Promoting and Preserving Indigenous Cultural Practices
Definition:
● Indigenous cultural practices are traditions passed orally through generations, connecting
past, present, and future.
● Integral to sustainable development.
Challenges:
● These practices face deterioration due to assimilation and lack of interest among youth.
Examples of Cultural Practices
1. Dating:
● Spanish Regime:
❖ Women were shy, refined, and guarded by families.
❖ Strict courtship rules; men had to get parental permission to visit.
❖ Women played “hard to get” and dates were chaperoned.
2. Marriage:
● Sacred in Filipino culture.
● Courtship involves a process called Pamanhikan:
❖ The man’s parents seek approval from the woman’s parents.
❖ Marriage details are discussed in subsequent visits.
❖ Community support during wedding preparations and receptions.
3. Art:
● Reflected in everyday life and traditions like:
❖ Zarzuela and Moro-Moro (stage dramas).
❖ Baroque-style churches built during Spanish colonization.
● Music:
❖ Rondalla: A string ensemble originating during Spanish rule.
❖ Filipinos excel in folk and modern music; contributed globally (e.g., Jovita
Fuente).
● Dance:
❖ Indigenous dances inspired by nature and various cultural influences.
❖ Modern dances like Cha-Cha and Tango are also popular.
4. Games:
● Traditional games include:
○ Pusa at Aso, Luksong Tinik, Piko.
○ Indoor games like Sungka and Siklot.
● Games often imitated adult activities or daily rural life.
5. Religion:
● Pre-Hispanic: Pagan beliefs in spirits and nature worship (Animo-design).
● Post-Hispanic:
○ Predominantly Catholic with notable groups like Aglipayan and Iglesia ni Cristo
(INC).
6. Celebrations:
● Fiestas: Celebrations honoring patron saints with novenas, masses, feasts, and reunions.
● Christmas:
❖ Includes Misa de Gallo (nine-day dawn masses) and midnight masses.
❖ Family reunions and gift-giving are central traditions.
❖ Holy Week:
➢ Observances include Ash Wednesday, chanting of Pasyon, fasting on Good
Friday, and Salubong on Easter Sunday.
7. Burial Practices:
● Community support through Lamayan (wake) with rituals like prohibiting sweeping or
bathing in the house.
● All Saint’s Day (Pangangaluluwa) traditions for honoring the dead.
8. Food:
● Rice is a staple, paired with pork, chicken, and vegetables.
● Special dishes like Lechon and Adobo are popular.
9. Clothing:
● Traditional Wear: Baro (jacket) and Saya (skirt) for women, modified over time.
● Special care in washing and starching clothes, often with natural materials like calamansi
for stain removal.
Filipino Houses
1. Traditional Filipino Houses
● Made of wood and nipa; galvanized iron later replaced nipa for roofing.
● Older houses:
❖ Elevated for better ventilation and reduced humidity.
❖ Built quickly and affordably through community effort (Bayanihan).
2. Modern Filipino Houses
● Made of strong materials like hollow blocks, wood, and glass windows.
● Features influenced by traditional designs:
❖ Batalan: Open bathroom adjacent to the kitchen; now made of concrete.
❖ Banguerahan: Storage shelf and drainer, often screened in modern houses.
● Incorporates verandahs with decorative plants and artistic interiors.
3. Household Practices
● Cleaning methods:
❖ Various brooms (walis-tingting, soft broom, plumero).
❖ Materials: Is-is leaves, coconut husk (bunot), kerosene, and homemade floor wax.
● Cooking evolved:
❖ Kerosene lamps replaced by electricity; clay stoves replaced by gas/electric ranges.
Promoting and Preserving Rituals and Ceremonies
1. Rituals in the Philippines
● Rich cultural and religious history.
● Examples of traditional practices:
❖ Pukpok:
➢ Traditional circumcision using guava leaves to reduce infection.
❖ Kutkot:
➢ Hanunuo Tribe ritual of cleaning and wrapping skeletons after one year of burial.
❖ Baliw-baliw Festival:
➢ Celebrates blessings with humorous cross-dressing and "birth reenactments" in Cebu.
❖ Aswang Festival:
➢ Aimed to destigmatize Capiz as a home of mythical monsters; lasted three years.
❖ Penitensya:
➢ Bloody Holy Week reenactments of Christ’s crucifixion in Pampanga.
❖ Traditional Tattooing:
➢ Known as Pintados; practiced with charcoal and wooden sticks.
❖ Horse Fighting:
➢ Lumad tradition showcasing horses battling for supremacy.
2. Marriage Rituals
● Pagtatapat (Proposal): Often informal, with mutual understanding.
● Pamanhikan: Meeting of families to plan the wedding.
● Paninilbihan: Groom performs chores to prove worthiness.
● Pa-alam: Courtesy visits to elders for blessings.
● Despedida de Soltera: Send-off party hosted by the bride’s family.
● Alay-Itlog kay Sta. Clara: Offering eggs for good weather on the wedding day.
● Kasal-Kumpisal (Confession): Spiritual cleansing required by the Church.
3. Wedding Ceremony Symbols
● Sponsors:
❖ Principal sponsors witness the marriage and sign the license.
❖ Secondary sponsors manage symbols (veil, cord, unity coins, and candles).
● Rituals:
❖ Veil symbolizes unity and purity.
❖ Cord in a figure-eight represents eternal marriage.
❖ Unity coins symbolize financial prosperity.
Funerals (Indigenous Practices)
1. Roman Catholic Funerals
● The family prepares the body and holds a wake lasting nine days.
● Customs:
❖ Open casket surrounded by flowers, decorations, and religious symbols.
❖ Gambling often helps cover funeral expenses.
● Burial:
❖ Mass precedes a shorter service at the grave site.
❖ Keepsakes placed in the coffin before burial.
● Mourning:
❖ Immediate family wears black for one year.
2. Indigenous Burial Customs
● Vary depending on region and community practices.
● Focus on family unity and honoring the deceased’s memory.
