.svg)  Kabayan Mummies Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines | |
| Alternative name | Benguet Mummy Caves, Ibaloi Mummy Caves |
|---|---|
| Location | Kabayan, Benguet, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 16°33′N120°45′E / 16.550°N 120.750°E /16.550; 120.750 |
| Type | Burial cave |
| Management | National Museum of the Philippines |
TheFire Mummies, also known as the Kabayan Mummies, Benguet Mummies, orIbaloi Mummies, are a group ofmummies found along the mountain slopes ofKabayan, Benguet, a town in the northern Philippines. They were made from as early as 2000 BCE. Today, they remain in natural caves as well as in a museum in Kabayan.
Some scientists believe that the Fire Mummies were created by theIbaloi people between 1200 and 1500 CE in five towns inBenguet, and buried in caves. Others believe that they date back to as far as 2000 BCE.[1] What makes the Fire Mummies unique is theirmummification process, which would begin shortly before a person died and consisted of ingesting a very salty drink. After death, the corpse was washed and set over a fire in a seated position, drying the fluids; smoke fromtobacco was blown into the mouth to dry the body's internal organs. Eventually, herbs were rubbed into the body.[2] Mummified bodies were then placed in a coffin made ofpine wood and laid to rest in rock shelters, natural caves, or artificial burial niches.[3][1]
When the Fire Mummies were uncovered by Westerners in the early 20th century, (they had been known to local communities for hundreds of years), many of them werestolen, as the caves were mostly unprotected. They were listed in the1998 World Monuments Watch by theWorld Monuments Fund and declared one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world.[4] Funding fromAmerican Express was used for emergency conservation and the creation of a comprehensive management plan.[5]
The mummies remain in natural caves with relatively minor security. Officials claim to be aware of another 50–80 artifacts, whose locations they have chosen to keep secret. A small museum inKabayan also displays a few mummies.[2]
In May 2024, theNational Museum of the Philippines announced a PHP25 million rehabilitation of National Museum-Kabayan's Site 1, home to several female mummies. The site houses ageological collection andartifacts on local death rites and rituals, mummies, plants used in the mummification process, and Kabayan-Ibaloi items. The museum also conserves and protects the Timbac burial caves and the mummy rocks, including the "Apo Anno" mummy, a revered ancestor, inBuguias, Benguet.[6][7]
The Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves are listed as National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum of the Philippines, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 260, signed by PresidentFerdinand Marcos in August 1973.[8] They are also under consideration as aUNESCO World Heritage Site.[3]
| Cultural |
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| Natural | ||
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