Sense of smell: The strategies of accommodation and appropriation among the Sambal ayta of Botolan Zambales

This study explores the concept of scent among the Sambal Ayta, one of the ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. Using ethnographic anthropological research methods, this study interviewed 100 cultural consultants to determine the concept of scent among the Sambal Ayta and its influence to their lifestyle. This study found that scent is considered as a social intermediary of the body, a presentation of self, and a tool for communication. The findings are relevant to the conduct of studies on survival, adaptation, and accommodation and its transformation towards a more evocative, reflexive, and ethnographic writing on senses, particularly on scent.