Hagabi is a traditionally large ceremonial bench, usually carved from a single trunk of a tree.
In Ifugao, hagabi is carved for wealthy families as a symbol of wealth, power, and prestige. A set of lavish rituals and festivities is required before the long bench is installed at the owner’s residence. Hagabi is used as a resting place and an outdoor lounge area for guests.
According to Raymundo Baguilat in his short papers on Philippine Folklore and Life, not less than thirty-five carabaos and some forty-five pigs were slaughtered. Two hundred sacks of rice were also consumed during the celebration of the stone hagabi ritual.
Baguilat also mentioned that the rank Kadangyan (wealthy) is highly respected in Ifugao Society.
“They are generally deferred to, take precedence on public occasions, their opinions have great weight, and when they die, they are given extraordinary burials,” stated Baguilat in his paper.
The wealth of the Kadangyan is based on the ownership of real property, especially in the form of rice fields.
Frank Jenista in his paper, ‘White Apos’ also described the Stone Hagabi feast as “a tremendous event, complete with speeches, dancing, sporting events and even the collapse of a second-floor balcony crowded with excited Ifugaos watching the wrestling matches below."
The Tomlinson Stone Hagabi is located in front of the Cordillera Regional Museum, WWII Memorial Shrine, Kiangan, Ifugao. (JPM/FBR?PIA-CAR, Ifugao)