s.|261x261px Like other Cordillera ethnic groups, the Kalinga also follow numerous of customs and traditions. For example, pregnant women and their husbands are not allowed to eat
beef, cow's milk, and dog meat. They must also avoid streams and waterfalls as these cause harm to unborn children. Other notable traditions are the
ngilin (avoiding the evil water spirit) and the
kontad or
kontid (ritual performed to the child to avoid harms in the future). Betrothals are also common, even as early as birth, but one may break this engagement if he/she is not in favour of it. Upon death, sacrifices are also made in honour of the spirit of the dead and
kolias is celebrated after one year of mourning period. Common Kalinga tattoo motifs include centipedes (), centipede legs (), snakes (), snakeskin (), hexagonal shapes representing snake belly scales (), coiled snakes (), rain (), various fern designs (, , and ), fruits (), parallel lines (), alternating lines (), hourglass shapes representing day and night (), rice mortars (), pig's hind legs (), rice bundles ( or ), criss-crossing designs (), ladders (), eagles (), frogs (), and axe blades (). The same designs are used to decorate textiles, pottery, and tools. Each design has different symbolic meanings or magical/talismanic abilities. The , for example, is believed to camouflage warriors and protect them from attacks. Ferns indicates that a woman is ready to conceive, enhances their health, and protects against stillbirth. The hourglass and rice mortar designs indicate that a family is wealthy. Rice bundles symbolize abundance.
Architecture Kalinga houses (
furoy,
buloy,
fuloy,
phoyoy,
biloy)are either octagonal for the wealthy, or square, and are elevated on posts (a few as high as 20–30 feet), with a single room. Other building include granaries (
alang) and field sheds (
sigay).
Weapons and tools They use the uniquely shaped Kalinga head ax (
sinawit), bolo (
gaman/
badang), spears (
balbog/
tubay/
say-ang), and shields (
kalasag). They also carry a rattan backpack (
pasiking) and betel nut bag (
buyo). == Indigenous beliefs ==