Monday, January 21, 2013

The Dap-ay of Sagada

 





One of the things that are very interesting to see in Sagada are the Dap-ays.  However, it seems that tourists, especially the locals are not attracted to them because, probably, they just look at them as simply as little houses that have no remarkable things to learn about.

Conversely, I cannot blame the tourists if their attention is not drawn into those small houses in the middle of the villages, unless they have a very inspective nature about things unusual in a place.  Furthermore, the guides may not be talking about those little houses because they are only interested to showcase the natural beauty of Sagada which are already known outside like, the Sumaguing cave, Lumiang cave, the hanging coffins, and other beautiful naturally made spots. 

What is the dap-ay and what are things tourists should know about it?

A dap-ay is a dwelling build especially for unmarried boys. Every village are supposed to have a dap-ay. However, most are found in Demang which have seven, there are five in Dagdag, one in Ambassing, and One in Patay. According to the people whom I asked, the nearest dap-ay to their home is the dap-ay where they belong.  Each dap-ay has its own "Bishop" or an old man being respected by the village.

The Dap-ay has two divisions.  One is the outside or front-yard where a fire burns and serves as light until everyone goes inside the house to sleep.  Then early in the morning the fire is again rekindled to keep the people warm.  The floor is made up of large flat stones put much closed to each other for a size of about 8-10 feet across.  Around it are stones put up in upright position serving as backrests.   The other part of the dap-ay is the little house that serves as a sleeping room.  Only the boys sleep in the dap-ay.  


 

The dap-ay plays a very important role in the people of Sagada’s lives.   One of the role played, especially in the old days, was it serves as a learning place for the growing boys of the village. The elders went there at night to exchange stories about current events, or experiences they had, and what they perceive about the future, or opinion about a present unrelenting issue. The youths listening from those stories gained wisdom from them.  It is from the dap-ay that they are molded to become real matured men – men who are responsible, who will be ready to face the challenges of life.
 In the dap-ay, little boys also started to learn the skills of doing masahe(massage), gisgisto(slightly digging the thumbnails on the skin of the head), dagdagay(scratching the bottom of the foot using the ends of a pair of  sticks) and other techniques of making the body relaxed, or treat a lingering pain like backpain, headaches, and fatigue from the days’ works.

The dap-ay also serves as a courthouse of the village.  When there are issues or problems in the village, the elders will meet at the dap-ay to talk about what to do in solving the problem. 

Are dap-ays found only in Sagada?

 Dap-ays are also found in other parts of the cordillera.  But these days, the looks are already different from the old architecture designs.  Before, the roof of the house was covered with cogon and the walls were made up of stones, while today the roof is made up of galvanized irons.

Figure 1.  The dap-ay of Demang, Sagada 






This is the modern look of dap-ays today. Its roof is made up of galvanized iron



 





It is a pity that as the economic level of the people upgraded; the boys are no longer going into the dap-ay to sleep at night.  They no longer hear stories about their past histories.  The youth of today are no longer knowledgeable about their roots, and do not know the traditional practices, and culture of their forefathers.   


Figure 2. The frontyard of the dap-ay 














To know more about the interesting stories of the dap-ay, I suggest that tourists should ask their guides to bring them to one of the dap-ays and have them tell them about the significance of this into the life and culture of the people.

Figure  3.  Inside look of the dap-ay                                                               





The inside indicates that the place is not being used very much today.  There is only one blanket, no signs of bonfire for a long time, and the place is filthy.







Figure 4.  Pikong dap-ay(front view)                                                                                                         


Figure 5. Pikong dap-ay(backview)                                                                                                                                                                                                                   













3 comments:

  1. It is the effect of modernization, westerrn education as well as cristian denominations that contributed to the non-appreciation of locals to these dap-ays. Commercialization of the economy, the computer age are also contributory factors for the degradation of the dap-ay. During our younger days where farming was the main activity f the people, the dap-ay was very important. It is where all activities of the ili were being held to name a few.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is the effect of modernization, westerrn education as well as cristian denominations that contributed to the non-appreciation of locals to these dap-ays. Commercialization of the economy, the computer age are also contributory factors for the degradation of the dap-ay. During our younger days where farming was the main activity f the people, the dap-ay was very important. It is where all activities of the ili were being held to name a few.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is the effect of modernization, westerrn education as well as cristian denominations that contributed to the non-appreciation of locals to these dap-ays. Commercialization of the economy, the computer age are also contributory factors for the degradation of the dap-ay. During our younger days where farming was the main activity f the people, the dap-ay was very important. It is where all activities of the ili were being held to name a few.

    ReplyDelete