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In Summary The Philippine Islands are home to dozens of tribal groups like the Ibanags who consider themselves Catholic but who are very much animists. In this article Clifford Peters describes the Ibanags and their worldview and offers guidelines for doing theology among such a people.

The Ibanag people live in the province of Isabela in the northeastern part of the Philippine island of Luzon. Nestled within low mountain ranges-the Sierra Madre on she east, the Cordillera Central on the west, and the Caraballo on the south-is the Cagayan Valley where most Ibanags are found. The Cagayan River runs northward through this valley and from it the people have acquired their name. Y Bannag literally used to mean the river, and over time Ibanag (or Ybanag) eventually became the term by which to refer to the people living along its banks.

Isabela is somewhat of a melting pot, with inhabitants coming from several mountain tribes and lowland groups. Ibanag is a commonly spoken language, but one may also hear II-ocano, Yogad, Gaddang, Itawes, Tagalog, or Pangasinan. Only a handful of towns are composed solely of Ibanags; these include Cabagan, San Pablo, Santa Maria, and Tumauini.

Of these, Cabagan is the largest, with a population of about 25,000 in 1975. It is considered the educational center of Northern Isabela with four high schools, a Catholic college (Lyceum of Cabagan), and Isabela State University (one of a chain of state agricultural universities scattered across the Philippines).

Many Ibanags are subsistence farmers, growing rice, corn, and tobacco. The land is heavily used, and productivity is very low. Most of those who grow tobacco fall prey to Chinese merchants, who advance money to the farmers for their future crops and then buy the crops at low prices, often making 100% profit. Beneficial credit systems are not available to most farmers.

Ibanags have extensive kinship networks and seek to maintain smooth interpersonal relationships. They are bound by loyalties and obligations to the clan and will sacrifice personal desires for those of the group.

Most Ibanags consider themselves Catholics but, as will be shown, many of the animistic beliefs and the basic worldview of the Ibanag have remained largely unchanged in the 400 years since the Spanish came to the area. Catholic rituals and objects have been absorbed into the culture; for example, images of patron saints have become abodes of spirits which need to be appeased. The Catholic emphasis on the wounds of Jesus has served to reinforce the preexisting fear of evil spirits and of what they can do to a person.

Ibanag Worldview

The Ibanag refers to the world around him as interu sinakkabban, meaning "the whole covered region." This is divided into the langi (sky), bilag (sun), vulan (moon), aru nga bitun (stars), davvun (earth), unag na davvun (inside the earth), and pallefan (surroundings) (Gatan 1983:35)

The davvun is very important to the Ibanag, for from it he ekes out a living for himself and his family. It includes the mountains, valleys, forests, springs, and rivers. The river especially plays an important role in his life since the yearly flooding deposits the rich soil in which he grows his crops and then supplies the water to keep them growing. The floods can also destroy his crops and animals.

It's perhaps not surprising, then, that the Cagayan River plays an important role in the rituals and beliefs of the Ibanag. For example, after birth, the placenta is floated away in the river in hopes that the child will have better fortune through marriage to someone outside of the confines of the town. Articles used in healing rites or left behind after death are also thrown into the river to symbolize cleansing and the carrying away of bad luck, disease, and misfortune.

The pallefan is also of great importance to Ibanags. It refers to the environmental surroundings and includes trees, fields, forests, hills, natural outcroppings, and the atmosphere. The Ibanag also believes these surroundings to be the dwelling places of a multitude of evil spirits, nature deities, and disembodied souls. This perception-of the spirit world is deeply embedded in the culture and affects virtually everything an Ibanag does. The following is a description of the main types of spirits known to Ibanags and their influence in the culture:

*Ari-masingan (also known as agguiriguira and angul) are evil spirits believed to dwell in big trees, rivers, riverbanks, trails, crossroads, and deserted houses. They are thought to be particularly active at noon and dusk. Fear of these is very real and intense. Though these spirits are invisible, they and their children can be affected by corporeal events. For example, they can be stepped on, urinated on, and otherwise hurt or disturbed. If one was to pass by their dwelling without asking permission of them, they would become offended and angry. Mothers are careful not to clothe their little girls in colorful dresses which can attract the attention of these beings. When people eat or drink anything around areas suspected of spirit habitation, morsels of food are thrown to the pound for the ari-masingan as a form of appeasement to prevent evil events.

If ever an ari-masingan is provoked to anger, it will touch the offender. This is thought to cause such a fright that the person's soul strays from the body. Someone who is natukkal-touched by evil spirits-may exhibit sickness, coma, jerking in his sleep, or involuntary physical contortions. Rituals must be performed to woo back the person's straying soul. Alternatively, if the spirit is very angry, it may possess the person. This is known as inaffunan--literally, roosted upon by an evil spirit. More complicated rituals must be performed to appease and propitiate the offended spirit.

Another thing to fear from an ari-masingan is being walked over by one. If this were to happen to a single woman sleeping at the threshold of the main doorway at noontime, she would become pregnant with an inhuman form of life such as a dog or snake. Fear of being walked over has grown to include even other people. Walking over someone is believed to displace your bad luck to the one walked over. If you were to step over a child, for instance, the parents would become very angry and order you to walk over the child backwards to neutralize the evil effect of your action.

*The amangao spirit is feared at least as much as the ari-masingan because its touch can be fatal. It can assume the form of various animals and even a tall human form with the head of a horse. Thought to dwell in thick bamboo groves, old trees, and haunted houses, it usually appears at twilight in lonely places in drizzling rain. When seen, it grows in size, changing in form from a small cat to larger animals and eventually to a huge human-like figure, sometimes emitting frightful sounds. Some are said to have chased their intended victims to the ladders of their houses, caused them to become extremely ill and even sometimes to die. The fright from encounters with amangao can also cause soul-straying.

*The pabilon spirit appears as a massive blanket during rainfall in the early evening. It swoops down on the victim and causes illness.

* he aran are roughly equivalent to leprechauns and may be either harmful or beneficial. They are thought to be short, kinky-haired, and dark-complexioned and to wear tall hats. Believed to be harbingers of prosperity and abundance, they supposedly provide an inexhaustible food supply to the family in whose granary they dwell. Virtually all Ibanags, no matter how educated and exposed to the influence of science and technology, believe in these elusive beings, and it is the unstated lifetime wish of an Ibanag to actually see an aran for himself. This is difficult because when an aran becomes aware that he's being observed, he instantly disappears! When throwing out hot water, Ibanags will warn any arans thought to be in the area to stay clear, a scalded aran will retaliate by causing a skin disease which only a healer can cure.

*The banig spirit is like a ghost, the fear of which is often used in disciplining children.

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Clifford Peters has spent several years in the Philippines. He is currently completing his B.A. degree in International Development from the William Carey International University in Pasadena, California, USA.


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