Name: UANANG, WINNIE GAY E.

HCORDI1

Instruction/s: Identify the past labels used to describe the igorots in the past and
explain the meaning ang reason for the use of such labels.

In the past, the Igorots, who are indigenous peoples from the Philippines' Cordillera area, were
frequently referred to using designations that were not only erroneous but also carried
derogatory overtones. These designations arose mostly as a result of colonialism and
ethnocentrism. Among the previous names given to the Igorots were:

1. " Ygolotte, spelt Igorrotes itself: The term "Igorot" is a Tagalog word that originally
meant "mountain people" or "people from the mountains." While it is a relatively neutral
descriptor, it has been used historically in a condescending or stereotypical way,
implying a sense of primitiveness or backwardness.

2. "Savage" or "wild tribes": During the colonial period, the Spanish and American
colonizers often referred to the Igorots and other indigenous groups in the Philippines as
"savage" or "wild tribes." These derogatory terms were used to justify colonization and to
frame indigenous peoples as inferior or uncivilized compared to the colonizers.

3. "Igorot headhunters": The label of "headhunters" was especially damaging and

misleading. While headhunting was a practice in some Igorot communities, it was not
representative of all Igorots. This label contributed to a skewed and negative perception
of Igorots as violent and barbaric people.

4. "Non-Christians" or "heathens": As the Philippines underwent Christianization during

the colonial period, indigenous peoples like the Igorots were often referred to as "non-
Christians" or "heathens" because they practiced their traditional indigenous religions.
This label implied that their belief systems were inferior to Christianity.

5. They considered the Igorots to be bandits and lawbreakers because they did not
submit to Spanish rule like the lowlanders.

6. Igorot resistance also inspired Spaniards to label them as "bandits and murderers who
killed for the purposes of vengeance, robbery, intimidation, or extortion and mutilated the
bodies of their victims."

These designations were applied for a variety of reasons, including cultural misinterpretation,
colonialist goals, and a desire to exclude and control indigenous communities. They contributed
to the perpetuation of prejudices, discrimination, and marginalization of the Igorots and other
indigenous people in the Philippines. In recent years, attempts have been undertaken to replace
pejorative labels with more polite and accurate terms, honoring the Igorot peoples' diversity,
tenacity, and rich cultural legacy.