This photo (circa 1903) shows a group of Igorot men settling a dispute through a "hot water ordeal". This is one of the ways our ancestors solved village crimes and disputes.
In the hot water ordeal, two men in a dispute are asked to dip one of their hands in a pot of boiling water. Whoever removes his hand first will be considered the guilty one.
If they remove their hands at the same exact time, their hands will be checked and scrutinized for damages. Whoever incurred the most damage in his hand will be considered the guilty one.
This method has its roots in our ancestors' beliefs in the supernatural. That there are unseen entities living with and around them. That these entities will not allow good people to be punished and that they will not let bad people escape accountability from their evil deeds.
The "adi kaila" is a common expression among the Kankana-eys. It translates literally to "the unseen". It's used to refer to the gods (i.e. Kabunian, Lumawig) or to the unseen entities living among men, in villages, and in natural lands like mountains, rivers, caves, etc.
📷 University of California publications in American archaeology and ethnology
