FAGFAGTO FESTIVAL – observance of stone-throwing event

FAGFAGTO FESTIVAL
The Festival

Rituals are part of daily lives of the people in the cultural town of Bontoc, northern part of the Phlippines, where at the end of harvest time means the observance of stone-throwing event called Fagfagto. In the month of August, Fagfagto is annually performed by the people of Bontoc in the Mountain Province during the time when the crop harvesting is almost over, consequently the beginning of the season of sweet potato planting. Traditionally, young males throw stones at each other as they station, setting up camps of river stones on two opposite fields of Kidlaa and Churya, across Chico River near Samoki Village every afternoon, until lesles or rest day is declared. The object of the event is to hit the members of the opposing team as much as possible to win the game. It is believed that the more injuries a participant obtain during Fagfagto,  is prized with bigger amount of sweet potatoes Bontocs called the tukhi.

Ther are no specific rules in the game of Fagfagto, only that one can easily distinguish the winning group when the opposing team retreats, or when a group is able to cross the battle line, which is the Chico River, causing the opponents to turn and run away.

Planting of sweet potatoes is done after the harvesting of the rice. Some are planted in fields that are not meant to be planted with grains such as rice.

During the rest day, each household performs mangmang, a butchering of pig or chicken ritual to express gratitude for the bountiful harvest.  This practice is common through rice and sweet potato planting cycle  within the year.

On the final day of the celebration of the event, the participants unite and play the khagkhagtin, a form of hand to hand combat among themselves, and in the celebration of the lesles, young males go around the neighborhood for the observance of chad-ayaket, Bontocs’ version of Halloween Trick or Treat, which is a meal prepared by the rich people called the Kachangyans.

The Scoop

The Bontoc People

Bontoc is derived from the two words, bun meaning heap, and tuk meaning top, having meant as mountain when joined together. It refers to the people of the Mountain Province, consisting of five subprovinces  such as the Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga. The town of Bontoc consists of 10 municipalities and 137 barrios. Appearance of Bontoc people are characteristically Philippine natives, with mixture of ancient Ainu and short Mongol types.

They are somewhat monotheistic although they believe in the anito and in the spirits of the ancestors dwelling in nature. They call their god Lumawig, hero and son of Kabunian, although they are sometimes percieved as one and same persona. Religious practices and rituals are held during death, agricultural activities, and through their everyday lives. Tengao is one of their sacred days which is associated with crops, climate, weather, and illness. Their manayeng is a prayer by group asking Lumawig for rain.

Clothing for both men and women are traditionally bare from waist and above. Men usually wear coat while women wear simple blouses. Bontocs have a tradition on weaving of cloth, background colors are dark, usually blue with geometric designs of diamonds, triangles, hexagons, and zigzags.
Women’s hair is tied with apong, which is a strings of black seeds, brass wire rings, white stone beads, reddish agate beads, and dog’s teeth. Apong is usually not for sale. Some men wear abkil, made of boar tusks around their wrists or arms and adorned with human hair from the beheaded enemy.

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