TADIAN, Mountain Province – This incident happened way back April 2012.
The atmosphere was tense. Those present in Albert’s house looked grim and determined. On the first week of April 2012, Albert (surname omitted), waited for a ride home when he was accosted by drug-crazed gang members out to snatch his cell phone.
He grappled with his tormentors and was stabbed repeatedly.
Some of the attackers were apprehended and incarcerated for attempted murder.
But Albert’s brothers, cousins, uncles and other relatives chafed under the collar about their kin’s near death, evident in their fiery countenance; they harbored a no-holds barred form of justice.
They were only held at bay because the “lakays” or “lalakays,” meaning the elders, were calling the shots.
In close-knit families of the Igorots, decision of elders packs a punch among these indigenous tribes inhabiting the Cordillera region in the North Philippines.
Final decision: no one shall don war paint and traverse the war path. The laws of the Philippines shall prevail.
Warrior-descendants of a gone era but now molded into our modern technological society, the relatives submitted to the verdict. No war chest will spring open.
But Albert was under extreme physical and mental duress due to a traumatic experience.
Elders decided he must undergo cleansing in the tradition of the “daw-es,” to return his mental and physical faculties with the natural order of the universe.
Daw-es, an ancient cultural tradition invoking prayers, songs, sacrifice of a dog and abstinence, are all believed to unify into a force and fortify the ability of a distressed person to overcome physical and emotional disorders.
Elders plead before their ancestors, gods and the Creator for “sumang,” protection for the distressed and to bring the errant spirit (ababi-it) back into the fold of the physical body.
It is fascinating to note how, during the olden times, the Igorots were keen about a disorder presently tagged nowadays as post-traumatic stress disorder and how they believe they can ward it off.
Done very solemnly, it seems a complicated ritual for the uninitiated. It commences at the crack of dawn, never during evenings. A council of elders troops to the house of the distressed carrying an indigenous plant and placed besides a bowl of water.
Household members are advised to maintain equanimity in the house. Television and radio sets are pulled off the plug. Banging of pot, breaking or dropping of kitchen wares and banging of doors and windows are definitely no-no.
Those who scoff at the ritual are advised to leave.
First, animated discussion ensues for the need to implement the ritual. Subject-person of the ritual is directed to abide near the elders. Except when nature calls, the person is not allowed to leave the abode.
The ritual involves recitation of prayers and songs by the elders for almost a day.
Before high noon, an elder picks up the bowl of water and plants, heads outside where he splashes the liquid in a sweeping motion using the plant while praying.
The plant represents the home of spirits living with nature and as a “sagad,” or sweep, can clean misfortune.
Immediately thereafter, the subject-person is asked to slay swiftly a bound dog, an act intended to restore the person’s mental and physical strength and overcome any future threats.
It serves to unshackle the mind of the person who is considered in a state of despondency.
Then the dog is butchered and cooked.
Now comes the bone of contention: why a dog? Why not pigs, cattle, carabao, chicken or any animal for that matter? What is the difference?
Igorots have long valued dogs for their bravery, devotion and as protectors. Traits needed to complete the balance of order in daw-es. In short, dogs can do all these what other domestic animals cannot.
Only the elders partake of the dog meat. Any leftover is taken away by them. Pots used in cooking the canine are cleansed and set aside by the household never to be used again.
This act ensures to put the lid down on any misfortune that may hound the household.
Before the elders departed, Albert was advised not to sleep with his spouse for the ensuing night and stay at home for three successive days. This process in the daw-es is called “ngilin” or abstinence.
Neither was he allowed to partake of liquor. They were advised not to get into a family spat. On the third day, the elders came back and butchered a chicken, a sign that Albert’s abstinence was over.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1988 prohibits killing of any animal except those utilized for domestic consumption. Killing is exempted when it is done for ritual required by tribal or ethnic custom.
The daw-es ritual can also tame the desire of avenging members of tribal communities that can flare into tribal conflicts.
Two weeks after the daw-es elapsed, the patience of Albert’s relatives paid off: the long arm of the law finally caught up with the remaining perpetrators.
The daw-es witnessed at Albert’s house was led by Primitivo Alibang, a respected elder from the municipality of Tadian, Mountain Province. He does not know his age but community members say he is over 90 years old.
For many decades, Alibang presided over numerous rituals.
When will daw-es become history’s footnote? Future will tell for a culture and tradition-rich people with a niche in time and possesses a genuine sense of their own antiquity.
