Sagada history kept in a basket

WHAT? I don't get this article. My family has been a part of the Sagada community and we don't own a "takba". Takba, transfiguration of Christ, and ancestors? I'm sorry but something seemed real lost in the translation here. It had a good title though, but having read the whole thing, it left me shaking my head.

"Sagada history kept in a basket

By Roland Rabang
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:25:00 04/01/2008

SAGADA, Mt. Province – Textbooks say a lot about traditions being passed on to the succeeding generation by word of mouth, but to assume that indigenous peoples have no means to record their customs other than committing these to memory may lend the process a rather simplistic view.

In Sagada, Mt. Province, where customs and traditions are steeped in symbolism and metaphor, one may find a semblance of recorded history in an unlikely object: A basket.

The takba (ritual basket), kept at the heart of every household that firmly believes in indigenous tradition, bears the life stories of local families for generations. More importantly, owning a takba affirms one’s membership in the community. ..."

Whole article can be read at INQUIRER Region's Section.