Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 17(2), April 2018, pp. 307-313

A glimpse of the fire mummies of Kabayan, , Luzon, and the role of plants associated with the mummification process

Teodora D. Balangcod Department of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines , Baguio City E-mail: [email protected]

Received 18 July 2017, revised 5 December 2017

The use of herbs was identified in the mummification process to preserve the dead body. In the Cordillera, mummification is unique. After the dead bodies are cleaned and applied with herbal extracts, these are exposed to smoke from a fire beneath the corpse seated on a death chair called sangadil. The process drains the fluids from the body. In the municipality of Kabayan in Benguet province, the preserved bodies are called fire mummies because fire was used in addition to the herbal extract application in the preservation. Thus, this study was conducted to identify the herbs used in the mummification process and test their antibacterial potential against selected bacteria to determine the contribution of the herbs in the preservation of the mummies. Based on the interviews and focused group discussions, four plants were mentioned to have been used in mummification namely; bayabas (Psidium guajava L.), diwdiw or tibig [Ficus nota (Blanco) Merr.], patani (Phaseolus lunatus L.), and besudak (Embelia philippinensis A. DC). Antibacterial assays of the ethanolic extracts of the plants showed that E. philippinensis and F. nota have antibacterial properties which suggest that these plants have contributed to the preservation of the Kabayan fire mummies.

Keywords: Fire mummies, Herbs, Kabayan, Mummification, Preservation IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K 36/00, A61K 39/00, A61K 38/00, A23C, A23B

Mummification is a practice of preserving the dead seat of Ibaloi culture. Ibaloi is one of the indigenous which is reported to be observed in various countries. groups in the Cordillera. Based from scanty readings Mummification is defined as a process of making a and interviews, mummification of the dead among the mummy by embalming or drying while to mummify Ibaloi is a practice that is reserved for the elite, called means to shrivel or dry up1. Different steps are the Kadangyan. A report revealed that the practice of reported from various countries and similarities in the mummification in Benguet was dated between 14th preservation of the dead can be noted. The use of and 19th centuries4. Moreover, it is believed that the herbal extracts is common in the mummification practice of mummification in the Cordillera was process to help preserve the dead bodies. The tradition interrupted by the introduction of Christianity in the of mummification is first known to be practiced by Philippines by the Spaniards in the 19th century. the ancient Egyptians due to their belief in the Remarkably, the century old mummies, buried in afterlife. Mummification includes cleaning or caves and rocks in Kabayan still exist at present. washing, removal of the internal organs, soaking in Surprisingly, most body parts are intact, even natron, a salt mixture from dry lake beds to dehydrate the marks or tattoos on the skin are visible, the deceased body, followed by spreading of oil and which suggests that the method of preservation is herbal extracts all over the body, and wrapping very efficient. the body in linen, using resin as adhesive to keep Two famous burial places, the Timbac caves and the linen wrap intact2. Smoking the dead was reported Tinongshol burial rock located in separate barangays, as a more recent practice by the people of Papua, presently contain fire mummies (Figs. 1 & 2). The New Guinea3. former is a rock cave while the latter is a humongous In the northern part of the Philippines, famous burial rock, where the wooden coffins are placed for mummification is Kabayan, that is one of 13 inside huge holes specifically created for containing municipalities in Benguet province, Cordillera the coffins. The mummy caves were accidentally Administrative Region. Kabayan is regarded as the discovered by mountain climbers sometime in the 308 INDIAN J TRADIT KNOWLE, VOL. 17, NO. 2, APRIL 2018

