Karao

Karao tribe lives in the municipality of Bokod, Benguet. The ancestors of the Karaos are the Panuy-puys (puypuys), who migrated from Palileng, Bontoc to Diyang in Nueve Viscaya, and finally settled in Karao in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

The Karaos observe the following social institutions: the family, the abo-nan (a community center), the amang (a sleeping quarter for boys, girls and newlyweds), the cheng ngeg Ni baley (foundation House), and the Chelos (rituals). Their pagan god is Kabunian. The Chelos focus on courtship, marriage, divorce, pregnancy, birth, death and burial, harvest, and thanksgiving.

The Karaos are predominantly farmers. Their main season crops are the kintoman (one kind of rice) and the talon. They also produce vegetables and fruits, raise poultry, swine and cattle, and gather oleoresin from the Benguet pine tree.

Their distinctive artistic performances are iton-dak and tenebteb-ak music and the tay-chek dance. Their moral values can be reflected in the badiw/adebay/bangil.