Author/s: Bayon, Ruth Vanessa T.; Acoking, Keneline B.

Year: 2024

Artifacts offer invaluable insights into human history, customs, and beliefs, making them indispensable teaching tools. Hence, this study explores the cultural heritage of the I-Lias community in Barlig, Mountain Province, focusing on their agricultural, hunting, ritual, and daily-use artifacts. Employing qualitative research methods such as interviews, focus group discussions, and archival research, the study documents the unique materiality and cultural significance of these artifacts. The findings reveal that the I-Lias community maintains a profound connection with its traditional tools, despite the influence of modernization. Key artifacts, such as the losong (mortar) and khufang (storage jar), continue to be used in farming and food storage, reflecting the community’s adherence to sustainable practices and cultural preservation. However, some traditional practices, like the communal use of the losong during mourning rituals, have evolved due to changing social and economic conditions. The study underscores the importance of documenting and promoting these cultural artifacts as a means of safeguarding indigenous knowledge and fostering cultural pride. It is concluded that the artifacts of Lias, Barlig reflect the community’s creativity, craftsmanship, and strong connection to their cultural roots that carry with them deep cultural meanings and symbolisms.  Recommendations include establishing local exhibitions, workshops, and educational initiatives to ensure that younger generations appreciate and sustain the rich cultural legacy of the I-Lias people​.