FROM HEAD HUNTERS TO SOUL HUNTERS

 I grown up in a community of this what they called Head Hunters” This tribe usually found at Quirino province, Nueva Vizcaya and Aurora. They are “Ilongots” as they called. According to the elders, during the time that they had not yet experiencing discrimination, they live abundantly. Bounty of fishes on the river, root crops, native animals in the forest. When it comes to rivers and forest, they have their own territories (by  clans). No one of them invade others' area. They don’t put any wall of fences  to identify each territories, they knew where are their boundaries naturally. They have their own means of determining their own area, which they agreed. They respects each areas, never trying to grab to add to their own.

    In their way to their “kaingin” or upland farm or what they call “uma”, the women have to bring everything by themselves, and men a bolo or “sundang”  on their waist. Why women have to bring all the stuff and let men to just carry that sharp bolo. May be some of those who can witness that practice will react that men of the tribe are very disrespectful to their ladies. No, in that way , they can protect their ladies if enemies attacks. During that time, they consider strangers on their area an enemy. They did not let anyone to just enter on their territory without their permission. Strangers were so afraid during that time, because they know they will not go out alive anymore if they try to enter without the tribes permission. If they have to bring what their ladies had, they cannot response immediately to the enemies attack because they have to put down first their things. While in fact , if they have only the bolo alone, they can easily bring it out and response to the needs of their ladies.

                Head hunting was done before by the Ilongot tribes in two reason. They felt honored if they had cut head of their enemies or strangers who did not ask permission from them entering to their territory. The second one, according to elders, if a man want to marry their lady, that man need to head hunt. The guy can never go near to the lady until he can offer a head of enemies. If the man had fulfill the condition, that will be the time the parents of the girl allow a man to court their girl. The man need to court her over years before the parents permit them to live as husband and wife.

  

In Quirino Province, Nueva Vizcaya and Aurora, the sign when the tribe Ilongot become aggressive in head hunting is during the flowering of what they called “Sablang”. It is a tree flowering red. So if a courting man have to show his intention to court the lady Ilongot, this is the proper time for him to start. Head hunting that time is not just to protect their territory but as a sign of love.

                But time had passed, these head hunters became soul hunters. They become Christians, peace –loving, from a brave head hunters. Most of elders, if someone will ask them, they don’t want to go back on head hunting again. They have now to hunt souls. They are now preaching the Gospel, The Word of Salvation. But if they will be discriminated again, and their territories will put on danger, they will bring back that old tradition they tried to keep as part of their history. They are the nature’s keeper of their ancestral domain, but if the someone or group will violate their rights…they are prepared to fight for it, even head hunting will be back on this generation.