Kabayan Mummies

Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves

Location of Kabayan Caves in the Philippines
Alternative name	Benguet Mummy Caves, Ibaloi Mummy Caves
Location	Kabayan, Benguet, Philippines
Type	Burial Cave
Management	National Museum of the Philippines

The Fire Mummies of the Philippines, also known as the Kabayan Mummies, Benguet Mummies, or Ibaloi Mummies, are a group of mummies found along the mountain slopes of Kabayan, a town in the northern part of the Philippines. They were made from as early as 2000 BC until the 16th century, when Spain colonized the Philippines. Today, they remain in natural caves and a museum in Kabayan. There are many characteristics of the fire mummy that differ from those preserved with regular old bandages and embalming fluid. For starters, the first step of the preservation process required the dying person to help out by drinking a salty beverage that would slowly dehydrate their body. Once the person had finally passed, the rest of the elaborate process could begin, sometimes taking up to several weeks or months to complete. The corpse was thoroughly washed according to custom and then placed above a heat source in a seated position. This folding of the body allowed the Ibaloi to fit more bodies into the cramped caves. The corpses themselves were never exposed to actual fire but were just “smoked” like a piece of meat above smoldering kindling, hot enough to remove all the fluids from the body and leave it leathery and dry. Once the body was fully smoked the outside, the Ibaloi would then set to work on dehydrating the inside of the corpse as well. They did this in an unusual way by blowing tobacco smoke into the corpse’s mouth to dry the internal organs. At this point, the fully preserved body was rubbed down with herbs and placed neatly in a small wooden coffin inside one of the hidden caves.When the Spanish, led by the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan, invaded and colonized the Philippines around the year 1500, the smoking mummification process, along with a great deal of other indigenous practices, began to die out. Processing the dead assumed a more European style and elaborate mummification was regarded as too archaic and tribal.

Description

Scientists believe that the Fire Mummies were created by the Ibaloi between 1200 and 1500 AD in five towns in Benguet and buried in caves. Others believe that the process of mummification began at 2000 BC. What makes the Fire Mummies unique is their process of mummification. That mummification began shortly before a person died, where he would digest a very salty drink. After his death, his corpse was washed and set over a fire in a seated position, thus drying the fluids. Smoke from tobacco was blown into the mouth to dry the body's inside and internal organs. Eventually, herbs were rubbed into the body. Mummified bodies are then placed in a coffin made of pinewood and laid to rest in rock shelters, natural caves or man made burial niches. The practice of that mummification ended, since Spaniards colonized the Philippines in the 16th century.

Discovery

When the Fire Mummies were discovered in the early 20th century, many of them were thieved, because the caves were mostly unprotected. Because of this, Monument Watch, a nonprofit organization, declared the site as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world.

Today

The indigenous people of Kabayan, also known as the Ibaloi, live in the secluded mountains of the northern Philippines. Their land consists of terraced rice fields with rolling green hills, and they are generally friendly and hardworking people—all very normal, except they literally live in the shadow of the dead. On Mt. Timbac, which hovers above their fields, lie hundreds of their ancient ancestors’ smoked bodies dating back as far as 1200 A.D.After logging operations intensified in the area, the location of many caves became known. Unfortunately this has led to looting, as unconscientious visitors have been eager to leave their mark, including graffiti, on the Kabayan mummies. The Kabayan Mummies were listed in the 1998 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund. Funding through American Express was used for emergency conservation and the creation of a comprehensive management plan. Despite their obvious age and fragility, several of the Kabayan fire mummies were actually stolen in 2000 and sold in Europe for a great deal of money. In fact, it became such a problem for the country that the Department of Foreign Affairs had to step in and ensure as many remains as possible be returned to their original resting place. Apparently being a mummy thief was a thing. In 2004, eight mummies were finally restored to their home in the caves and proper death rituals were held, but many still remain missing.Where they are, nobody knows. One notable disappearance occurred around 1919 when the intricately tattooed body of an important tribal leader named Apo Annu, who had died 500 years before was stolen from his coffin. As was later discovered, the body had been taken by a Filipino pastor visiting the site and had wound up as part of a sideshow in a Manila circus. The mummy then changed hands a number of times, until 1984 when it was finally donated to the national Museum by an antique collector. The museum immediately notified the government, and the body has since been restored to its original resting place.Additionally, local authorities from surrounding municipalities collaborated in cultural awareness campaign to introduce the Mummies to Filipinos. Tourist facilities were also constructed in order to control visitation and prevent harmful intrusions.

The Fire Mummies remain in natural caves with relatively small security and have been designated as one of the 100 world's most endangered heritage sites. Officials know 50-80 other mummies, but they will not give their locations because of their fear of vandalism. A small museum in Kabayan, Benguet also displays a few mummies.

Declarations

The Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves are listed as National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum of the Philippines pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 374. It is also under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

See also

• List of World Heritage Sites in the Philippines
• List of World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia
• List of World Heritage Sites

References

• "The Cave of the Kabayan Fire Mummies Is A Perfectly Preserved Piece of History". The Raven Report.

Further reading

• Amery, Colin; Curran, Brian; Abrams, Harry (1 November 2001). Vanishing Histories. Book News, Inc. p. 107.
• Ang, Walter. "The Mummy - that Brendan Fraser didn't see". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. E4.

External links

• Kabayan Branch, National Museum of the Philippines
• Fire Mummies of the Philippines
• Kabayan Mummies