Two standing rice deities "bulul" ·  Philippines - Ifugao · ID: 3036561

Description

wood, matt black patina, encrusted in some areas, male/female, with striking flat chin, traces of insect caused damage (female figure), cracks, minor missing parts (hands, feet);
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.