dap-ay

File:Dap-ay (Banaue, Ifugao).jpg, Ifugao Province]]

A dap-ay ({{IPA|kne|dʌp̚ˈʔai̯|link=yes}}), ato, or ator (Bontoc) is a paved raised ceremonial platform ringed with stone seats and with a central fireplace among the Cordilleran cultures in the northern Philippines. It primarily serves as a venue for meetings and public forums between the council of elders. It is the social, religious, and political center of a certain group of families within a village. The term itself is also used to refer to the indigenous process of decision-making by the elders, or to the council of elders themselves. Dap-ay also usually contain traditional dormitories for young boys in the village.{{cite news |last1=Geminiano |first1=Pamela Mariz |title=Experience Igorot life in Camp John Hay |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066005 |access-date=January 30, 2022 |work=Philippine News Agency |date=March 29, 2019}}

Among the Ilocano people, a dap-ayan or dap-ay refers to a similar gathering place used for discussions by village leaders.

Function

File:Bontoc Museum (47967720503).jpg showing the attached dormitory and a standing bulul figure]]

=Political=

The primary function of the dap-ay is as the meeting place for the council of elders. The council serves as the governing body of the community, with the authority to settle disputes or conflicts internally or with another village, pass judgement and punishments, issue laws, coordinate rituals and farming activities, and make decisions that affect the community as a whole.{{cite book |title=The Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines' 2007 Ed. |date=2007 |publisher=Rex Bookstore |isbn=9789712346705 |pages=1–2}}

The council of elders is informally elected and unpaid, with members chosen by age and experience. However, each adult male member of a community can participate in the council deliberations if they choose to.{{cite book |last1=Coward |first1=E. Walter Jr. |title=Irrigation and agricultural development in Asia; perspectives from the social sciences |date=1980 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0801498716 |pages=173–175}}

The number of dap-ay in a village depends on its population and age. Each village usually has several. The number of families that a dap-ay includes can range from as little as 6 to as many as 60. Membership in a dap-ay is voluntary. Newly married couples will usually join the dap-ay of their parents.

The dap-ay in a given village usually take turns each year performing specialized functions for the village as a whole, which can range from religious sacrifices to planting fields, repairing irrigation ditches and paddy field walls, or maintaining trails. Members of the dap-ay are expected to equally share the expenses and labor requirements of these activities.{{cite book |editor1-last=Yasukawa |editor1-first=Keiko |editor2-last=Rogers |editor2-first=Alan |editor3-last=Jackson |editor3-first=Kara |editor4-last=Street |editor4-first=Brian V. |last1=Alangui |first1=Wilfredo Vidal |chapter=Building stone walls: a case study from the Philippines |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |title=Numeracy as Social Practice: Global and Local Perspectives |isbn=9781351979177}}{{cite book |last1=Battad |first1=Teodora T. |title=Various Religious Beliefs and Practices in the Philippines, Volume 1 |date=2008 |publisher=Rex Bookstore, Inc. |isbn=9789712350757 |pages=116–117}}

Dap-ay is also utilized by its members for arranging a mutual exchange of labor (called dang-as), for work that can not be done alone (like repairing the dikes in their rice terraces). The member requesting the service will usually offer an animal sacrifice (like a certain number of chickens) in exchange, which are used in the preparation rituals and eaten by the participants afterwards. Once arranged through the elders, all of the adult members of the dap-ay will devote one or two days in completing the task.{{cite book |editor1-last=Kudo |editor1-first=Shogo |editor2-last=Kapfudzaruwa |editor2-first=Farai |title=Tackling Sustainable Development in Africa and Asia: Perspectives from Next Generation Researchers |date=2018 |publisher=Spears Media Press |isbn=978-1942876304 |pages=33–35}}

=Religious=

Various rituals are held in the dap-ay. The most notable being the Begnas (rice thanksgiving rituals of the Kankanaey).{{cite book |last1=Santiago |first1=Patricia Maria |editor1-last=Carson |editor1-first=Susan |editor2-last=Pennings |editor2-first=Mark |title=Performing Cultural Tourism: Communities, Tourists and Creative Practices |date=2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |chapter=Saving Sagada |isbn=9781351703901 |pages=34–35}}

=War=

The severed heads of defeated warriors from other communities are usually mounted on poles ({{lang|xnn|padao}} in Kankanaey) in the dap-ay.{{cite news |last1=Dizon |first1=Gina P. |title=Sagada 'dap-ay' turns viral as 'begnas' held |url=http://northphiltimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/sagada-dap-ay-turns-viral-as-begnas-held.html |access-date=January 30, 2022 |work=Northern Philippine Times |date=August 6, 2020}}

=Dormitories=

The dap-ay also includes attached huts ({{lang|xnn|abong}} in Kankanaey) which are used as dormitories for unmarried boys and old men. These buildings were also utilized as a place for storing weapons, a barracks for training warriors, and a school for teaching the laws, histories, and traditions of the village.{{cite journal |last1=Eggan |first1=Fred |last2=Scott |first2=William Henry |title=Ritual Life of the Igorots of Sagada: From Birth to Adolescence |journal=Ethnology |date=January 1963 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=40–54 |doi=10.2307/3772967 |jstor=3772967 }}{{cite journal |last1=Scott |first1=William Henry |title=Cordillera Architecture of Northern Luzon |journal=Folklore Studies |date=1962 |volume=21 |pages=186–220 |doi=10.2307/1177351|jstor=1177351 }}

The equivalent communal dormitory for unmarried girls is known as the ebgan (Kankanaey) or olog (Bontoc). Unlike the dap-ay, the ebgan did not host rituals or meetings, but served as a place for girls to learn various skills. It also served as the place for courtship.{{cite book |last1=Anacio |first1=Danesto B. |editor1-last=Servaes |editor1-first=Jan |title=Sustainable Development Goals in the Asian Context |date=2017 |publisher=Springer |chapter=Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Perspective: Lessons from the American Episcopal Missions in Sagada, Northern Philippines |isbn=978-981-10-2815-1 |pages=69–83}}

Children were expected to sleep in these dormitories as soon as they stopped requiring parental support for feeding, locomotion, or bodily functions (usually at the age of seven or eight, ten in modern times). It is also during this transition that children begin wearing clothing (the bahag and alampay) for modesty. They still return to their parents' house to eat and assist with the chores during daytime.{{cite news |title=Allan: Olog and Dap-ay |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/103099/allan-olog-and-dap-ay- |access-date=January 30, 2022 |work=SunStar |date=October 9, 2016}}

=Social=

During daytime (usually in the early mornings and in the evenings), dap-ay (and ebgan) also functioned as village centers where adult members of the community can interact with each other or do communal activities. This is also the period where the children of the communal dormitories learn about village law and morality via interaction with their elders.

Other traditions

Among the Ilocano people, a "dap-ay" or "dap-ayan" refers to a similar gathering place used for discussions by village leaders. Unlike the Cordilleran dap-ay, however, a dap-ayan is a simple roofed structure. In modern times, dap-ayan are commonly used as a community center for storing produce, as well as showcasing the products of a community.{{cite web |title=Dap-ayan |url=http://museoilocosnorte.com/the-museum/collection/dap-ayan/ |website=Museo Ilocos Norte |date=December 8, 2008 |access-date=January 31, 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Adriano |first1=Leilanie |title=Farmers build 'dap-ayan' to promote local products |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1139027 |access-date=January 31, 2022 |work=Philippine News Agency |date=May 4, 2021}}