stealing and selling of the mummies like the case of Apo Anno, which was previously stolen. The mummy was sold from one person to another. Apo Anno was returned to its hometown through the efforts of the local government units and local historians who clamoured to bring him back to where he belonged. Additionally, it is believed that the returning of Apo Fig. 1—(a) The burial rock in Tinongshol . Holes are Anno’s mummy was hastened by misfortunes created on the big rock to contain the wooden coffins. (b) Another experienced by the people who bought Apo Anno. To side of big burial rock. There can be several holes on the burial rock date, there are still reports of stealing and mutilation of some fire mummies despite the efforts of the local officials of protecting them. Some body parts were taken by and marked with the name of the visitors. While mummification has long been traditionally practiced in Kabayan and may be true in other local communities in the Cordillera, there are few published accounts to date. Fortunately, the mummification process in the Cordillera region can be described based on the verbal accounts of elders, who have heard stories from their ancestors. Through the verbal accounts, the mummification process reveals the use of smoke as a drying method and the use of herbs in the preservation of the dead. The drying process of the dead is currently practiced by some ethnic groups in the Cordillera region, particularly by the groups distantly located from the cities, although the drying process do not lead to mummification. This study focused on the plants involved with the mummification process and the preservation of the dead, specifically the antibacterial potential that may contribute to the preservation process. Currently, antibacterial screening and other related studies like drug discovery came to the forefront of natural products research due to the increasing prevalence of various diseases and the continued

resistance to antibiotics. Most of the studies on Fig. 2—(a-b) One of two burial caves at Timbac, Kabayan barrio antimicrobial tests are based on folkloric knowledge barangay, this is a common burial cave for the mummies. which is extracted from oral interviews and written (c) Wooden coffins of various sizes that contain the mummies, literature. In the Philippines, there are few published bigger coffins contain more than two mummies. documents regarding ethnobotany, earlier publications 1980s and since then, the mummies have become focused on well-known minority groups, the 5-7 famous. Recently, the mummy caves were officially Negritoes and Tasadays . In 1989, Co-documented proclaimed as one of the Philippine National Cultural the useful plants particularly in the Cordillera region8. Treasures under Presidential Decree No. 374. Apart Recent published materials documented the from the two burial caves in two barangays, it is indigenous uses of plants, including medicinal plants believed that there are more burial caves in other parts by the Ibaloi in Tabaan Norte and Bayabas, Sablan of Kabayan and other municipalities. However, the and plants that are used by the Kalanguya in Tinoc, local officials are hesitant in revealing the location of for various purposes9-10. Because of the need to the fire mummies. This is due to the possibility of determine the medicinal value of plants, efforts on BALANGCOD: ROLE OF PLANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUMMIFICATION PROCESS 309

discovering new drugs and providing scientific bases in Baloy, Itogon. When an epidemic struck Baloy, the to some folkloric uses of plants can now be found in settlers moved upstream and occupied one of the recent works11-14. These works and discovery have barangays in Kabayan called Embosi. This group that added to the repository of knowledge on drug moved upwards to Embosi from Baloy are then called discovery in the Cordillera. Conversely, there is scant Ibaloi, (the prefix i attached to a noun means ‘coming documentation of the ethnomedicinal knowledge of from’). The Ibalois presently pre-dominates almost all the local community in Kabayan, Benguet province. parts of Kabayan. Kalanguya, the other indigenous With the dearth of literature on the fire mummies group in Kabayan is believed to have originated from of Kabayan and the plants used in the process, this the neighboring municipality, Ahin of Tinoc, Ifugao. paper aimed: The lesser percentage of the population comes from various adjoining municipalities through intermarriage. 1. To gather information and contribute to the scarce information about the fire mummies in Kabayan, The municipality of Kabayan was named from the Benguet province based on the interviews of the word kabaayan, which means “from the place where key informants of Kabayan, Benguet; baay or baai is located. Baay or baai is a local 2. To identify the herbs that have been used in the term that refers to a leguminous vine which once mummification process based on the accounts of pre-dominated the place. Interestingly, Kabayan is the elders and; popularly known for its fire mummies that remain in burial caves and rock. 3. To test the plants that were identified to help preserve the dead, for their antibacterial potential in The interviews and focused group discussions (FGDs) order to provide scientific bases for their use in the Prior to the conduct of the study, the research mummification process. project was first presented in a meeting with the municipal and barangay officials of Kabayan, Methodology Benguet province. Permit to interview and conduct

Site of the study the project was sought from the mayor in consultation with the elders. A semi-structured questionnaire The site of this study is Kabayan, which is one of was used as guide during the interviews of key the 13 municipalities in Benguet Province. It spans informants and focused group discussions. Interviews an area of 24,269 hectares, which is subdivided into were conducted in selected barangays where 13 barangays (Fig. 3). It is classified as a fourth-class mummies are present. municipality with a population of 15, 26015.

