Home    Contact us    Shipping Info    Weapons Gallery    Ornaments Gallery    Baskets    Sculptural Arts    Other Arts    Books

Carved wooden head for ritual purpose

Here is a very very RARE Igorot artifact from Kankaney area particularly from Bakun Benguet.

From the estate of a native priest locally known as "Mambunong"

It is used in several ritual ceremonies which includes death or violent occurence

For Example is the TOMO (definition courtesy of Benguet website)

It is a ritual performed when a person is crazy, foolish, and cruel and when a person becomes hot tempered or unable to sleep. The animal used for offering is usually a dog.

When a person manifest such characteristics as being hot tempered, cruel or with lunatic tendencies, a mambuyon may be consulted and when a "tomengaw", "tinmengaw" (spirits) is found to be the cause of the problem, then a mambunong is called and the tomo ritual is performed. This is usually done away from the house. Generally participated in by men, the ritual commences with a group of men sent to get (fern, wood) shaped into a human head (as head-taking practices was outlawed). They would be shouting as they approach simulating a by-gone headtaking practice. As the headtaking party arrives, the mambunong meets them and asks whose head they have taken. The party then would respond mentioning the name of a famous head hunter or anyone as instructed by the mambunong "hooh! naay indateng min tuktok busol ( hooo! here we brought the head of busol). Then the mambunong gives the absolution, the sacrificial dog is butchered, and the prayer-chant commences. When the prayer-chant is over, the dog is butchered. Once again, the cooked meat is offered to the spirits after which the men gathered partake of the meat. After meals, the mambunong or a trusted elder hides the hunted head in a place not easily reached by anyone.

The tomo is a ritual to ward off the spirits of people who died an unnatural death and prevent them from haunting a sick person. Had the sick person participated in the spilling of the blood of another person whether directly or indirectly, the tomo ritual is intended to cleanse or purify him from guilt and from his sickness.

As recalled by the native priest's son this wooden head is in existence since he was a small boy, it was used on several occasions, to date, he is 53 years old now so this is probably around 1940's to 1950's or earlier as his grandfather is also a mambunong.

It has a stand similar to that of a spear but with no blade which may double as the old man's staff.

A very rare item worthy of adding in your Philippine Tribal Art collection!

Measurements:   Head - 7" X 4.7 X 4.7"     /    Wood Staff - 46"

Ritual Wooden Head

Price$375.00 USD

These last 2 pictures represent the real color of the item as it was taken with no flash