I took a long breather from that exhilarating tour I had in Sumaguing Cave at the Sagada Cave Man where I bought some drinks. I actually got tired from walking back up. The challenges Ian gave me were pretty much okay and since it was quite cool inside I didn’t really sweat that much. Now, the climb back up to the main road was much more tiring, which is why I needed to take a break.
Ian seemed like he didn’t break a sweat, he probably climbs these steps everyday, something like this probably is insignificant to him. He kept asking me if I was okay and whether we can continue to the next cave. Finally, I was ready and we walked back to town. Along the way, was an unmarked opening to an inconspicuous path. Apparently this was the way to the Lumiang Cave.
It was really interested how the locals didn’t bother to mark these important sites. This is most probably to avoid outsiders from stumbling into the cave unaccompanied and desecrating the site. Another reason is to increase the demand for guides, if tourists do not know where the places are, then they will probably need guides.
The trail down the mountainside was quite steep and sometimes we needed to pass through thick layer of vegetation. If I would stumble into this path I probably would have given up here and went back. It seems that the cave has some natural protection. Along the way, I was admiring the karst scenery across the valley.
Just like the entrance to Sumaguing Cave, the entrance to Lumiang Cave was quite some distance down into the valley. Finally, Ian stopped by the entrance and told me the nature of the caves. The most significant feature of these caves is man-made. There are hundreds of wooden coffins here where the ancestors of the people of Sagada lie buried. Their ancestors are Animists believing in the existences of spirits everywhere including plants and animals. This practice of Animism has waned when the people of Sagada were converted to Christianity. However, only a handful remain from the group who still believe in Animism and yes, they will be buried here when they die.
This is obviously a sacred place and only the privileged can be buried here. To get that privilege, 20 pigs and even more chicken are needed to be offered as sacrifice to the spirits. The idea is that the higher they are physically buried, the faster they will reach heaven. Upon closer inspection of the coffins, they are made from solid pieces of wood where the one to be buried carves it himself while still alive. The cover of the coffin is carved with a lizard like figure which is said to represent a guardian spirit for the dead. The coffins are traditionally sealed with wooden nails as a result some of them are falling apart. But now they use metal nails.
Shockingly, there was an open coffin when a human skull can be seem staring back. It was said that the spirit wanted to come out but can only manage this far. There were stacks and stacks of these coffins in the cave and frankly quite eerie. I notice that the usually talkative Ian was standing quietly far beyond the entrance and was not keen on getting closer. I also didn’t really like the idea of disturbing the dead like that so I took my shots quickly and left them in peace.
I’ve never seen so many coffins in my life before and would say that the experience has been quite sobering. Sagada is full of surprises and this is yet another one of them. I could probably have skipped this one but for people who want to see something different, this is definitely one of them. Just make sure that you respect the sacredness of the place when you visit.
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