The Ibaloi fire mummies: the art and science of mummification in the Philippines

Abstract

The Ibaloi fire mummies are preserved ancient remains of Ibaloi, one of the indigenous peoples of the northern Philippines. The locals kept the traditional Ibaloi mummification through oral traditions, but the current generation no longer conducts the actual practice. We categorized the mummification steps into preprocessing, smoking, and postprocessing. The preprocessing involved a ‘saltwater purge,’ washing, positioning the body onto a ‘death chair,’ removing the epidermis, and ‘deworming.’ The smoking process, from which the name ‘fire mummy’ was derived, involved the smoking of a body under a low-lit woodfire. The postprocessing involved sun-drying and application of a plant concoction to the body. Notably, the traditional Ibaloi mummification process shares similarities with other mummification practices elsewhere. This paper provides a systematic review of the traditional Ibaloi mummification and highlights the essential physical and chemical processes involved in body preservation. We want to encourage more interdisciplinary studies on the Ibaloi fire mummies to identify potential applications of the traditional process in corpse preservation. We also hope to contribute to discourses with people from multicultural backgrounds to increase our understanding of the history and culture of ancient human settlements in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific.

Full text

1© 2021 The Anthropological Society of Nippon
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
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

1
1Institute of Biology, University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City, Philippines, 1101
Clinical and Translational Research Institute, The Medical City, Pasig City, Philippines, 1605
DNA Analysis Laboratory, Natural Sciences Research Institute, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 1101

Abstract -
-
-
           
   
 

-
-
 
-
 
  -

Key words: 
Introduction
     -
   
       
      
     -
       
  
-

-
    -
       
         
shilus ni minatay
       
  

       
   




       

  

   
  
       
  

   




 

-
         

      

meking
 

        


M.B. CARASCAL ET AL.Anthropological Science
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        

-
       -
-

       

-
         
  

Human Mummication and the Ibaloi Culture
      

       
      
    

     
      -
     
       

      
     
       

-
   
          
 sangachil  sangadil
kolebao
pinagpagansinalibubo
   
       
       
i-asal-
           
         
-



 duduan
  
        
begisan-
    
  

        
   
      

  -
-
      

   -




   -
       

kalong        

 
        

      

       
           
-

  
  
Preprocessing
  

  
  
  
  

Smoking process  
 
Postprocessing
  
  
 

MUMMIFICATION OF IBALOI FIRE MUMMIES
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Physical Processes in Traditional Ibaloi
Mummication
  -

-
       

-
-
       -
       
 -

   -

 
        


       
  -

-
 -

    
  

         


     



   




        
        
  
        
  


  -
       
     -
   
-


  -

 
-
      

  

     
 
        
       
  
-
-

      
        
      



Nicotiana tabacum 

    
  -



      
       
      

Chemical Processes in Traditional Ibaloi
Mummication
       

        

      
-
     Psidium guajava 
      
       
  
    Physalis minima
Solanum lycopersicum cerasiforme

      

sablut 
    
       
  Phaseolus lunatus
Ps. guajava   tibig
Ficus notabesudakEmbelia philippinensis-
       -

 -
 Lablab purpureus -

  
-

M.B. CARASCAL ET AL.Anthropological Science
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Bacillus cereusStaph-
ylococcus aureusEscherichia coliPseudomonas aerugino-
saSalmonella typhimurium 




       


   
   
  -
       

Traditional Ibaloi Mummication and Global
Practices
     -

          

      

-
        
 

 -
        
 


  -
        

         
 
  
       

  

 -



 urushi Toxico-
dendron verniciuum   



     -
      
      -



      
Pinus -
Juniperus communis Cedrus libani
  
        

Cinnamomum cassiaAllium
cepaLawsonia inermis

 Ps. guajava      
     -
    T. verniciuum     
      
 


-
 -
 

-

        
-

            

         

-

       

       
      -
-
          
         
 


        
 -
    
   
          

-

     
 -


        -
       
       
       
      

    
-

MUMMIFICATION OF IBALOI FIRE MUMMIES
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
       


Applications of Traditional Ibaloi Mummication
     -
   
      
      
-
   
  

   -
-

-
-
  
          


Conclusion
   
-


        -
       
  -

       
-

  
     
       
 
       

        

Conict of Interest

Acknowledgments
       
         -

Author Contribution
-

       

References
 -


         
    
        -

        

       -

 



        
       
   

    
 

 
        
       
-

        

      
      





         -
        



   
       
   


        
-


       

-
  


-
     


-
  


M.B. CARASCAL ET AL.Anthropological Science
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        


 
  


      



        

      
       

  
      
 -

 -

           
  



       -


-

      

-

        
      
     

 



        


 -


       
   


       -

-

-
-

-
  -


  
-

        
       
       
-

-


         

航慈釋-
      

       
  

 
     
