Travel often places landscapes at the center of attention. We look for Instagram-worthy images of mountain ranges, white-sand beaches, snow-capped peaks, blue lakes, and green fields before moving on to the next destination. But beyond these postcard views are communities that have called these places home for generations, carrying traditions, knowledge, and a heritage passed down through cultural bearers.
The Bugkalot People of Nagtipunan, Quirino: Heritage, Crafts & Living Traditions
Recognizing that travel can be more than sightseeing, the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region II and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region II developed a tourism circuit in Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya that brings visitors closer to local artisans, their crafts, and the communities behind them. Called the Lakbay Likha, the stops include workshops and creative hubs where travelers can purchase locally made products, learn traditional skills, and meet the people who keep these practices alive.
In Nagtipunan, Quirino, that means meeting the Bugkalot, an Indigenous people of Northern Luzon also known as Egongot in some communities. With communities in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, and Aurora, they have a culture that no well-shot landscape photograph can fully convey.
Bugkalot Culture and Traditions in Nagtipunan
As some members of the Bugkalot community demonstrated their traditional dances and chants, Myra L. Dela Cruz, a member of the community who has researched her own Indigenous heritage, explained how customs continue to influence life in Nagtipunan, Quirino.
For the Bugkalot, cultural preservation is not limited to performance art. It also happens in the way families help one another, share resources, and teach their children practices handed down through generations. “Bayanihan remains important to us, especially during occasions such as panhik, weddings, and funerals,” Dela Cruz explained, describing how families contribute to help those who need assistance.
The same spirit of sharing extends to hunting and fishing. Hunting is seasonal, while fish caught by the men are divided among households so that other families can benefit from the catch. These practices show how cooperation remains part of community life, extending beyond celebrations to the sharing of food and resources.
Traditional dances, including the Tagëm, are performed in community gatherings. Bugkalot members wear their customary attire during special occasions, including weddings, local fiestas, and other celebrations. Such gatherings give younger members a chance to see their traditions practiced by older generations.
Christianity and Changing Traditions among the Bugkalot
Christianity brought significant changes to Bugkalot beliefs and customs, particularly the abandonment of headhunting, a practice associated with the community.
Dela Cruz emphasized the role of Christian missionaries, particularly the New Tribes Mission led by Filipino missionary Florentino Santos, fondly called Apun Tino, who arrived in the area in the 1950s. She also pointed to the continued religious education of Bugkalot converts in bringing about these changes.
The transition, however, did not happen overnight. In his own account, the late Apun Tino acknowledged that the last instances of headhunting occurred as recently as the 1990s. This is consistent with anthropologist Shu-Yuan Yang’s 2011 study, Headhunting, Christianity, and History among the Bugkalot (Ilongot) of Northern Luzon, Philippines, which describes the connection between Christian conversion and the gradual decline of the practice. Even after Christianity had spread, headhunting persisted in some areas for decades.
“Christianity played a major role in changing practices that the community came to regard as bad,” Dela Cruz explained, pointing to the sacrifices of early missionaries and the continued study of the Bible among Bugkalot Christians. “But the good traditions and rituals remained.”
The transformation also involved the Bugkalot themselves. According to Dela Cruz, community members who embraced Christianity became active in spreading their faith throughout Kabugkalotan, the ancestral homeland of the Bugkalot. Many went on to become pastors and missionaries, sharing their beliefs within their own communities and among other Indigenous groups in the Philippines.
Bugkalot Livelihoods: Farming, Hunting, and Fishing
Agriculture remains a major source of livelihood for Bugkalot families in Nagtipunan. Many cultivate corn and other crops for sale, while some continue to grow upland rice primarily for their household consumption.
Families also raise livestock, including pigs and chickens, which can be sold to generate income. Seasonal hunting and fishing provide additional sources of food, with the sharing of catches reinforcing the community's bayanihan spirit.
Preserving Bugkalot Traditions for the Next Generation
For Dela Cruz, keeping Bugkalot traditions alive begins at home, with parents teaching their children the customs and practices of their community.
She explained that weddings, panhik, fiestas, and other gatherings provide opportunities for cultural practices to be demonstrated, particularly when community members are invited to perform traditional dances and wear traditional clothing.
Beyond the dances and demonstrations we witnessed, there are other aspects of Bugkalot heritage worth exploring, particularly the preservation of their language, oral histories, and ancestral knowledge among younger generations.
This is also what the Lakbay Likha program of the Department of Tourism Region II and the Department of Trade and Industry Region II hopes to bring into its tourism circuits: experiences that go beyond visiting places and buying souvenirs, by giving travelers opportunities to learn directly from local artisans and take part in the creative practices of the communities they visit. By supporting local SMEs, community-based artisans, and creators, the program aims to make these encounters part of the travel experience while creating opportunities for the people behind the crafts.
Bugkalot Beadwork and Goodbye Chant
In Nagtipunan, cultural learning was paired with a bead-making tutorial led by Bugkalot women who demonstrated the craft themselves. The women also displayed their finished creations, including intricately crafted necklaces and bracelets, which visitors could purchase directly from the makers.
A wonderful surprise came as we prepared to leave. One of the community members told us that the Bugkalot have a separate chant for bidding goodbye. She explained in Tagalog: “Walk away. As you all walk away, I'll sing this chant.”
And so we did. As our vans slowly pulled away, she stood waving goodbye, microphone in hand, her voice carrying the farewell chant as we drove farther away.
It was an unexpected ending to a visit that began with the intention of learning about another culture. We left with more than photographs and a better understanding of Bugkalot traditions. We also carried the memory of a woman who chose to send us off with a song.
