Rice is the most vital food commodity in the Philippines, so it’s not strange for many ethnic groups of the islands to have numerous distinct deities associated with the crop, its growth, harvest, & its products. Tonight, I’ll list down some of these deities through A THREAD:

Disclaimer: Each ethnic group has their own distinct deity or deities associated w/ rice. Due to sheer diversity, I will not be able to list down all of them, but I'll try my best in creating a thread that represents popular & less known ethnic-distinct deities. Here goes.

Pilay is the Isnag’s spirit of the rice, residing on the shelf of each hearth. Through the Pisi ritual, the deity aids in the prevention of children’s hunger. Another spirit is Alipugpig, who embodies little whirlwinds from burned fields. The deity portends good harvests.

Other rice-associated Isnag deities include a vast array of helpful harvest spirits such as Abad, Aglalannawan, Anat, Binusilan, Dawiliyan. Dekat, Dumingiw, Imbanon, Gimbanonan, Sibo, & a group of sky dwellers collectively called the Ilanit.

The Itneg’s second-in-command deity Kadaklan, is said to be the origin of crop harvesting. There is also the Kalinga’s supreme deity, Kabunyan, who makes the soil suitable for good crops.

The Ifugao has a variety of rice deities, majority reside within the Bulul (Bulol), a pair of sacred statues that guards the granary. One notable pair of deities who reside in Bululs is Nabulul & Bugan, who guard the rice and make the rice harvest plentiful.

The Ifugao deity who governs rice transplanting is the sky god Ampual, who bestowed animals & plants on people, while the god of good harvest is Wigan.

There are also eleven Ifugao deities importuned to stamp out rice pests, two of which are the stamper of worms, Bumingi, & the drier of rice leaves, Lumadab. Another rice deity is the paraplegic god of good fortune, Namtogan, who can make harvests & livestock bountiful.

The supreme deity of the Ibaloi, called Kabunian (also used as a general term for a variety of deities), is said to be the origin of rice, as he was the one who gave the first grain to mankind through the mortal Labangan.

Another Ibaloi deity is Matono, who was initially a mortal woman who adventured into the underworld, solving the poor crop problems of humans in the process. The Ibaloi pray to her during Kosdey, to not permit the rice, camotes, and other things to grow down into the underworld.

There is also a story where 2 kind blind beggars in hunger, driven away by their awful neighbors, were fed by 2 women, one old. The 2 women turned out to be divine rock spirits, who gave the beggars a sack of rice & a gushing water bottle, which the beggars used to help humanity.

Among the Kalanguya people, Kabunyan (also called Agmattebew) is the supreme deity honored during the planting & harvesting of rice & other crops through the Mabaki ritual. The Ilocano also has a god of harvest named Anianihan, who eloped with the goddess of healing Cabuyaran.

The Sambal people have many deities in charge of the rice. These include the god of good harvest, Dumangan, the god of early rice stalk ripening, Kalasakas, the god of turning grains yellow & dry, Kalasokus, & the god of protecting fruiting rice from the elements, Damulag/Damolag

Among the Kapampangan, the war & death god Aring Sinukuan is said to be the one who taught rice culture to humans, while the bright star deity Tala taught them wet-rice culture.

Tagalog deities associated with the rice include Idianale, the goddess of rice fields & labor, Dumangan, the god of good harvest, Lakapati, the hermaphrodite deity of field waters, fertitility, & sown fields, and Ikapati, the goddess of cultivated land & fertility.

Other Tagalog agricultural deities include Lakan-bakod, the god of rice, crops, & fruits, Ginuong Dalaga, the goddess of crops, Kampungan, the god of harvest & sown fields, & Tag-ani, the god of harvest.

The Hanunoo Mangyan are known to appease the Kalay Paray, spirits of rice, to ensure a bountiful harvest. These spirits are protected by the goddess Binayi, while the origin of rice is said to be the two wings of a chicken, who was cared by the mortal Palyos since he was a child.

The Bisaya goddess Sappia, highly associated with the island of Bohol, is said to be the origin of white rice & red rice, where white came from her breast milk while red came from her breast blood. While Lalahon (also Laon) is the goddess of harvest associated with volcanoes.

The Hiligaynon & related peoples believe in their supreme deity & creator, Laon, the goddess who resides in Mount Kanlaon while governing the harvest & locusts. The Hiligaynon deity has also been referred as the god Lalaon.

The neighboring Capizon & Aklanon peoples believe in Bangutbanwa, an immortal mediator of the gods who ensured good harvests and an orderly universe.

Among the Pala’wan, the master of rice is called Ampu at Paray, while the god of good harvests & the earth is Sedumunadoc. The Batak of Palawan also has a master of rice named Baybay. She originated from the edge of the universe called Gunay Gunay.

While the Tagbanwa believe that rice was received by humans from a group of deities called Diwata, who also gave mankind rice-wine, which can be used to call the deities & ancestral spirits.

The Higaonon people believe in Limokan, a divine pigeon who when cooed at, ensures a bountiful harvest, as well as Ibabasok, the good spirit of the harvest. In contrast, the Mabobo believe in the rice goddess Kakiadan & harvest goddess Taphagan guards rice in the granary.

For the Bagobo, good harvests are controlled by their supreme deity & creator, Pamulak Manobo. Rice ceremonies are held for the deity Tarabumo, while their god of crops is Taragomi.

The Maranao believe in the Tonong (divine spirits) of Lake Lanao, who can only be invoked during the kashawing rice ritual & related events, while the Maguindanao believe in the Tunung (divine spirits) who can protect crops from pests.

The Teduray’s guardians of the classes of natural phenomena, collectively called the Segoyang, are extremely diverse; some of which preside over the rice. Lastly, the Sama-Bajau believe in the Umboh Payi (or Umboh Gandum), the sacred spirits of the first rice harvest.

In conclusion, rice, in the traditional worldviews of our people, is not just a basic commodity that can sustain life. The important grain & practices associated with it are also significant cultural bearers of multiple belief systems attributed within a variety of ethnic groups.

The grain is given honor in our indigenous knowledge, not just because it is celebrated as food, but also because it is believed to have come from the actions of the divine (and, sometimes, humans), while sustaining various respectful nature-centric cultures.