Currently, three of the indigenous groups in the Plant collection, identification and preparation Cordillera region are found in Kabayan namely Based on the interviews, the herbs that were Ibaloi, Kalanguya, and Kankana-ey. Primarily, purportedly used in the mummification process were vegetable farming is the primary source of income of collected and photo-documented in the field. Samples the community. were also collected from the study site and brought to It is hypothesized that the first settlers of Kabayan the University of the Philippines Baguio for came from the area. They moved from processing. Parts of each plant were separated, Pangasinan by following the , and settled dried, pulverized and prepared for the antibacterial assay. Representative sample of each plant was pressed, dried, labelled correctly and deposited at the UP Baguio herbarium. The plant samples were compared with the herbarium collections of the author from other projects. The voucher specimens were assigned voucher numbers as follows: Embelia philippinensis (UPB-EWCRG16-189), Ficus nota (UPB-EWCRG16-190), Phaseolus lunatus (UPB- EWCRG16-191) and Psidium guajava (UPB- EWCRG16-192). Ficus nota and E. philippinensis have been Fig. 3—Location map of Kabayan, the site of this study reported in previous works as useful plants in local 310 INDIAN J TRADIT KNOWLE, VOL. 17, NO. 2, APRIL 2018

communities16-17. Specifically, F. nota, locally known fruits of Phaseolus lunatus (Fig. 6) is edible and good as diwdiw or tibig, is a small tree with edible fruits. In source of protein while the stem of Embelia the Cordillera, local communities say that the fruits of philippinensis is used as tying material. The leaves of diwdiw are usually eaten by birds and bats. Local the latter can be eaten and used as meat preservative. residents also claim that this species is a water indicator, because it was observed that where this Antibacterial assay species are found, there is likely a water source The pulverized plant samples previously prepared nearby. The wood of F. nota can be used as were extracted by soaking with absolute ethanol for construction materials and firewood (Fig. 4). On the 3 to 5 days, filtered and re-soaked 3 times and filtered other hand, E. philippinensis is a woody climbing again. The filtrate was placed in a rotary evaporator to vine which are found in forests of the Cordillera18 and separate the solvent. The ethanolic extract from each Mt. Kitanglad, Philippines19 (Fig. 5). Further, it was plant sample was weighed, dissolved in dimethyl reported that the Talaandig tribe of Bukidnon, sulfoxide (DMSO) and homogenized. The samples Philippines use the plant to cure tumors, cysts, and were tested against gram positive and gram negative few types of cancer20, however this claim lacks bacteria namely; Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas scientific basis. In some parts of the Cordillera, aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, extracts of E. philippinensis are being used as and Escherichia coli. The procedure used in the preservative for meat. This can be attributed to the antibacterial assay followed the Kirby-Bauer method sour property of the plant just like vinegar which or agar disc diffusion test. For the samples that helps preserve meat nowadays. In previous studies, a yielded positive results to any of the test bacteria, a decoction of Psidium guajava leaves is used as minimum inhibitory (MIC) test was conducted to disinfectant for wounds and scabies, the young leaves determine the lowest concentration of the samples that when chewed can abate toothache and when can inhibit bacterial growth. swallowed can cure diarrhea. Its antibacterial Results and discussion potential against gram negative and gram positive bacteria has been reported21. From interviews, the Interviews from the key informants and focused group discussion Similar with the mummification process in other countries, salts and herbs are used in preservation of the dead bodies. Based on interviews and FGDs, the mummification process includes cleaning and washing the body followed by the application of herbal extracts. After which, the body is seated on a chair called sangadil. Particularly, a decoction from guava (P. guajava) leaves was used for washing. Plant extracts applied on the dead body are from patani (P. lunatus), diwdiw (F. nota), and besudak (E. philippinensis) leaves.

