Into
The Land of the Ancestors Visit Beautiful Philippines Today! The Philippine Island Located in the South Pacific - a premier tourist destination spot.. |
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Sa Lupa ng Mga Ninuno (Into the Land of the
Ancestors) Title: Sa Lupa ng Mga Ninuno (Into the Land of the
Ancestors) Nine hours. Thats how long I sat on my cramped up seat on the trip to Sagada from Manila. With roads that look like a smashed up quarry with no railings standing between car and the cliffs and an early fog rolling in at just 2pm, I may never return again. Yep, its the twilight zone and I have just stepped back in time. Sagada, located in the Cordillera Mountain Region of the Philippines, promises a trip back in time where polytheistic and pagan practices are the norm and rituals are still held to ensure luck and prosperity by the Igorot tribe of the Mountain Province. Situated way up in the Mountain Province, Sagada not only provides tourists a refreshing haven from the citys hustle and bustle but also an invitation to adventure and discovery. The Igorots The term "Igorot,"(coined from the root word "golot" meaning mountain,) is the generic name given to describe the six ethno-linguistic groups of the Northern Luzon Cordillera region. Specifically, they are known as the Ibaloys, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao/Isneg, the Bontoc, and those in Sagada, the Kankana-ey. Tourists who have images of primitive looking people in their heads will be surprised to see fair-skinned and rosy-cheeked Kankana-ey who sometimes speak English better than Manila folk. This is due to the influence of American missionaries who first opened Anglican mission centers followed by the Japanese Occupation during the Second World War. Despite church influences and the conversion of some people into the Christian faith, pagan rituals for fertility, harvest, marriage, and death are still practiced by the Kankana-ey. Mummies and the Hanging Coffins Sagadas Hanging Coffins is the chief draw for both local and foreign tourists alike. With ropes slung around coffins hewn from hard wood trees, coffins containing the mummified dead are hauled up from the top of the limestone cliffs surrounding the area before being settled onto a pre-designated spot chosen by the family. These coffins may be seen clearly from the look-out point at Echo Valley or from any point on the towns main street with the help of good binoculars. Lumiang is one of the major burial caves that remain open to the public. Hundreds of coffins stacked against the caves walls fill the cave with an atmosphere both spiritual yet unnerving. The Sumaging Burial Cave hosts
formations of limestone, several of which have hanging coffins that have been there for
over two hundred years. How the Kankana-ey got those into seemingly impossible positions,
tourists can only theorize about. Visit beautiful philippines today! A great vacation for the entire family...
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