim until I came across a collection of old photos taken in the Bontoc area between 1898 and 1912. Many of the Bontoc men who posed for portraits had tattoos on their faces. The designs which are very similar to the ones on the chest and arms/torso were usually tattooed on the lower half of the face.

I'm yet to see a modern person today sporting this traditional face tattoo. It looks cool though. Gives the bearer that "Bontoc warrior" aura.

[Images Source: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University; website]

A Classic Filipino Film/Movie Set in Banaue, Ifugao

Among Nora Aunor's most ambitious movie projects was an epic film called "Banaue: Stairway to the Sky" which was released in 1975. Aunor reportedly invested much of her own money into the production of the film. She mortgaged her house, she took bank loans, and she took advances from future films to help fund the project. 

The movie was among the most expensive film projects during its time. And it showed in the final product.

When it comes to historical accuracy and cultural authenticity, the film falls short. That's understandable since it's a movie, not a documentary. Entertainment-wise, it's worth checking out especially if you are an enthusiast of vintage/classic Filipino films. 

You can watch a restored/remastered version of the film on YouTube. Full and free. Just search for the film's title. 

Where Did Our Igorot Ancestors Get Their Salt?

Where did our Igorot ancestors get their salt? Salt was a very valuable commodity in the olden days mostly because of its rarity. Igorot communities that were near the lowlands where salt were readily available often go down there to trade and acquire salt.

But what about the Igorots who were deep in the interior of the Cordillera mountains? They were hundreds of miles away from the lowlands. Where did they get their supply of the much-coveted salt?

Well, one major source of salt for these interior Igorots were natural hot springs. A great example were the Igorots in Bontoc especially those who lived in or near the village of Mainit where hot springs were plentiful. They found a way to extract salt from the hot springs using a long and complicated process. 

How did they do it? 

Here's an excerpt from an article published in 1966 and written by Augustus Ulat Saboy that detailed the salt-making process of the Igorots in Mainit: 

[Beginning of excerpt.] "A suitable hot spring is selected from among the hundreds of thermal springs spurting all over the village. Moderately warm mineral springs usually are chosen.

The surrounding area is cleared of grass, rocks and dirt, and the hot spring is impounded into a small puddle by ringing it with small rocks. The floor of impounded mineral water is leveled to allow the water to rise about six inches from the floor of the puddle.

Stones Planted

Stones as big as man’s fist are gathered and “planted” at even distances on the water pool. An outlet is opened with a small stone used as value. This serves to regulate the flow of water so that the top of each stone on the floor of the puddle is left dry.

A conical shelter is then constructed over the puddle, with its caves reaching the ground edge of the hot spring pool. The sides of the ground are left open to let the air in.

Condensation

Through the natural process of condensation, which takes place in the sheltered pool, salt in the water vapor settles on the planted stones. In one week, the stones are thick with encrusted snow-white salt particles.

The salt is scraped off after it thickens to about an inch on top of the stones. The work, exclusively a woman’s job, is done with a bladed bamboo stick. Then the salt is winnowed into a vat on fresh water where it is dissolved.

Boiling

The vat, now full of salt solution, is boiled to extract the salt. Before it cools off, the salt in the vat is ladled into prepared base for wrapping into cakes.

The wrapped salt is “toasted” over charcoal fire until it hardens. The salt is now ready for long storage." [End of excerpt.]

Many of the folks in Mainit turned salt-making into a profession. "Mainit salt" reportedly travelled as far as Kalinga and Abra. 

Salt-making in natural hot springs is no longer practical these days. Commercial salt is easily accessible and very cheap. 

Photos: Images from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (Website)