Fig. 4—Branch of Ficus nota, locally called tebeg or tibig, no For the smoking process, a small fire is lit at the flowers or fruits were seen during the collection period. foot of the seated corpse that is exposed to the smoke for several days, sometimes lasting for months. Some informants mentioned that smoking may last for a year. In addition, smoke from kindling guava branch

Fig. 5—(a) Branch of Embelia philippinensis & (b) An inflorescence Fig. 6—(a) Branch of Phaseolus lunatus, locally called itab or of E. philippinensis atab; (b) Flower and (c) Fruits (a pod) of P. lunatus BALANGCOD: ROLE OF PLANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUMMIFICATION PROCESS 311

is most preferred because it prevents decay and purportedly used in the mummification process growth of maggots on the corpse. During the are patani (P. lunatus), bayabas (P. guajava), diwdiw mummification process, the heat from the fire and (F. nota), and besudak (E. philippinensis), the latter smoke will allow the body fluids to be drained and two are endemic species to the Philippines. Samples collected in a jar. In one of the interviews, it was of these plants except P. guajava were collected and mentioned that smoke from tobacco was blown into brought to the laboratory. The collected plants were the mouth of the dead body. This probably helps cleaned, dried and pulverized in preparation for the preserve the internal organs. However, there is doubt antibacterial assay. Herbarium specimens were on this account since tobacco was introduced by prepared from the collected plants and were used for the Spaniards in the 1500s. Mummification is identification which was conducted by comparing hypothesized to have been practiced by the Ibalois these with the existing collection of the University of before the Spanish colonization. the Philippines Baguio Herbarium. In addition, Unlike the Egyptian mummies, the visceral organs verification of the identification involved the use of of the fire mummies were not removed. Further, taxonomic literature by the author who is also a plant natron or natural salts are not used to dehydrate the curator. The herbarium specimens are deposited at the entire body. There is a claim that salt solution is given UP Baguio Herbarium. to the corpse to drink, however this is questionable since a dead body can no longer swallow the solution. Antibacterial screening of the plants purportedly used for mummification Occasionally, plant extracts are wiped over the entire Except for P. guajava that has been established as skin to help dry and preserve the body. Specifically, antiseptic and antibacterial plant as discussed the brushing of the herbal extracts may have helped in previously, the different parts of the three plants were the drying process. During one of the focused group tested for their antibacterial potential. Results are discussions, some participants said that drying of the summarized in Table 1. Table 1 shows that F. nota body under the sun also hastened the mummification. leaves and E. philippinensis leaves and stems showed During the wake, a series of ritual activities are activity against S. aureus with mean zones of performed. The wake focuses on smoking the dead inhibition of 17 mm, 12.67 mm and 11.67 mm, body. The ritual priests, called mambunong facilitate respectively. The flowers of E. philippinensis the rituals. According to accounts, the wealth status of similarly displayed activity against four of the tested the dead determines the duration of the rituals that bacteria. On the other hand, growth of some test will be performed. Wealth was then measured by bacteria was only slightly inhibited by P. lunatus but ownership of vast land tracks and herds of animals. did not reach the standard zone of inhibition for a As the dead possess more animals and acres of land, potential antibacterial plant. The effective zone of wake and ritual festivities are longer. There are claims inhibition for a potential antimicrobial is more than that the festivities will continue as long as there are 10 mm22. By comparing the zones of inhibition with animals to be butchered. the control, F. nota leaves show larger zones of In prehistoric times, the use of embalming was not inhibition in reference to streptomycin and practiced in the Cordillera and even today in far flung vancomycin against S. aureus. Ethanolic extracts communities. Hence, local people rely on the above- from E. philippinensis flowers have relatively larger mentioned methods to enhance the preservation. zones of inhibition compared with ampicillin against When the body has been completely dried and S. typhimurium and E. coli. Similarly, ethanolic desiccated, and the series of rituals have been extracts from the flowers of the same plant have a completed, the dead body is placed in a carved coffin. mean higher zone of inhibition compared with Pine trees with bigger trunks are used to carve a formalin against P. aeruginosa. coffin. The corpse is placed in the coffin in a foetal Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was position after which, it is entombed in common burial performed on the plant samples that yielded more caves or engraved rocks with holes. Sometimes, than 10 mm zone of inhibition. This is to determine several corpses, usually family members, are placed the specific concentration of the plant samples that inside a large carved wooden coffin. can inhibit bacterial growth. The MIC results are Plant collection, identification and documentation summarized in Table 2. The least concentration of From the interviews and focused group 7.8 µ/mL from E. philippinensis flowers is noted to discussions, the identified plants that were inhibit E. coli while the stem extract is similarly 312 INDIAN J TRADIT KNOWLE, VOL. 17, NO. 2, APRIL 2018

