Butbut Tribe
The 18,000-strong Butbut Kalinga of the Philippines are no longer unreached. They
belong to the Malay Peoples affinity bloc's Filipino, Tribal people cluster. Philippines is the only
country where this people group exists. Butbut Kalinga is their native tongue. There are five
mountain communities in the Butbut range: Bugnay, Buscalan, Locong, the actual Butbut, and
Ngibut. Ileb, Lacnog, Pakak, Binungsay, Anonong, San Pedro, Malapiat, as well as a few mixed
communities, are among the lowland resettlement settlements. Many older Butbut still believe in
offering animals as sacrifices to placate the ghosts of deceased loved ones, sick children, and
other misfortunes.
Roman Catholicism, the most prevalent and oldest branch of the Christian church, is the
main religion of the Butbut Kalinga. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, its bishops are the
heirs of Jesus Christ and the one, genuine Church that he created. To their own people, three
evangelical Butbut preachers are well-known. Catholic, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Baptist, or "born
again" churches may be found in the majority of the communities (Pentecostal). Training for
potential Butbut pastors is the primary necessity. Local missionaries aim to bolster already-
existing, bible-believing churches and enhance the community's health, cleanliness, and
nutrition.
Image 1. A collage of the tribe’s honorary events/members of the tribe.
The Butbuts have a long history of practicing animus. They had the belief that animals,
stones, and trees are home to spirits. Natural elements were thought to possess magical properties
that might heal, safeguard, direct, or enhance fertility. The tattoos on their bodies include stories
about each of these. Although the highlands were converted to Christianity, these traditional
traditions continue to coexist peacefully with more contemporary religious activities.
Image 2. Members of the Butbut Tribe farming.
Image 3. Stones that are treated as amulet.
Apo Whang-Od Oggay, 100, is a member of the Butbut tribe from Buscalan, Kalinga.
She is also accountable for debuting "Batek" on a global scale. The traditional Kalinga tattoo,
known as "Batek," is worn by warriors as a mark of pride and as a rite of passage for women as
well as a means of magical protection. One of the few "mambabatoks" retaining this ancient art
is Apo Whang-Od. She uses her body as a live canvas for her intricate and exquisite artwork.
Grace Palicas and Ilyang Wigan, two of her grandnieces, were taken under her wing as she
passed on the nuances of her trade. She believes that as long as she is childless and single, she
will be able to continue her tribe's tradition of "mambabatok" motherhood.
Image 4. Apo Whang-Od
The Butbut tribe has finally allowed persistent and deserving visitors access to their
territory after a protracted period of seclusion in the Kalinga Mountains. But it's not simple to
achieve this. It takes a lot of physical endurance, willpower, and many hours of travel to
complete the voyage. There are roughly 200 families in the small barrio of Buscalan, which is
part of the Municipality of Tinglayan. Their main source of income is rice farming, but more
lately, they have turned to tourism by offering homestays, translation services, and tour guides.
Because they interacted with the lowlanders infrequently, nothing is known about the
Kalingas. Only anthropologists' documentaries and textbooks provide information about them.
The Kalingas are well-known headhunters, and this is shown as a coat of arms on the bodies of
their warriors. They never lived under foreign authority, and they engaged the Japanese in battle
with spears and hatchets during World War II. Since the 1960s, the practice of headhunting has
been abolished.
Buscalan is a lovely place in which meadows are filled with grass and native flowers, and
they gaze out over a vast vista of immaculate terraced hinterland. The highlands are dotted with
waterfalls, but Tumaniw is the easiest for tourists to reach. Although the hiking paths in
Buscalan are excellent, you should not go without a guide because there are wild animals nearby.
The current generation of Butbut is kind, considerate, and welcoming to visitors. They
attend school in large numbers, but very few of them move on to college. Every day of their life,
high school kids trek two to three mountains to go to class. Within the sitio where Whang-od
resides is a single-building primary school. Buscalan's children are friendly with visitors and
genuinely curious in city life.
Image 5. Waterfalls in Buskalan Image 6. Buskalan
Image 7. Tumaniw
References:
The butbut tribe of Buscalan, Kalinga. Travel Trilogy. (2015, March 7). Retrieved December 7,
2022, from [Link]
[Link]
Project, J. (n.d.). Kalinga, butbut in Philippines. Joshua Project: People Groups of the World.
Retrieved December 7, 2022, from [Link]
[Link]. (n.d.). Butbut Kalinga of Philippines. [Link]. Retrieved December
7, 2022, from [Link]