Rice god "bulul" ·  Philippines - Ifugao · ID: 3037084

Description

wood, dark brown patina, male figure in characteristic seated posture, rising from a waisted wooden block, eyes with porcelain inlay, dam., missing parts (big hole underneath the chin, base, ears, head), breakage (both upper arms), traces of weathering (base), cracks, abrasion of paint;
the ritual sequence associated with the production of “bulul” images is long, elaborate, and requires considerable expenditure of resources. During activation ceremonies the “bulul” figures are bathed in the blood of a sacrificed pig, and at the conclusion of the ritual the figures are placed in the granary. They are associated with the production of bountiful harvests, capable of miraculously increasing the rice before and after it is stored in the granary. They are usually made in pairs, one male and one female. They are inherited by the first child of the family, along with associated rice fields.