Reflections on Blades, Headhunting, and Cultural Symbols (Part Two)

If you haven’t read Part One yet, please feel free to CLICK HERE.

Upon reflection, the use of “headhunting” blades as symbols of cultural pride makes sense. As the tribes began to interact more with the world— they had several choices. They could try to maintain cultural separation— a hard road to follow. They could assimilate and lose their own identity. Many groups have done this… but not a path I would recommend. Marginalization— a failure to successfully retain important aspects of their own culture while simultaneously failing to successfully adapt to the broader culture— is a problem pretty much by definition. Integration— adapting to the broader world, while thoughtfully holding on to key aspects of one’s heritage— seems the only winning strategy.

Rejecting xenophobia and headhunting is an important, necessary step in integration. However, the blade is a symbol of strength. It reminds one of one’s identity and community strength. For the Bugkalot, this is not their only symbol. The greatest warriors had a headdress that has skull and plumage of a Philippine hornbill (bird). Today, the bird is endangered and so this headdress is not made as it was. However, a replica is still used for some cultural activities. Additionally, some of the kubos (small traditional style huts or gazebos) are now designed with what looks like hornbill nest on top with hornbills looking out from it. This again is a reinterpretation.

Bugkalot-design gazebo with stylized hornbill nest on top.

I found it interesting that many of the church pastors are ones who actively help to maintain some of the cultural heritage of the tribe. The hornbill kubos are designed and produced by a local pastor, and when we were staying at a pastor’s house there, the pastor was busy making a “kaget.” This is a traditional belt worn by Bugkalot wome. It was beautiful, and again I was surprised that when I looked at kaget on the Internet, the ones available were not nearly as beautiful.

Pastor with the beautiful “Kaget” he is making (not yet finished)

Symbols change in meaning and that is good. Periodically people will say— “Oh you can’t have a Christmas tree because it has ‘pagan roots.’” Curiously, there seems to be little direct connection between the Christmas tree and Paganism. But even if there was, symbols can change— they can be redeemed. We place meaning on symbols— and so we can change the meanings.

I remember someone sharing the little observation, “Isn’t it strange that we often wear a cross around our neck as a symbol of our faith when it is a method of torture and death? It’s just like wearing a tiny electric chair around one’s neck!” Of course it isn’t the same— the meaning behind the cross has changed greatly over 2000 years. The meaning behind an electric chair has not changed very much… yet.

Wearing my miniature tёgyaden links me in some small way to a wonderful group of people with an amazing cultural history and today with an inspirational story of their path to Christ.