#141 Hipongor, Himbotok, & Himvoto

Hipongor, Himbotok, & Himvoto... what do all these strange words mean?

On the road once again, from Hungduan to Banaue in the province of Ifugao, we passed a farmer balancing bunches of newly harvested rice on a bamboo pole. He was obviously stunned by the sudden attention of six cameras, but ultimately grateful that he was able to sell a couple of bunches that lightened his load.

The small towns around Hungduan and Banaue aren't that far from each other. Many are only a day or two by foot. Yet their language has evolved quite a bit for a people living so close. A bunch or bundle of rice is called either a hipongor, a himbotok, or a himvoto, depending on which town you lived. Similarly sounding but clearly different. Isn't it amazing how the evolution of language, and likely culture, can take place even among such nearby communities? Enjoy. 

(Pixel-peepers: A narrow depth-of-field helps isolate a subject from its background. Here I wanted to highlight the farmer's hand more than the bunches of rice he had been carrying, so I used a relatively narrow opening, possibly f/4.)

Where in the world is Hungduan in Ifugao?

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