Upland Tingguian Budong practices and their value-integration into the Christianized family and kinship

This study describes and identifies the current elements of the present budong practices and beliefs of the upland Tingguian families and kinship. They live particularly in the villages of the Binongan tribe in the province of Abra namely, Baay (1909), Lacub (1940), Licuan (1947), and Tineg (1950). The study uses both descriptive and exploratory methods of research. It identified as well as presented both the indigenous and Christian elements of the budong practices and beliefs. It explores how the upland Tingguian family and kinship integrate the values gained from the budong practices in their Christian family life. Budong - a rich indigenous peace-pact practice handed down to the tribe members by their ancestors. It has been handed down generation to the next being carried on even until this time. It is a solemn and joyful tribal affair from beginning to the end in celebrating the budong. Everybody in the community has to participate and commit to the affair. Corporate personality is highly felt in the budong, which is the embodiment of every Tingguian\u27s dream, failure, and aspiration. It demonstrates the upland Tingguians\u27 strong cultural, social awareness, and their desire to help each other at any time and at any cause. It defines geographical and social boundaries as well as the mechanism for securing mutual obligation and alliance among the tribe members. It protects the members from any sulong or sudden attack coming from a stronger tribe. This assures peace and order in their communities. The present upland Tingguian budong practices are combination of the indigenous tradition and the Christian tradition. This study is conducted to awaken the interest among Christians on the beauty and the value of the cultural heritage of the indigenous Filipinos through their budong or peace pact practices. This study will also help the society see its responsibility to enrich and strengthen national identity through a better understanding of the culture contributed by the indigenous groups. Another aim of the study is to reveal important information for the missionaries, including priests, religious and values educators, who are engaged in the building of Christian communities among the indigenous peoples. The study ends with some recommendations in order to avoid the impending demise of this unique indigenous culture and tradition. Knowledge of who they are and what they wish to be, ensures a more effective and creative missionary work for everybody. Not