Global Connections: Beads and the Interaction Network of the Ifugao, Cordillera, Philippines

Summary

Grave goods have been especially useful in the archaeological examination and determination of political economy and levels of inter-group interaction. Among the Ifugao of the northern highland Philippines, ethnohistoric and ethnographic datasets indicate that the group can be considered a ranked society. Dominant Philippine historical narratives also suggest that the Ifugao were in isolation during Spanish colonization. Our excavations at the Old Kiyyangan Village provide material support for the presence of unequal access to resources (particularly, imported beads). The presences of these exotic materials, however, refute the idea of isolation. Our paper presents a preliminary examination of glass, clay, and stone beads found in the 2012 and 2013 field seasons of the Ifugao Archaeological Project. Our presentation deliberates on possible exchange networks connected to the village. Additionally, we explain the application of beads in neonatal burial practices and its cultural importance among the Ifugao.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Cross-cultural encounters/entanglements in Island Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

Keywords

Spatial Coverage