Pollution in the Balili River

It rained on Monday. It rained on Tuesday. But the waters of the Balili River are still dark and very murky. That's the level of pollution that this river currently has.

Where Did Our Igorot Ancestors Get Their Salt?

Where did our Igorot ancestors get their salt? Salt was a very valuable commodity in the olden days mostly because of its rarity. Igorot communities that were near the lowlands where salt were readily available often go down there to trade and acquire salt.

But what about the Igorots who were deep in the interior of the Cordillera mountains? They were hundreds of miles away from the lowlands. Where did they get their supply of the much-coveted salt?

Well, one major source of salt for these interior Igorots were natural hot springs. A great example were the Igorots in Bontoc especially those who lived in or near the village of Mainit where hot springs were plentiful. They found a way to extract salt from the hot springs using a long and complicated process. 

How did they do it? 

Here's an excerpt from an article published in 1966 and written by Augustus Ulat Saboy that detailed the salt-making process of the Igorots in Mainit: 

[𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗽𝘁.] "A suitable hot spring is selected from among the hundreds of thermal springs spurting all over the village. Moderately warm mineral springs usually are chosen.

The surrounding area is cleared of grass, rocks and dirt, and the hot spring is impounded into a small puddle by ringing it with small rocks. The floor of impounded mineral water is leveled to allow the water to rise about six inches from the floor of the puddle.

Stones Planted

Stones as big as man’s fist are gathered and “planted” at even distances on the water pool. An outlet is opened with a small stone used as value. This serves to regulate the flow of water so that the top of each stone on the floor of the puddle is left dry.

A conical shelter is then constructed over the puddle, with its caves reaching the ground edge of the hot spring pool. The sides of the ground are left open to let the air in.

Condensation

Through the natural process of condensation, which takes place in the sheltered pool, salt in the water vapor settles on the planted stones. In one week, the stones are thick with encrusted snow-white salt particles.

The salt is scraped off after it thickens to about an inch on top of the stones. The work, exclusively a woman’s job, is done with a bladed bamboo stick. Then the salt is winnowed into a vat on fresh water where it is dissolved.

Boiling

The vat, now full of salt solution, is boiled to extract the salt. Before it cools off, the salt in the vat is ladled into prepared base for wrapping into cakes.

The wrapped salt is “toasted” over charcoal fire until it hardens. The salt is now ready for long storage." [𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗽𝘁.]

Many of the folks in Mainit turned salt-making into a profession. "Mainit salt" reportedly travelled as far as Kalinga and Abra. 

Salt-making in natural hot springs is no longer practical these days. Commercial salt is easily accessible and very cheap. 

Photos: Images from the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University (Website)

The Old Camp John Hay Movie Theater

Decrepit and looking like it's on the verge of collapsing, this large white building inside Camp John Hay is a shell of what it used to be.

Back in the day, it housed a popular movie theater that brought the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to local moviegoers. The newer generations passing by this building see an eyesore that needs an appointment with a bulldozer. But to the older generations, this building evokes nostalgia.

Main Gate of the Saint Louis University with an Aesthetic Inspired by Cordilleran Textiles

This is the main gate of the Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City. The posts of the renovated entrance feature an aesthetic inspired by Cordilleran textiles.

𝙆𝙖𝙪𝙗-𝙤𝙛𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙩𝙖𝙝: The Legend of Utah Cave by Danielle Florendo

This is an illustrated children's book that retells a legend originating from Balbalan, Kalinga. It's called 𝙆𝙖𝙪𝙗-𝙤𝙛𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙩𝙖𝙝 (English: The Legend of Utah Cave]. It was illustrated and written by Danielle V. Florendo in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples of Balbalan. 

The book is written/presented in English and in the language they speak in Balbalan. It's a nice book to add to your shelf of Cordillera literature.

You can get copies of the book from the Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Baguio City.

The book was also recently adapted into a play at the University of the Philippines Baguio. Presented by the Dulaang UP Baguio and Paggawisan Tako Am-in (PAGTA), the play was directed by Markneel Balgos and Eirene June Taclobao. I went to see a showing of the play last March 19. I believe the play is available on the page of Dulaang UP Baguio for those interested in watching the play.

What Does "Umali Kayo" Mean?

It's always nice to come across establishments that use Cordilleran languages in their signages or promotional materials. "𝗨𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝘆𝗼" is "welcome" or "come here" in the Kankana-ey language.

Mushrooms Along a Trail in Camp John Hay, Baguio City

I came across these mushrooms growing beside the trail on a pine forest floor while on a run in Camp John Hay, Baguio City. 

#cordillerabiodiversity #mushrooms