JOURNAL OF CRITICAL REVIEWS
ISSN- 2394-5125 VOL 7, ISSUE 18, 2020
WEDDING PRACTICES AS ETHNOGRAPHIC SOURCE OF DATA: THE ADASEN TRIBE WAY
ALEXIS A. ENRIQUEZ, Ed.D.
Former Director of Information and Publication Former Dean of the College of Teacher Education Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology Bangued Campus Bangued, Abra PHILIPPINES
ABSTRACT This study identifies an ethnic group in Abra, the Adasen Tribe, with its unique cultural tradition on wedding. Along with other ethnic groups in the province of Abra, the Adasen tribeis sporadically distributed in Tineg: lower and higher. Their wedding practices carry symbolic meanings accorded with emblematic interpretations on social positions of the inhabitants. To note, the wedding practices comprise the preparation(danon), actual wedding, and post celebration. With this ethnographic underpinning, the wedding practices manifest the social structure and culture of their ethnic milieu. With the constraints of documented materials about ethnographic affiliations in the province, this study is imperative for the exceptional place of the Adasen tribe in their own history and unprecedented level of awareness of the Abreños. Keywords: Adasen Tribe,Wedding Practices, Ethnography, Elders, Abra
INTRODUCTION Abra is part of the Cordillera Administrative Region that composes the provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and the city of Baguio. The great bulk of the population are the Ilokanos and the Tingguians. The latter come from different ethnolinguistic groups like Adasen, Ammutan, Balatok, Banaw, Belwang, Binungan, Gubang, Inlaud, Mabaka, Maeng, Masadiit. Each tribe has its own and distinct cultural perspective. This study focuses on the Adasen tribe(Isnegs)which originally came from Apayao. In the northeastern part in Abra, the tribe is widely spread in the different municipalities of the province like Dolores, Lagangilang, Sallapadan, and Tineg. The cultural practices reflect the tribe’s origins like the other tribes as strongly manifested in their religious rituals, songs, and dances in honor of the spirits during important events such as birth, childhood, betrothal, marriage, sickness, death, and harvests. (http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/people/ethnic-groups). Wedding practices of the Tinguians are notable of the completion of the history of Abra and many of these customs are not yet fully documented. This study takes a cultural lens to the people’s lives within theircommunities (Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007; Fetterman, 2010) and As stated by Romano (2011), Abrenian history and culture are still at a long route to the annals of Philippine narrative. The death of this culture will bring ambiguity to the identity of Abrenios and so as to the Filipinos. Every missing piece of the whole will serve as a hindrance to the unity of the Filipinos and so as to the nation’s development. Filipinos will be lost in definition of who truly they are and merely depend upon the writings of the Spaniards. Tinguians appeared to be better educated than their brothers who adopted the modern ways. He further explained that these people are intelligent, full of common sense as well as practical. Many of their customs and traditions are good to be imitated. They have a high value to marriage that they already had their laws pertaining to marriage even before the Spaniards came. According to Apo Ringen( An elder from Agsimao, Tineg) the Danon or Baga is usually held at the house of the bride wherein the groom handed the Lubsag (batek or beads) to the parents of the bride. But today, Lubsag can be in the form of cash or blankets and piningitan. After giving the Lubsag is the discussion of both parties about the Sab-ong (dowry), officially opened or supervised by the panglakayenor elders. The Sab-ong is very important for the couple as well as their parents and friends. The Sab-ong serves as the property that the couple will use to start with. During the discussion is the presentation of the sab-ong or the dowry, in the forms of animals, land, or money. In the end, after the dowries had been presented, all will be written in burador(agreement) signed by the parents of the couples and the rest of the people who were there to have served as witnesses. It is understood that the items in the burador are strictly to be followed as this was signed in the presence of both parties.