Table 1—Results of susceptibility test of the ethanolic extracts of the plants used in mummification against the different bacteria Plant Plant parts Mean zone of inhibition (mm) Salmonella Escherichia coli Bacillus cereus Pseudomonas Staphylococcus typhimurium aeruginosa aureus Diwdiw (Ficus nota) Diwdiw leaves 7.67 8.33 6.67 7.67 17 Diwdiw stem 7.33 8 7.33 7 8.67 Besudak (Embelia philippinensis) Besudak leaves 7.67 8.33 6 8 12.67 Besudak Stem 7 14 9.33 7 11.67 Besudak Flower 12.33 15.67 9 17.67 10.33 Patani (Phaseolus lunatus) Patani leaves 8.67 8.33 9.33 6 6 Patani stem 8 7.33 7 8.33 8 Patani flower 7.5 7.67 6 6 6 Controls used DMSO 6 6 6 7 7 Ethanol 6 6 6 6 7 Formalin 17.37 19 23 6 23 Streptomycin 17 22 15 28 14 Ampicillin 9 7 36 30 37 Vancomycin 10 19 18 23 14

Table 2—Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plants antibacterial potential. Further, the fire and smoke that exhibited antibacterial activity produced from burning guava branch may have also Plant name Plant Name of Bacteria Minimum contributed to the preservation of the corpse. The parts inhibitory existence of the century old fire mummies in Kabayan concentration is an evidence of indigenous knowledge that has been (ug/mL) practiced long ago. Ficus nota leaves Staphylococcus aureus 250 Embelia leaves Staphylococcus aureus 1000 philippinesis Conclusion Embelia stem Escherichia coli 15.6 Results of this study validate the use of the philippinesis two species namely diwdiw (F. Nota) and besudak Staphylococcus aureus 1000 (E. philippinensis) in the mummification process. The Embelia flower Salmonella 1000 ethanolic extracts from these plants inhibited the philippinesis typhimurium growth of certain bacteria, which suggest that these Escherichia coli 7.8 plants contributed in the preservation of the dead Pseudomonas 500 bodies. Moreover, the information derived from this aeruginosa study can contribute to the growing drug discovery Staphylococcus aureus 500 efforts in the country. There are diverse plants in the active at 15.6 µ/mL. Ethanolic extract from F. nota Cordillera that have medicinal properties. These leaves inhibits S. aureus at 250 µ/mL which suggests plants are not yet discovered; hence, it is that their antibacterial potential can be observed even recommended that researchers invest their efforts in at low concentrations. providing scientific validations of many folkloric Generally, the established use of herbs in medicinal plants. preserving the dead can be attributed to their antibacterial property. A few of the identified plants, Acknowledgement claimed to be used in the mummification process by The author is thankful to the local officials and the local community, exhibited antibacterial residents of Kabayan for allowing me to conduct the properties. Particularly, selected plant parts displayed study, some of them were my participants in the BALANGCOD: ROLE OF PLANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUMMIFICATION PROCESS 313

