Gotad ad Ifugao (Gotad in Ifugao)

The rice fields and forests are at the core of the celebration of Gotad, often described as the Ifugao great feast.

As I write this amid tall buildings and the city traffic outside, celebrations are underway in my native Ifugao for the celebration of the foundation day of the province.  The weeklong festivity, that started some days ago, is dubbed as Gotad, dedicatory to a feast that Ifugao forebears had.

Gotad is often described in many write-ups as the grand Ifugao feast.  In past era, it is hosted by wealthy homes/families/couples.  But in my growing up years in the 80’s, I was not lucky to have witnessed one.  It was in the early nineties that I was able to go to a “gotad”, but this time it was hosted by the local government of my hometown Hingyon, the very first Gotad ad Hingyon.  I guess those years where start of a time when municipal and even barangay fiestas in Ifugao were named after this big feast and other old feasts associated to it such as the Uyya-uy and Holyat; then here is the grand Gotad ad Ifugao which is the provincial fiesta.  Thus, it can be said today that Gotad had shifted for good from the homes to local governments.

The shift probably has something to do with the religious and educational developments in the province (and in general, the country).  Those who evangelized the province into another faith has practically declared all Ifugao practices, including rituals associated to the Gotad as works of the Evil One.  Education, on the other hand, has introduced foreign culture slowly eating up indigenous cultures.  However, a people are like trees that have to involve its good roots in order to continue to thrive.  Gotad and other native practices certainly have something good about them that they endured time.  Thanks to local government units for adopting these waned practices in the present culture - fusing foreign and indigenous way of doing things.  It remains though that there is so much indigenous wisdom to explore and promote.

Gotad is often understood as a way by which the host introduces identity as ‘kadangyan’ (rich) or fortify status as such.  This definition highlights the egotistic purpose of the feast.  But a closer look would reveal a lot of altruistic wisdom that needs to be espoused.  Foremost is the spirit of sharing and the resulting fellowship/communion.  Gotad has been a way by which those who possess payo  (rice fields) and muyung (forest land) will share, at least food and drinks, with those who do not have.  The one hosting a Gotad is obliged to invite everyone, relatives (both near and far) and village mates, whether rich or poor.  People eat the same food and wine.  Also, neighbors of host couple are in a way obligated to brew wine from their own produce to have something to serve.  The guests to the gotad were not expected to stay solely at the house of the host but were anticipated to roam through homes in the neighborhood.  It was an occasion to visit their kin.

Another is the spirit of hope.  According to an elder who witnessed how it was done in earlier times, there was always time for guests to pronounce "wagah" (blessings) on the host family or couple. The message usually were on for the work of the hands to be fruitful - the backyard poultry, swine and cattle to be plentiful, and the field produce to be high yielding - and for the present and next generation to be prosperous. (This pronouncement of blessing is sometimes also referred to as gopah although my source said that gopah more appropriately refers to such recitations in dallung and honga).   It can be said that the same spirit of sharing and hope are seen in the present version of the grand Gotad as people from all the municipalities come together in the capital town.