Kabayan Philippines

Kabayan in Baguio is a unique getaway to the wonders of northern Luzon. Kabayan is known to tourists for its Mummy Caves in combination with its distinct culture and colorful tradition of Benguet. As a municipal region of the Benguet province in the Cordillera Mountain, Kabayan is recognized as the hub of Ibaloi culture of the indigenous Igorots. The dominant ethno-linguistic cluster of Kabayan has a traditional practice of embalming their dead. Mummification commenced earlier than the Spanish colonization. Individuals from the higher strata of the Ibaloi society of Kabayan were mummified through an extensive ritual of medication.

The process involved the usage of salt and herbs. These were set under fire and the entire procedure took a long period of time. When the body of the Ibaloi of Kabayan was finally rid of body fluids, the mummy was placed within a pinewood coffin and was laid to rest in a manmade grotto or in an alcove that was made of solid rock. During the period of Spanish colonization, Christianity was spreading and took a stronghold in the mountains of Benguet, especially Kabayan. It replaced cave burial with mummification. The remains of the dead at Kabayan were placed in coffins and interred in manmade caverns or natural caves.

Within the municipality of Kabayan, more than 2000 manmade burial caves have been identified and 15 of them house preserved human mummies. The Kabayan mummy caves have been officially proclaimed as one of the Philippine National Cultural Treasures according to the Presidential decree no. 374 which ensures preservation and protection of these caves as well as maintain them. Out of the several ethnocentric groups of the Philippines mummification is practiced among the Bontoc Mountain Province. There are also instances of such preservation in Ifugao and the Cordilleras, perhaps for the population movements.