It meant being closer to heaven in death, some believed. The Igorots tribe knew the bodies would decompose quicker in the ground, so they buried them high on the cliffs. Some thought animals would eat the corpses if they were buried in the ground. And, during the headhunting era, it was feared the corpses in the ground would have been too easy for the headhunters to get to, but the cliffs would keep the dead safe. These are the possible reasons the coffins are hanging suspended from the cliffs in Sagada, Philippines!

We drove through small villages and stopped in a couple to take photos and walk around . One funny thing I saw was a restroom, (called "comfort room" in the Philippines). In addition to saying "Men" and "Women", the doors had "He" and "She" written beside them.

The hilly little town of Sagada was great to walk around and into the countryside. Besides the English spoken in the Philippines, they speak "Tagalong" as their primary language. The Filipinos use this when talking among themselves mostly. Maybe if I get to return I will try to learn some of this Tagalong language!

The hanging coffins are what drew me to this great little town in the mountains, but the trip from Banaue was very interesting as well. I took photos of the trip along the way as I rode in the Van.

The Igorots are an indigenous tribe in Sagada. They either nailed or tied coffins to the side of cliffs to bury their dead. 

Some believe the practice is over 2,000 years old . Not everyone is qualified to be buried in a hanging coffin. One of the stipulations is that a person had to be married and have grandchildren. It also takes a lot of money to be buried hanging from a cliff!

The coffin was carved by the elderly person before they died. Or, if they were too ill or weak it would be carved by the son or daughter or other relative. The body would be placed in the coffin in the fetal position. They believed the person should leave the world in the same position as they were born into it.

During the funeral procession the mourners would attempt to grab the body and carry the corpse. They believed by getting the blood of the deceased on themselves, they would acquire the skills of the deceased. Once the cliff was reached the body would be placed in the coffin which would then be nailed or tied to the side of the cliff.

There are many places around Sagada to see the hanging coffins . You can even see some from your vehicle as you drive around the mountain. But, I want to see some that are down in the valley, a short hike from town.
 
I got a map from the hotel in Sagada and started hiking to find the hanging coffins. I went past a church and up a dirt road and then into and through a cemetery. There were no signs pointing to where the hanging coffins might be and my map didn't show anything past the cemetery.

I walked along the hillside along small trails and over large rocks. The trail would split off and head either down or up the mountain, into the trees and bushes that covered the mountain.

I had been hiking and searching for some time when I saw another hiker, another foreigner. He was coming from the direction I was going in. He had a map and seemed to be trying different trails, and going back and forth, the same as I had been doing. 

I asked him if he had found the hanging coffins in the direction he was coming from . He said no but he could see some in the distance, hanging from the cliffs, but couldn't find his way through the forest to get to them.

We talked and discussed our options of finding the coffins. We decided to take a trail leading down into the valley. The first trail we tried started turning in the wrong direction. We retraced our steps and tried a different trail and it seemed to be going in the direction he had spotted the hanging coffins. The trees and bushes were too dense to see the mountains, but the direction seemed right!

Eventually we found the mountain cliff with the coffins hanging from it's side. 

The coffins were both large for adults and small for babies or small children. Some were very old looking and others were newer. I stood there wondering about the people that were buried in them. How did they hang the coffins on the cliffs? 

It was a surreal scene . It was a strange feeling. We were tourists looking at the coffins that contained the bodies of somebody's loved ones and taking photos. But, we didn't want to be disrespectful of their tradition. We talked in low voices as we discussed the coffins hanging high above us, because it just seemed the right thing to do.

TRUE STORY (but missing a few details)!
My Canadian friend told me a story about his travels as we were looking up and taking photos of the coffins and discussing the reasons behind burying this way.

I missed some of the details because he was talking as I was taking photos and concentrating on the different coffins, but I got enough to tell you the main jest of the story.

He was in another place, maybe China, I am not sure where he said. They also bury hanging this way. He said he met a local young man that he became friends with.

Once a year, I missed whether he said it was on a certain day of the year or on the anniversary of the deceased death .

But, the important part is that my Canadian friend was there on the day it happened. He said his local friend went to his grandmothers coffin. (I don't know if it was hanging so he could get to it or how they did it), but he took the body out of the coffin and carried it back to his house.

Once a year, a loved one takes the body out and put new clothes on it. They believe this helps them have a better time in the afterlife if they are well dressed.

I said the body must only be bones. But, my friend said he was standing on the side of the road as his local friend carried the body past him. 

I commented that the grandmother must just have been bones by now. But, he said there was more left on the body than you would think. 

He said it was a very strange thing to see his friend carrying this body in his arms. But he said, with a softened voice that sounded as if he was reliving the moment, "He loved his grandmother!"
 
NEXT: I have ridden in and on a lot of different things in my travels, but this next one is   "One Exhilarating Ride!"