EMALYN P.

BELMORO NOO2 ART APPRECIATION

BSN1 BLOCK1

REACTION PAPER
“A CELEBRATION OF THE CORDELLERAN HERITAGE”

The Igorot ( Tagalog for Mountaineer ), or ethnolinguistic groups in the

Cordilleras, are any of various ethnic groups in the mountains of northern Luzon,
Philippines, all of whom keep or have kept until recently, their traditional religion and
way of life. Some live in the tropical forests of the foothills, but most live in rugged
grassland and pine forest zones higher up. The Igorot numbered about 1.5 million in the
early 21st century. Their languages belong to the northern Luzon subgroup of the
Philippine languages, which belong to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family.

According to the webinar that I’ve attended, Indigenous people or IP have been
subject to historical discrimination and marginalization from political processes and
economic benefit. They continue to experience all forms of discrimination in spite of
local and international laws and instrumentalities that were formulated to safeguard their
rights to self- determination, protection of indigenous life ways and worldviews and their
material culture. They often face exclusion, loss of ancestral lands, displacement,
pressures to and destruction of traditional ways of life and practices, and loss of identity
and culture. Many IP communities continue to lack access to decent basic social
services, they have limited opportunities to engage in the mainstream economy and
suffer social, economic and political exclusion marginalization.

The misconceptions towards the indigenous peoples still endure in this era of
globalization, information and digital age. Stereotyping, labeling, insensitive remarks
and multiple forms of prejudices and violence are just some examples of indigenous
people facing right now. Meanwhile, they seem to ignore the rich highland culture of the
Igorot. The Cordillera people are proud of their customs, which extend beyond their
colorful handwoven clothing, which has become one of the most photographed sight in
Baguio’s Mines View Park.

According to Baguio artist Tor Sagud said, that Igorots are always depicted as
pagans, barbarians or cannibals, who of course, they are not, “In fact, they’re civilized
and kinship oriented”. All these misconceptions led Sagud to write the children’s book
Igorotak, which translated to “Igorot Ako” in Tagalog. The beautifully illustrated book,
which features elements of Igorot culture, began as a book for Sagud as he taught his
student how to create comics. It was a reference in and of itself, to assist them in
visualizing it clearly. The Policy Framework intends to promote shared accountability,
continuous, dialogue, engagement and partnership among government. Indigenous
people communities, civil society and other education stakeholders.