RESEARCH DATA:

The pu'namhan is a wooden ceremonial box used by the Ifugao people in rituals, including healing and thanksgiving rites. It contains various items such as bits of unpeeled rice, chopped runo (Miscanthus chinensis) stalks, momma (Areca catechu, a betel nut palm), a stone amulet, a small flat iron resembling a fragment of a blade used for travel, and possibly a dried portion of the momma plant.

Relics from rituals in which this object was used are often kept inside the box. After each ritual performance, the accessories used are placed back into the box. In some healing rituals, runo stalks are used. Additionally, in certain Ifugao villages, runo remnants in ritual boxes may serve to record the number of pigs needed as payment for the rice fields associated with the ceremonial box.

REFERENCES:

Kohnen N. and Kohnen P. 1986. Igorot. Traditional Ways of Life and Healing Among Philippine Mountain Tribes. Translated by L. Nieroba and D. Winkler, 1st ed, Systemdruck Köln, Köln. Gmb II West Germany.