IBALOIS	RITUALS	DANCES	COSTUMES
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

 

The Ibalois

 

The Ibalois are one among the six major ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) which is located in northern central Philippines. The others are Ifugao, Kankanaey, Tingguian, Kalinga, and Itneg.  While Ibalois call themselves “Ibadoy”, they may also call themselves “Igodot” which is the Ibaloi pronunciation of “Igorot”.  According to Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, the word “Igorot” is composed of the old Tagalog root word “golot,” meaning “mountain chain”, and the prefix “I” meaning “people of” or “dweller in” (Scott: 1966).  The Ibalois are indigenous in the southern part of Benguet Province where Baguio City is geographically located.

 

Angshas, grand daughter of Batil and Bitnay
            Batil is known as among the earliest settlers in Loakan. His first wife, Bitnay,  is from Bakakeng. She died and left two children: Mariano Batil who married Desnayan; and Mole Batil who married twice: Garoy and Bosong. Angshas is the daughter of Mole and Garoy. Photo shows Angshas Bugnay with sister-in-law, Sungajen (seated), during the graduation of Nessa Bugnay and Olin Pulas.

 

The Ibaloi Dialect

 

            The Ibaloi dialect is integral to the Ibaloi identity. Ibalois speak a dialect called “Nabaloi” or “Inibaloy”. Otto Scheerer, a German linguist who lived in southern Benguet and studied the dialect, called it “Nabaloi” while Dr. T. H. Pardo de Tavera called it “Inibaloy” which means “language of strangers” in Ilokano. Today, Ibalois refer to themselves and their dialect as “Ibadoy.”