II.

SIGNIFICANCE
A. Sociopolitical Relevance
For many centuries, the Igorots were able to defend their land and resources from outsiders.
However, like other indigenous groups in the country, they became a minority group. The indigenous
people (IP) are considered a minority group since they consist of only 5% of the population, while the
rest of the population are the majority group [ CITATION Bot17 \l 1033 ]. The relationship between the
minority and majority groups was made of prejudice. It led to discrimination towards the other group
and separation of each group from one another, both geographically and culturally.
Since the indigenous people in the country belongs to the minority group, laws were made in
order to protect their rights. For the Igorots, their land was an important aspect of their life for it gave
them livelihood and it connects them to their identity. In order to protect their land, the government
created the Republic Act No. 8371 or Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997. This act states that
the nation state will “recognize, protect and promote the rights of indigenous cultural
communities/indigenous peoples,” [ CITATION Rep97 \l 1033 ]. Still, the continued nationalized and
institutionalized oppression placed their culture and land at risk. From former president Marcos to
president Duterte, the government viewed the ancestral land in Cordillera as a resource base for
development [ CITATION Ald18 \l 1033 ]. Instead of protecting and respecting their land, the
government assigned military groups to camp near their ancestral land and threaten their community,
and the Igorots have persistently fought the government for their rights.
Indigenous people like the Igorots only seek recognition in managing their territories, but they
have been consistently subjected to oppression through land dispossession. When the right for land
access is removed from indigenous people, it will destroy their livelihood and place their identity at risk.
Additionally, most of the majority group is unaware of the struggles of the minority since they chose to
isolate themselves. The Igorots also experienced discrimination from the majority group and political
conflicts continuously threaten their safety.

B. Cultural Preservation
The Igorots are connected to one another by a set of similar cultural practices, traditions, and
beliefs. Similar to other Indigenous people, the Igorots of the Cordillera Region believed that they are
connected to their land. Moreover, they see their land as their life in which their culture and identity are
molded (Quitasol, 2018). When their land is threatened, their livelihood, resources, and most of their
identity will perish. Hence, the responsibility of fighting for their land at all costs was passed on to
generations of Igorots. For centuries, the Igorots have been wary of lowlanders or outsiders and had
been isolating themselves in the Northern mountains. During the colonization in the Philippines, the
Igorot tribes were never fully penetrated by the colonizers due to their great military tactics, thus,
having very little influence on their culture (Limos, 2020).
Unlike other indigenous communities in the Philippines who have been marginalized and
pushed to a small area of their original land, the Igorot tribes are a self-contained society that has
maintained their land despite many years of modernization. They were able to preserve and conserve
most of their ancient culture and pass them to the next generations; however, change is inevitable.
Some cultures and traditions might still be present, but some are slowly fading away. It is due to the
exposure of some indigenous people to mainstream media and culture, as well as their curiosity about
modern technology. These factors contribute to the fast changes that happen to their own culture and
traditions. Nonetheless, these modern technologies and social media also helped in promoting the
culture and tradition of indigenous people (Botangen, Vodanovich, & Yu, 2017). An example of an Igorot
tradition was the dying art of tattooing or pambabatok, and the only Igorot known to continue this
practice is Apo Whang-Od. Through exposure to the media, pambabatok was allowed to be discovered
by the majority group and by the foreigners. It just showed that modernity could also help in the
promotion and preservation of their practices.

C. Objectives
This study aims the following: first, to understand the importance of being aware of indigenous
problems, specifically the Igorots’, by addressing the issue with regards to their struggle for local
autonomy on the Cordillera; and lastly, to identify how to form an inclusive community with the Igorots.

References
Botangen, K. A., Vodanovich, S., & Yu, J. (2017). Preservation of Indigenous Culture among Indigenous
Migrants through Social Media: The Igorot Peoples. Hawaii International Conference on System
Sciences. doi:10.24251/HICSS.2017.278

Limos, M. A. (2020, October 23). The Untold Story of the Igorots' Revolt. Retrieved from Esquire:
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-untold-story-of-the-igorots-revolt-
a00293-20201023-lfrm

Maentz, J. (2013, May 20). People of the Mountains - Igorots of the Cordillera. Retrieved from Jacob
Images: https://www.jacobimages.com/2013/05/igorots-cordilleras

Quitasol, A. (2018, February 11). The Igorots, the Indigenous Peoples of the Northern Philippines Under
the Faces of State Terrorism and Tyranny. Retrieved from Asia-Pacific Research:
https://www.asia-pacificresearch.com/the-igorots-the-indigenous-peoples-of-the-northern-
philippines-under-the-faces-of-state-terrorism-and-tyranny/5440663

Republic Act No. 8371. (1997, October 29). Retrieved from Official Gazette:
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1997/10/29/republic-act-no-8371/