UCLA

Trade and interaction are linked to the development of social ranking among premodern societies, indications for which are seen in mortuary practices, particularly with the existence of exotic burial goods. Excavations in the Old Kiyyangan Village (OKV) in the northern Philippine highlands present new information on the relationship between the introduction of imported goods, the most prevalent of which are beads, and increasing social differentiation. I investigate the relationship between both the quality and quantity of the burial beads and the juvenile individuals they were buried with. The varied amounts per grave could indicate an expression of social ranking in Ifugao society as supported by morphological analysis, preliminary XRF analysis, and ethnographic studies of Ifugao heirlooms. Additionally, the presence of Chinese-style glass beads in a Philippine site suggests a network of trade between Ifugao and other Philippine or Asian polities.