The Philippines indeed has a lot of beautiful secrets to show to everyone. She has a lot of beautiful people, places, food, and history. But even to us, the Filipinos, we still don’t know everything there is to know about our land; just like this cave on Mount Pulag that holds a hair-raising secret from the past.
The third highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Pulag is a highland found in Benguet. Apparently, back in the 19th century, loggers were able to find the cave that housed a few rectangular boxes that kept the remains of mummies from centuries ago.
According to Boredom Therapy, these mummies are known as Fire Mummies or Ibaloi Mummies for the tribe that created them.
When a person is close to dying, he or she starts the mummification process by drinking a very salty concoction. Then when the person finally dies, their body would be washed and then placed on top a flame to dry them out.
Some tribe members even blow tobacco smoke into the mouth of the diseased, believing it would dry out the insides more quickly. The entire procedure lasts for a couple of weeks before the body is fully mummified. Once the goal is achieved, the mummy will then be placed into a fetus position and then will be entombed in a box. Sometimes, whole families are buried together in a box but other times, people were buried individually.
The tribe of Ibaloi stopped this practice sometime in the 1500s after Christian explorers arrived from Spain, keeping the cave and its contents secret and untouched for centuries.
Conclusively, our government named the cave and it’s filling a National Cultural Treasure and additionally, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or more known as UNESCO eventually considered the caves a World Heritage site.
Have you seen a real-life mummy before? What can you say about this hair-raising secret cave from our country, the Philippines? Tell us your thoughts and reactions in the comments section below!
Source: Boredomtherapy Hottestonlinetrends
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