Ifugao

is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a
total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region
characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders
Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the
south.

It is named after the term "i-pugo" which means "i" (from/people) and "pugo" (earth), thus people of
the earth.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are the main tourist attraction in the province. These 2000-year-old terraces
were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the natives
can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History
Ifugao was formerly a part of the old Mountain Province. It was created as an independent province on
June 18, 1966 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4695. The name is derived from the word "IPUGO". Pugo
means "hill" while the prefix "I-" means "from". The Spaniards changed "Ipugo" to "Ipugaw", and it was
finally changed by the Americans to "Ifugao".

For the Ifugaos, custom is the basis of all laws. But these customs would mean nothing if not supported
by ancestry knowledge. Among the Ifugaos, extensive pedigrees exist. They are the graphic
representation that puts in evidence one of the most basic principles of the Ifugao culture: "We can not
but do what our ancestors told us" (Lambretch CICM 1964).

During World War II under the Japanese Occupation, the Philippine Commonwealth Army was re-
established from 1942 to 1946 in some of several infantry divisions and regular units at the military
general headquarters, camps and garrisoned here in Mountain Province (now. Ifugao) and all to the
local Filipino troops and officers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army units started the Anti-Japanese
Operations in Northern Luzon and helping the local soldiers of the 11th and 14th Philippine
Commonwealth Army Infantry Regiments of the USAFIP-NL, Igorot and Cordilleran guerrillas and U.S.
liberation forces against the Japanese Imperial forces from 1942 to 1945.

Ifugao became the center of warfare during the last stages of World War II. It was in Ifugao, particularly
in Mt. Napulawan, where General Yamashita, the known "Tiger of Malaya", decided to put his last stand
against the Filipino and American forces. Captured by Ifugao warriors, he informally surrendered to
Captain Grisham of the 6th US Army in the Philippines, based in Kiangan, before he was flown to Camp
John Hay, where he formally surrendered.
People and culture
Ifugao refers to the people, their dialect and the province they live in.

The Ifugaos live in the mountains in Luzon in the Philippines. They are known as an independent,
agricultural society. They speak the various Ifugao dialect like Tuwali, ayangan but they can also speak
Filipino vernacular dialect like Ilokano and Tagalog. Many Ifugaos, especially in HINGYON, are fluent in
English as well.

This people prefer to be called Ifugaos as opposed to the more generic and less accurate Igorot term
that includes all the peoples of the Cordillera Region.

The Ifugaos, immortalized by their magnificent rice terraces, inhabit the rugged terrain of the extensive
Cordillera Mountain ranges of Central Northern Luzon. They have developed and maintained a distinct
culture which until recently has resisted outside" influences.

Rice culture

Ifugao culture revolves around the rice, which is considered a prestige crop. There is an elaborate and
complex array of rice culture feasts inextricably linked with taboos and intricate agricultural rites, from
rice cultivation to rice consumption. Harvest season calls for grandiose thanksgiving feasts, while the
concluding harvest rites "tungo" or "tungul" (the day of rest) entail a strict taboo of any agricultural
work. Partaking of the rice beer (bayah), rice cakes, and betel nut is an indelible practice during the
festivities and ritual activities.

Geography
 Political
- Ifugao is subdivided into 11 municipalities.
-
 Municipalities
 Aguinaldo
 Alfonso Lista (Potia)
 Asipulo
 Banaue
 Hingyon
 Hungduan
 Kiangan
 Lagawe
 Lamut
 Mayoyao
 Tinoc
 Culture
of
Ifugao

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