Cañao or kanyao is simply a "festival" or ceremony or liturgy, or service or rite/ritual, of offering. It is a generic term. "Witchcraft" would be too limited or off the mark to describe it. A "kanyao" may be performed for thanksgiving for the health of the community, there could kanyao(petitionary/intercessory) for a bountiful harvest; a family kanyao may be performed for healing such as a very simple ritual of "sedey" with the use of water and prayer; a "grand kanyao" such as those performed in Baguio and Manila in the past have the focus of entertainment, cultural shows and festivities.
Widespread in the Cordilleras would be the term "menkanyao" lit. "to perform kanyao" or ritual. I know some rituals for witchcraft and had attended several of those rituals and never is the word kanyao ever used as alternate name for any of these.
The main ethnic tribes, Ibaloi and Kankana-ey, are not far apart in their system, except that they are dissimilar in linguistics. Their belief system are common to both with little deviation in methods of performance but do not change the intent and purposes. |