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Among those with low social standing in the tribe, the wedding is simple with the absence of dowry (Bellay). Upon the decision of both parties the wedding is set and the chief captain does the wedding rites and simply pronounce the couple as husband and wife. The wedding rites are done in the girl’s house.Church wedding follows, if finances warrant.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: This is a qualitative ethnographic research that considered the cultural orientation of the Adasen Tribe in Lower Tineg, Abra on the wedding practices along preparations ( if any) , actual, and post celebrations. Documenters asked for consent to both parties for the conduct of the interviews and documentation. Recorders and cameras were used to gather some pictures and statements from the selected nine ( 9)panglakayen or elders and the parties of both the bride and the groom. The elders were the following: Apo Ricardo “ Ringen” Banquig- AgsimaoTineg, CrisantoTingday Sr. – LanekTineg, SB JeremBatawang- Cogon Tineg, Apo ManteLapat – BalantayTineg, SB Meno Quezada – NaglibacanTineg, Mrs. Elvira Bengat – Tineg National High School, Nellie M. Secreto – RHU Tineg, Mr. Mark CeenanMalukay, PDO2 of lower Tineg- Brgy. ApaoTineg. NCIP or the National Commission and Indigenous People Office in Calaba, Bangued was visited for some information relevant to the wedding practices of the Adasen tribe. In-depth analysis and interviews were considered and documented data were cross checked by the informants. These ethnographic sources were substantiated with careful interpretation to achieve desired results.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: The wedding practices of the Adasen tribe of lower Tineg, Abra comprise the following:
THE TANI OR TAMPA An agreement made by parents for a pre-settled marriage termed as “tani” or “tampa” as early as childhood days of the couple.During this stage parents agree on the wedding details which includebride’s gown, animals to be butchered, plates to be used, number of visitors, venue, finances, decorations, and so on. Parents then set the date of the danon or baga. The groom’s mother proposes initial dowry or lubsag which is usually a piece of bead or an expensive jewelry. When accepted by the bride’s mother, the proposal isaccepted. Another meeting is set when the future couple reach the age of fourteen (14).
THE DANON OR BAGA The groom-to-be ask permission to the parents of his bride- to- be with adowry or lubsag. Its acceptance corresponds for the danon proceed. It is composed of three procedures namely: the preparation, the wedding itself, and the pakalon or the Church wedding. However, for some of the Adasen, the pakalon is optional.The danonwas also regarded as the wedding itself.
PREPARATION OF DANON The family members of both parties invite the elders of the community and their relatives to attend the danon or baga. The invited elders and relatives serve as the tellaong(council) to witness the event. The tellaong choose among the elders who will serve as thekalun (mediator) during the conduct of the danon.
ACTUAL WEDDING All lubsag (dowries) are presented. The kalun(mediator) makes a signal to start, introduce the couple, and the reason of the event. The lubsag(dowry)vary in different forms of gifts: money, animals, parcels of land, or pieces of jewelry) is being asked. In this documentation, it was in the form of batek(bead)which is accompanied with P500 only. Discussion about the sab-ong (another term for dowry)proceeded. The Sab- ongserves as the property for the couple to start with their married life. Sab- ong or dowry may be composed of belay (animal or money), pu-on(lot that was planted and can be harvested of 100 bundles) and finally the walang which is the settlement of the dowries agreed upon by the tellaong. This buradororagreement will then be signed by parents of the couple-to-be and the Elders of the tribe. All elders deliver pieces of advice to the couple- to-be right aftersigning the burador. One optional activity is the celebration after the Danon or Bagawhich includes a whole day affair with dances and chants as the whole members of the barangay gather together. Singing of the Salidumay( a native song) and chanting of the Oggayam( song of merriment among the Tingguians) is done. Animals are butchered to serve the relatives, neighbors, and friends. Kilawen (carabao’s meat that is half- cooked and mixed with onions, ginger, vinegar and salt), dinardaraan( pig’s meat sautéed in garlic and onions and mixed with the pig’s blood) , and lauya(
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carabao’s meat)are the common menu for such festivity. The couple dance at the center and the Sab-itor bitor (the actual pinning of money to the clothes of the couple) is done. Usually, this is in a competition among the relatives of the couple. During this event, a financial manager is accountable of the collection, declares the amount publicly, then hand in to the couple.Again, the elders bless the couple and their future children. In return, the couple displays their gratitude to everyone.
POST CELEBRATION The couple may then have the church wedding or pakalon, which is optional for the tribe. This requires a priest, minister, judge, mayor, or anyone who holds a social function to conduct the ceremony.
