Understanding the Materiality of Death Rituals in Bontoc Society, Northern Philippines

This paper argues that to understand death rituals in Bontoc society as a validation of social status and expression of Bontok ethnic identity, an approach should consider the nonmaterial as well as the materiality evident in the performance of the rituals. The death rituals involve a variety of objects (such as sangachil or death chair, funerary blankets), lamentations (antowey), and material goods consistently provided by the community to access the ritual’s symbolic qualities. All these provide intrinsic and extrinsic benefits to the deceased and bereaved members of the family. Despite the dominance of Christianity and appreciation of modern culture in central Bontoc, traditional mortuary practices still persist to strengthen communal relationships through ritual participation. This paper makes no generalizations on Bontok practice but focuses on a localized version of the death rituals in specific areas in Bontoc, more particularly the elaborate rituals carried out for deceased elderly women of the kachangyan.