Among the Igorot peoples, traditional vocal music is very popular. Just like traditional instrumental music such as gong, bamboo, and drum music, vocal music is a way for the Igorot peoples to commune, exchange thoughts, tell news and stories, and rekindle their bond as indigenous communities.
In celebration of indigneous traditions, Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP) and Mt Cloud Bookshop organized ‘Gag-ay: Chants, Stories, Nourishment’ on 9th August, 2025, marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
This event launched ‘Menday-eng Tako: A Chapbook on the Traditional Chants of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’. This chapbook aims to provide the current and future generations of Igorot peoples an overview of traditional chants across the six provinces of the Cordillera: what are the purpose of these chants in the life in the ili, how are these chants to be sung, and how are these chanting practices still relevant in the social life of the Igorots in contemporary times?
Passing the Chant: An Intergenerational Exchange
The chapbook is a result of an indigenous elder-youth intergenerational exchange on Cordillera traditional chants done in Baguio City in November 2022, organized by PIKP together with the Benguet State University Center for Culture and the Arts (BSU CCA), Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK), and the Cordillera Youth Center (CYC).
The resource persons for this workshop were elders and cultural bearers hailing from Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, and Mountain Province, while the participants were indigenous youth of different backgrounds living in Baguio City and the adjacent municipalities of Benguet. Towards the end of the workshop, the participants presented their own versions of the traditional chants reflecting their interests and perspectives as urban Igorot youth. After the workshop, field work and interviews were also done to fill in more information about the Cordillera traditional chants.
From Song to Nourishment: Honouring Food Traditions
Following the session on traditional chants at the Gag-ay event, there was a discussion on Cordillera food traditions and a food demonstration on how to make linnapet – a sticky rice snack (the recipe can be found on PIKP’s website).
Through learning about Cordillera Indigenous food systems, event participants reflect on the Indigenous values that are embedded in them:
Nurturing the Land
Indigenous peoples get their food from all parts of their ecosystems, from the rice fields, gardens, forests and waters. They thus bear the responsibility of protecting the environment as the source of food, and of life. It is believed that the land and its resources should be managed well, not only for the present generation but for generations to come.
Belongingness to Community
Community cooperation is manifested in agricultural production practices, as well as in the preparation and sharing of food. These are usually done through collective labour, where community members take turns in helping each other. This teaches us to value natural food that is healthy, clean, and fit for serving to the family and sharing with the community.
Respect for the Unseen
The spiritual relationship between people and nature have evolved rituals and practices that honour and protect their sacred places and lived environment. The whole agricultural cycle, especially before the start of planting season and after harvest, is marked by rest days, rituals and community feasts where animals are offered, and meat is shared with all.