CONCLUSIONS The researcher concludes that the Adasen tribe has distinct cultural features that embody their beliefs, norms, cultural themes, perspectives, issues, behaviors, and concepts. Wedding is regarded for the Adasen tribe as an important phenomenon. The wedding practices accountto social status among the inhabitants as these practices enrich their values of familyhood, respect for elders, and independence to the community as a whole. Their dependency on the elders is greatly demonstrated for decision- making suitable for the entire community. Such behavior manifests their strong kinship in determining the future of children. Respect for authority of parents reinforces the sense of pride of the family as the kin of the bride holds a stature of power during wedding attempts for the daughter.
RECOMMENDATIONS The researcher forwards the following recommendations: 1) The culture, beliefs, and practices of the Adasen tribe should be preserved. 2) With the rich and distinct culture of the province, theAbreñosmay adhere themselves to collecting ethnographic evidences about other ethnolinguistic groups. Lastly, 3) Teachers may integrate the collected data for teaching-learning processes in the classroom.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researcher is indebted to the following documenters who played pivotal role in the conduct of this study: Rubelyn C. Roces, Medel Q. Gonzales, and 3. Mechel R. Padillon. Also to her elderly- informants for their valuable time: Apo Ricardo “ Ringen” Banquig, Agsimao, Tineg, CrisantoTingday Sr., LanekTineg, Hon. SB JeremBatawang, Cogon Tineg, Apo ManteLapat, Balantay, Tineg, Hon. SB Meno Quezada, NaglibacanTineg, Mrs. Elvira Bengat, Tineg National High School, Nellie M. Secreto, RHU Tineg, Mr. Mark CeenanMalukay, and PDO2, ApaoTineg.
LITERATURE CITED: Abra: Home of the Ilokanos and the Tingguians. Retrieved from http://www.abra.asia/. An Ethnographic Study of Marriage and Divorce in Ben Ali’s Tunisia http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/885/1/__lse.ac.uk_storage_LIBRARY_Secondary_libfile_shared_repository_Ethese s_Content_Theses%20submitted%20by%20students%20%26%20alumni_Live%20theses_Grosso_Extraor dinary%20e Ethnic groups of the Philippines. Retrieved from http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/people/ethnic-groups-in-the-philippines/adasen-tingguian/. Irum Sheikh, F.G ( 2013). An Ethnographic Study of Marriage System and the Runaway Brides of Kalash. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283243096_An_Ethnographic_Study_of_Marriage_System_and_ the_Runaway_Brides_of_Kalash/link/562ee3a908ae22b17035fea6/download N. P. Lobacheva. Marriage Ritual as an Ethnographic Source for Historical Research: (On the Example of the Khorezm Uzbeks). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2753/AAE1061-1959200331 Patricia I. Fusch, Gene E. Fusch, and Lawrence R. Ness. How to Conduct a Mini-Ethnographic Case Study: A Guide for Novice Researchers. Retrieved from https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2580&context=tqr Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Valera, F. ( 2010). Itneg country land famous for political killings.But unknowingly a land of
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tranquil dispositions and serene people. Retrieved on April 20, 2017 from http://kaitnogan.blogspot.com/2010/04/itneg-people-of-northern-luzon.html. Wedded wonderland in culture, wedding traditions. Retrieved from http://www.weddedwonderland.com/15-filipino-wedding-traditions-you-wont-believe/
12 Ethnographic Rsearches. Retrieved on July 5, 2020 from. https://study.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/Eriksson%20and%20Kovalainen.pdf
PHOTOGRAPHS:
During the DanonThe grandmother of the groom
presented a necklace as their initial dowry or also known as
the Lubsag to be given to the bride .
The lubsag or dowry was given to the Kalun.
The kababeyan or the party of the bride inspected the value of the lubsag.
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The additional P100 was handed to the parents of the bride as an offset to the fake batek that was used as a
dowry .
The acceptance of the dowry
allows the danon to proceed.
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The elders sign the burador or the wedding agreement.
The burador is the written law about the wedding practices of the Adasen in Tineg based upon their beliefs and early practices. All that is written is based from what transpired in the wedding. Further, this is signed and agreed upon by panglakayen (elders of the tribe) and all of the officials present.
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