Hudhud

Hudhud is a tradition of narrative songs from the Ifugao region of the northern Philippine island of Luzón . Ifugao is known for its terraced rice fields in the mountains. This tradition is practiced during rice planting, as well as in funerals and funeral rituals. The hudhud probably dates from before the seventh century and consists of over 200 stories of 40 episodes each. The full recitation lasts several days.
Cultural importance.
As Ifugao has a matrilineal culture, it is usually the wife who leads in these stories, and her brother occupies a higher position than her husband. Thus, the hudhud has value as an anthropological document. The language of stories, rich in figurative expressions and repetitions, uses metonymies, metaphors and onomatopoeias, which makes transcription very difficult. There are very few written documents of this tradition. The stories evoke ancient heroes, religious beliefs, traditional practices, and reflect the importance of rice cultivation. The narrators, especially the older women, occupy important positions in the community, as priestesses and as holders of history. The hudhud epics are alternately sung by the first reciter and the choir.
Attempts to keep Hudhud alive.
Ifugao's conversion to Catholicism weakened his traditional culture. The hudhud has been associated with manual rice harvesting, and this task is now mechanized.The terraced rice fields are inscribed on the World Heritage List under the name " Terraced Rice Fields of the Philippine Ranges ", the number of farmers is constantly falling. The last reciters are already very old and need support in their efforts to transmit their knowledge and sensitize young people. But with support from organizations including the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the hudhud is increasingly being appreciated by the younger Ifugaos today.
In 2008 UNESCO integrated the "Hudhud, sung accounts of the Ifugao" into the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
To encourage the involvement of the community and to ensure the continuous practice of the hudhud in its social-cultural context, the Hudhud Perpetual Award was created and launched in 2006. The annual award encourages the chanting of the stories during harvests, wakes, and bone washing (bogwa) occasions in the participating municipalities.