interviews and focused group discussions, the 10 Balangcod TD & Balangcod AKD, Underutilized plant information that they have provided is incredibly resources in Tinoc, Ifugao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Acta Hort, 806 (2009) 647-654. valuable. My gratitude to the staff of the Kabayan 11 Patacsil M, Manuel J, Laruan, LMVA, Cortez SM & Museum, and the barangay captains who were very Balangcod TD, Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies of helpful. My gratitude to my plant taxonomy students selected aromatic plants in the Philippines, Acta Hortic and my thesis advisees, Mielyn Padul and Regel (ISHS), 1023 (2014)143-148. Shegleen Valmoja for helping me in the interviews 12 Balangcod TD, Vallejo VL, Patacsil M, Apostol O, Laruan LMVA, et al., Phytochemical screening and and FGDs. My language and content editors, Freda antibacterial activity of selected medicinal plants of Bayabas, Wong, Dr. Elsie Jimenez, and my peer reviewers, Sablan, Benguet Province, Cordillera Administrative Region, thank you so much for the edits and suggestions. Luzon, Philippines, Indian J Tradit Knowle, 11 (4) (2012) Kryssa and my research staff, Shaira and Cheenee for 580-585. the technical assistance, my sincere thanks. to Ashlyn 13 Gutierrez RM, Baculi R, Pastor N, Puma-at T & Balangcod TD, Antibacterial potential of some medicinal and Bino, who came with me to the burial caves, your plants of the Cordillera Region, Philippines, Indian J Tradit help is immeasurable. Thank you to our drivers and Knowle, 12(4) (2013) 630-637. the people who have contributed greatly to this 14 Laruan LMV, Balangcod TD, Balangcod K, Patacsil M, research endeavour. This work was funded by the UP Apostol O, et al., Phytochemical and antibacterial study of System Enhanced Creative Work and Research Grant Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. and its ethnomedicinal importance to indigenous communities of Benguet for which I am grateful. province, Philippines, Indian J Tradit Knowle, 12 (3) (2013) 379-383. References 15 Municipality of Kabayan profile. Department of Interior 1 Mummification, “Webster’s New World College and Local Government (DILG) Local Governance and Dictionary”, 5th edn, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Resource Center. http://www.benguet.gov.ph/index.php/ Company), 2014. municipalities. Accessed July 8, 2017. 2 Mark JJ, Mummification in Ancient Egypt, Ancient History 16 Balangcod TD, Indigenous plant resources for houses and Encyclopedia, 14 Feb 2017. Web 04 Dec 2017. construction materials used by the Kalanguya in Tinoc, 3 Beckett RG & Nelson AJ, Mummy restoration project among Ifugao, Philippines, The Phil Scientist, 47 (2010) 1-26. the Anga of Papua New Guinea, The Anatomical Record, 17 Polinag MA, DENR Recommends Food from the 298 (6) (2015) 1013-1025. Wilderness, 12 (2003) 17-18. 4 Beckett RG, Conlogue GJ, Abinion OV, Salvador-Amores A 18 Cairns, MF ed., Shifting cultivation and environmental & Piombino-Mascali D, Human mummification practices change, indigenous people, agriculture and forest among the Ibaloy of Kabayan, North Luzon, the Philippines, conservation (Routledge, London and New York) 2015, Papers on Anthology, 26 (2) (2017) 24-37. 1032. 5 Fox RB, The Pinatubo Negritoes: their useful plants and 19 Odchimar NM , Nuñeza1 OM, Uy MM & Senarath WTPSK, material culture, Philippine J Sci, 81(3-4) (1952) 173-391. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and GC-MS 6 Yen DE & Nance J, The Ethnobotany of the Tasaday: the analysis of the root of kawilan (Embelia philippinensis A. useful plants, Philippine J Sci, 103(2) (1974) 97-140. DC.), Bull Env Pharmacol Life Sci, 5 (5) (2016) 42-47. 7 Yen DE & Nance J, Further studies on the Tasadays, 20 Antihao GT, Interview by N.M.O. Odchimar, Iligan Institute Panamin Foundation Research Series No. 2. Makati. of Technology. Lilingayon, Valencia City, Bukidnon), 2014. (Panamin Foundation, Philippines), 1976, 191. 21 Balangcod TD, Vallejo VL, Patacsil M, Apostol O, Laruan 8 Co L, Common Medicinal Plants of the Cordillera Region, LMV, et al., Phytochemical screening and antibacterial (CHESTCORE, Philippines), 1989, 487. activity of selected plants of Bayabas, Sablan, Benguet 9 Balangcod TD, The useful flora of Tabaan Norte, Tuba, Province, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines, Benguet Province, In: Towards Understanding Peoples Indian J Tradit Knowle, 11 (4) (2012) 580-585. of the Cordillera: A Review of Research on History, 22 Guevarra B, A guidebook to plant screening: phytochemical Governance, Resources, Institutions and Living Traditions, and biological, (University of StoTomas Publishing House. v. 3, (Cordillera Studies Center, UP Baguio), 2001, 82-83. Manila), 2005, 156.