Words and photos by Edgar Alan Zeta-Yap
The fire mummies of Kabayan
Ever since my first visits to the Baguio Museum as a child, I’ve been fascinated by the fire mummies of the Ibaloi people in Kabayan, Benguet. More than two decades after, a spontaneous weekend hiking trip with fellow blogger Christine Fernandez of Adventures of a Jovial Wanderer and a college friend finally brought me face to face with these ancient wonders in their hometown of Kabayan, Benguet.
Ten hours worth of bus rides from Manila via Baguio City will take you to the remote town of Kabayan–the epicenter of the Ibaloi, one of the indigenous highland peoples who live in the Cordillera mountain range. Before seeing the mummies at Timbac, there are a couple of sights worth checking out in Kabayan poblacion, namely the Opdas Mass Burial Site and Kabayan National Museum. Discovered by Ibaloi hunter Banan Berong in 1971, the Opdas Mass Burial Site is the final resting place of over 200 ancient Ibaloi individuals who lived some seven centuries ago. Piles of skulls are displayed on stone shelves inside a rock shelter renovated in 1991. Meanwhile, a small mummy from Pongasan Cave is displayed at the modest National Museum branch at Kabayan town, together with other artifacts of Luzon’s highland tribes.
Some of the best mummies, however, that may be viewed by visitors are a five to seven hour hike from Kabayan town to Mt. Timbac – the fog-capped third highest peak of Luzon – lording over the hamlet. Besides the mummies, the grueling climb from Kabayan town to Timbac caves rewards hikers with majestic views of the Agno river valley and a stopover at the Tinongchol Burial Rock, a three-storey high boulder where ancient Ibaloi carved out holes to inter their dead in wooden coffins.
Over 200 ancient Ibaloi tribesmen rests on the Opdas Mass Buriel site
Believed to be 500 to 1,000 years old, the Kabayan Fire Mummies are entombed in oval and rectangular-shaped hardwood coffins hidden away within “caves” – actually cramp rock shelters – along steep mountain slopes. They are a National Cultural Treasure. Some of the coffins have anthropomorphic and geometric designs etched on the outer surface. And traditional tattoos have been preserved on some individuals. The Ibaloi people mummified their dead by smoking them dry, hence, the nickname “fire mummies”. The World Monuments Fund [URL: http://www.wmf.org/project/kabayan-mummy-caves] explains the mummification process:
Dying members of the tribe drank salty mixtures to begin the process. After death, their bodies were cleansed, rubbed with herbs, and heated while their mouths were filled with smoke. These steps were performed continually over a period of weeks before the deceased were placed fetal position into oval-shaped wooden coffins with decorative carvings. These practices endured until the arrival of Spanish colonialists in 1500 and the caves themselves remained untouched until the 19th century.
Sadly, many of the mummy caves have been trespassed, vandalized and pilfered for the black market for decades. To protect them, the locations of other mummy caves are known only to Ibaloi elders. According to recent reports, the mummies are also being attacked by natural agents such as water seepage, rodent mites, insects and mold. Tribal beliefs hinder the transfer of these mummies to another location to prevent their further deterioration. Some Timbac mummies were on display at Kabayan National Museum, but “asked” to be returned to their original site, our hiking guide explained. While mummification is no longer practiced, present-day Ibaloi consider the mummy caves as sacred and still perform rituals in the area.
View of Agno River from Mt. Timbac
HOW TO GET THERE: From Manila, take a Victory Liner bus to Baguio City (AC, 5 hours, Php 455). A Liner buses (formerly Norton Bus) bound for Kabayan (non-AC, 5 hours, PHP 135) depart at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM daily at the Slaughterhouse bus terminal along Magsaysay. Upon arriving in Kabayan, make you sure you register at the tourism desk of the police station, near the municipal hall. In town, there’s the Opdas Mass Burial Site (entrance fee: PHP 50) and Kabayan National Museum (PHP 20).
The Timbac Mummy Caves (entrance fee: PHP 40) are a grueling five to seven hour uphill hike along paved roads and dirt trails up Mt. Timbac – the third highest peak in Luzon. During the dry season, tour groups can hire a jeepney or 4X4 from Kabayan town to Timbac Caves for PHP 2,500 to 3,000. You can arrange this with the tourism assistance desk at the police station. The shortcut – only a two-hour 6 km hike – to Timbac mummy caves can be done by entering from the junction at KM 55 along Halsema Highway. There’s a welcome sign directing visitors to the caves at the junction.
WHERE TO STAY: At Kabayan poblacion, the only place to stay is the Kabayan Coop Lodge, which has cozy dorm-style rooms (with shared T/B) at only PHP 200 per head.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The culturally sensitive way to visit the Timbac mummies is to hire an Ibaloi guide from Kabayan town. And to register and pay the entrance fee at the official caretaker’s house near the caves. Mummy caves are sacred sites for the Ibaloi people. Respect the dead: avoid making loud noises and horsing around at the burial sites. Prevent further deterioration of the mummies by keeping your visit brief and refraining from touching the corpses.
