Did you know that Kabayan, Benguet is also famous for its fire mummies?
After visiting Opdas Cave (burial mass grave), we proceeded to the museum in Kabayan, Benguet to see the mummy housed within.
The museum looks like a regular house, with wooden floor and quite elevated just like the traditional houses of the locals.
At the time of visit, however, the museum is closed due to an impending repair. It was damaged due to a recent earthquake. The artifacts and other displays were packed, covered and kept in a small building just below the museum.
The mummy was on a glass display so we were able to see it.
Why are they called fire mummies?
Accordingly, immediately after death, the corpse are made to sit in a high wooden chair in an almost fetal position with fire underneath to start the mummification process. This is to drain out all the liquid from the body.
Some say that before death, the person is made to drink a very salty drink. Others say that salty water is induced into the body immediately after death.
Later on, the corpse is washed with cold water and different plant concoctions to preserve the body and to discourage insects. Some say the worms or larvae that thrive on the body are manually removed by the relatives of the dead.
The body is also sun-dried. Accordingly, the process takes approximately two years and when ready, the mummy is placed in a carved wooden coffin locally known as "kulong" and buried in man-made caves in the mountain slopes.
Out of the 200 identified man-made burial caves in Kabayan, 15 contains preserved human mummies.
Some believe that keeping the coffins in man-made burial caves in the mountain slopes have aided in preserving the mummies.
There was really no written record or scripture of the exact mummification process. It was only passed on orally within the tribe. Nowadays, mummification is no longer practiced by the Ibaloi tribe.
📌Hi. I'm Cate. This blog is a brief story about the mummies in Kabayan, Benguet based on the stories relayed by a local we talked to.
Kabayan is mystically beautiful.
Besides the mummies and the burial graves, it also features the second highest peak in the Philippines, Mt. Pulag and its sea of clouds. Between the mountains are four enchanting lakes where you can go camping.
We haven't gone to these places yet as they were a bit far. We only visited the town proper and it so happened that the museum and the Opdas Cave is along the way.
You can check out my blog on Opdas Cave in this link: @katey-cate/the-cave-of-skulls-or
Thank you and in your next travel, be sure to add Kabayan, Benguet in your itinerary.
Have fun travellers!