Ibanag indigenous religious beliefs: a study in culture and education / Marino Gatan.

But Ibanag children are not left alone to themselves. The father
always supervises or guides the child in his endeavors. When the child
goes wrong, he is scolded (maporayan or mevuya). In other words his
training continues. He is taught to greet the elders by taking their right
hand to his forehead as a sign of respect. When a child becomes
disrespectful or commits a grievous mistake, the father imposes corporal
punishments. It is believed that punishment is a good teacher, a good
medium in insuring discipline. It is further believed that the earlier the
child is corrected, the better for the parents. Ariadda noka mangulolapa
- they will not be disrespectful later. The disciplining of the child is not
limited to the home. It is easy for the parents to find out about the
behavior of their children. In the barrio, the karaga or relatives are
found all over the place and if they cannot call the attention (mevuya) of
these children, they usually report (medanug) 1 such behavior to the
parents. Training the child is not the affair of the pattataman alone; it
becomes in practice the responsibility of the community. In Casibarag,
the kaddubba (neighbors) take this duty seriously. With this the
Casibarag children are careful not to fool around, because as some
children say, "Kappasiran (It is shameful). And here it is more than just
the hiya of the Tagalogs. This Kappasiran is based more on the respect
they owe their papakiaman (uncles) and pappakienan (aunts)
as extension of their parents. In other words, kinsmen in Casibarag have
a significant role to play in the training and disciplining of the Ibanags in
the area. The motivations could be summed up in what an old woman
told us, "Pare nakuan tu mapia noka y pabbalingad da (We hope that
they (children) will later amount to something)." This is more than just a
woman's wish. It is the goal of the Ibanag way-bf discipline - mapia y
pabbalingad da - that the children will become good, will become assets,
will amount to something.
Formal Education
When an Ibanag becomes seven years old, the prescribed age for schooling, formal education starts for him. A month before he enters school
for the first time, he is made to undergo a ritual called mededeko. Deko
means cake from glutinous rice. Mededeko is believed to make the child
a bright, and unusually alert pupil. The mangidedeko (the performer of
the ritual) is an acknowledged sage in the community of Casibarag. The
mangidedeko prepares a batiyya (wooden basin) half-filled with danum
(water). The child sits on a stool in the batiyya and the mangidedeko
gives the allud (young child) a haircut. This is to signify a renewal, a
preparation. After the haircut, the batiyya, still with the child on
11 Mevuya - to call the attention and medanug - to report are two instruments used by the
community for social control. They seem to be effective specially when used with children.

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