Apfo’or — Ifugao cultural masterpiece in danger of extinction

BAGUIO, Philippines – Another national treasure in Ifugao, the ancient apfo’or or burial tombs, are under threat of extinction and needs rescue urgently, an official in the northern province said on Wednesday. Jeremy M. Gawongna of the office of the provincial governor wrote in his blogsite that the domes of the two burial tombs in the lofty town of Mayoyao had collapsed due to lack of maintenance. “Sadly, the domes of the two of these burial tombs collapsed after the passage of years. Besides, weeds and other plants grew over it, he said. The apfo’or were said to have been built long before the coming of the Spaniards in the Philippines, or the 16th Century, purposely to bury the dead of a family or clan. Gawongna described the apfo’or as a rounded stone-walled enclosure where the dead in a sitting position is kept. “The construction done with bare hands are sturdy and sealed to protect it from rodents and other animals," he said, adding that only the well-to-do in those times made use of apfo’or for their dead. One of the tombs is said to be that of Inchimag, a wealthy but childless woman in old Mayoyao who had her apfo’or built in full exposure to the sun at the edge of the mountain range of “Ottong." To Mayoyao townfolk, Inchimag’s abfo’or serves as a memorial grave since accounts from oral tradition reveal that she wanted to be remembered by the generations after her in spite of being childless. Locals recounted that the stones used for the construction were carried up by hands from quite a distant Pinuwo’ river and the clay (oklet) to cement or seal the stones together were carried down from a distant elevated area called “tanaw." Gawongna said the other apfo-or now beginning to collapse is that of Uhupfan in the village of Mayban. Uhupfan is said to be a fierce but also childless chieftain in early Mayoyao. Elders said Uhupfan was mocked in his own community because despite his fierceness, his body could end up being eaten by dogs since he had no child to take care of his burial. Tired of being ridiculed and wishing to be given a burial place befitting his status, Uhupfan reportedly had 20 pigs butchered to feed the people to build his apfo’or on a hill called Tomo. Uhuphan’s was buried according to his wish and the apfo’or was used since then by next chieftains of his tribe. Gawongna’s article said conservationists fear that losing such cultural masterpiece would mean the eventual loss of Mayoyao’s distinctiveness to other places or other cultures, he said. “These cultural masterpieces tell something about our past and someone must initiate to find ways to preserve and improve it," it quoted cultural researcher Gloria Likiyan as saying. Mayoyao’s burial tombs are just among Ifugao’s numerous existing and potential tourist attractions, which include man-made, historical, cultural and natural spots. Among the man-made attractions, the most famous is the world-renowned Banaue Rice Terraces, complemented by the terraces of Batad, Bangaan, Hapao, Kinga, Bacung, Nunggulunan, Mayoyao, Nagacadan and Julongan. The Apfo’or is categoriazed under historical attractions, along with the the Kiangan War Memorial Shrine, Ifugao Museum, the Surrender Site of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Million-Dollar Hill, all in the municipality of Kiangan. Located 348 kilometers north of Manila, Ifugao is accessible via two. land routes. one is by way of Maharlika Highway through Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya and the other is via Halsema Highway from the resort city of Baguio, the country’s Summer Capital. - GMANews.TV