Revenge done in retaliation for murder is justified in Ifugao law. This paper examines how a family crisis escalates into a community concern leading to participation of the collective in a revenge ritual called himong. Memory formation is vital in the performance of the ritual, and the underlying symbolisms in its performance are interpreted in the context of five major figures of memory that act as stimulants of memory-making. Here, the revenge ritual is performed to move the psyche of the “avengers” to anger and empower them to seek out the offender to be able to regain dignity for the family of the victim and reclaim honor for the dead. Revenge takes the form of emotion that transfers the act of revenge from the hands of man to the hands of the gods. In this ritual, various figures of memory function as mnemonic phenomena that enable participants to remember their obligations as members of the community in instances that call for revenge, and spiritual beings to exact vengeance on the perpetrator of the crime. Despite changes in customary practice brought about by factors such as Christianization and other colonial influences on traditional political systems, himong continues to function for the consolidation of the community and the maintenance of Ifugao identity in the contemporary world.

Keywords: collective memory, gures of memory, himong, revenge ritual, Ifugao, rhythmic entrainment