Punnuk is a traditional tug of war from the Philippines practiced by the Tuwali-speaking people who live in Hungduan, Ifugao. [1] The competition, held in Hapao River, is observed after the completion of harvest. [2] It formally puts to a close the farming cycle, and signals the beginning of a new one. [3]
The barangays of Hapao Proper, Nungulunan and Baang in Hungduan, Ifugao practice punnuk. [3] The three barangays are distinctive for their terraced ricefields with stone-walling. [4] Hapao River, the setting for punnuk, flow from Mt. Alawitan and Mt. Polis, and is fed by tributaries from Mt Kapiligan. [1]
Traditionally, only men join punnuk in the river while the women cheer only. In 2012, a tug-of-war exclusively for women was held. [1]
Punnuk needs two elements: a tinaggu (also known as kinaag) and a pakid. [3] The tinaggu is a figure made up of rice stalks and tightly bundled with vines. [5] The figure often resembles a scarecrow or a monitor lizard. [6] It is the object thrown into the middle part of the river and the subject of tugging between two contending groups that are situated on opposite sides of the river across the current. [5] To pull the tinaggu to their side, each of the groups uses a pakid, the stem of an attoba tree with a root that can be firmly hitched on the tinaggu. [2] The first group to pull the tinaggu to their side is the winner. [5]
It is believed that the winning side will always have their rice granary replenished and full. [2] Meanwhile, the losers will have their harvest be easily consumed and thus will not last until the next harvest season. [6]
| Tugging rituals and games | |
|---|---|
| Country | Cambodia, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam |
| Reference | 01080 |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2015 (10th session) |
| List | Representative |
Punnuk, together with tugging rituals and games in Cambodia, South Korea, and Vietnam, were collectively included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2015. [7] The decision was made at the 10th Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held in Windhoek, Namibia. [8]
Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao, is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc while Bauko is the largest municipality. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain in some foreign references. The name is usually shortened by locals to Mt. Province.
A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Austronesian and Hmong-Mien cultures. It was spread in prehistoric times by the expansion of Austronesian peoples to Island Southeast Asia, Madagascar, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The technology was also acquired by other cultures in mainland Asia for rice farming, spreading to East Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
The Banaue Rice Terraces are terraces that were carved into the mountains of Banaue, Ifugao, in the Philippines, by the ancestors of the Igorot people. The terraces are occasionally called the "Eighth Wonder of the World". It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1,500 meters above sea level. These are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps were put end to end, it would encircle half of the globe.
Banaue, officially the Municipality of Banaue, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,652 people.
Kiangan, officially the Municipality of Kiangan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,691 people.
Tourism is an important sector for the Philippine economy. The travel and tourism industry contributed 8.6% to the country's GDP in 2023; this was lower than the 12.7% recorded in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Coastal tourism, encompassing beach and diving activities, constitutes 25% of the Philippines' tourism revenue, serving as its primary income source in the sector. Popular destinations among tourists include Boracay, Palawan, Cebu and Siargao. While the Philippines has encountered political and social challenges that have affected its tourism industry, the country has also taken steps to address these issues. Over the past years, there have been efforts to improve political stability, enhance security measures, and promote social inclusivity, all of which contribute to creating a more favorable environment for tourism, such as the Boracay rehabilitation.
The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are a World Heritage Site consisting of a complex of rice terraces on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in the cultural landscape category of the World Heritage List. This inscription has five sites: the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces, Mayoyao Rice Terraces, Hungduan Rice Terraces and Nagacadan Rice Terraces, all in Ifugao Province. The Ifugao Rice Terraces reach a higher altitude and were built on steeper slopes than many other terraces. The Ifugao complex of stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains combine to make terraced pond fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops, and an elaborate farming system.
The architecture of the Philippines reflects the historical and cultural traditions in the country. Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are influenced by Austronesian and American architectures.
The Ifugao people are the ethnic group inhabiting Ifugao province in the Philippines. They reside in the municipalities of Lagawe, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Banaue, Hingyon, Hungduan, Kiangan, Lamut, Mayoyao, and Tinoc. The province is one of the smallest provinces in the Philippines with an area of only 251,778 hectares, or about 0.8% of the total Philippine land area. As of 1995, the population of the Ifugaos was counted to be 131,635. Although the majority of them are still in Ifugao province, some of them have moved to Baguio, where they work as woodcarvers, and to other parts of the Cordillera Region.
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. This list is published by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the members of which are elected by State Parties meeting in a General Assembly. Through a compendium of the different oral and intangible treasures of humankind worldwide, the programme aims to draw attention to the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage, which UNESCO has identified as an essential component and as a repository of cultural diversity and of creative expression.
Gangneung Danoje (Korean: 강릉단오제), called by locals Danogut (단오굿), is a yearly celebration of the Korean holiday Dano, in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The festival is traditionally held for 47 days: in the lunisolar Korean calendar, between the 20th day of the 3rd month to the 7th day of the 5th month. Its purpose is to appease the local gods, and in turn to receive their blessings.
Juldarigi is a traditional Korean sport similar to tug of war. It has a ritual and divinatory significance to many agricultural communities in the country, and is performed at festivals and community gatherings. The sport uses two huge rice-straw ropes, connected by a central peg, which are pulled by teams representing the East and West sides of the village. A number of religious and traditional rituals are performed before and after the actual competition.
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Mibu no Hana Taue (壬生の花田植) is ritual of transplanting rice that is held every year on the first Sunday of June in Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima, in hopes of a good harvest. It is a traditional event. It has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and is listed in the Representative List of Human Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Tugging rituals and games are four cultural practices in Cambodia, Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam, which were collectively included in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2015. The tugging rituals and games, namely lbaengteanhprot, punnuk, juldarigi, and keo co, include two teams, with each pulling one end of a rope, attempting to tug it from the other.