IGOROTS

The Igorot's
• are a very distinct group of people, a
tribe who originate from the Northern
provinces of the Philippine archipelago.
The word, Igorot in Tagalog means
mountain people. For a long time now,
ORIGIN
this term has been tacitly used in a
derogatory sense. It signifies that the
Igorot's were a backward tribe who
couldn’t contribute any technological
innovations to society (Fallon).
• Igorot's are tied together by a similar set of
cultural practices and beliefs. They highly
value nature and they believe that their
gods reside in objects such as “tress and in
the mountains” (Jernegan.42). Another
distinguishing feature of the Igorot tribe
from Northern Luzon are their vibrant
pieces of clothing. Their headpieces are
composed of feathers and they often take
with them orate pieces of wooden
weaponry.
 It has been mentioned above that among their tales and stories they
preserve a tradition relating to their origin and beginning, after a great and
dreadful flood which, a very long time ago, as their old people relate, covered
the earth.

All the inhabitants except a brother and sister were drowned. The brother
and sister, though separated from each other, were saved, the woman on the
summit of the highest mountain in the District of Lepanto, called Kalauítan, and
the man in a cave of the same mountain. After the water had subsided, the
man of the cave came out from his hiding place one clear and calm moonlight
night, and as he glanced around that immense solitude, his eyes were struck by
the brightness of a big bonfire burning there on the summit of the mountain.
 Surprise and terrified, he did not venture to go up on the summit where the
fire was, but returned to his cave. At the dawn of the day quickly climbed
toward the place where he had seen the brightness the preceding night, and
there he found huddled up on the highest peak his sister, who received him
with open arms.

They say that from his brother and sister so providentially saved, all Igorot's
that are scattered through the mountains originated. They are absolutely
ignorant of the names of those privileged beings, but the memory of them lives
freshly among the Igorot's, ad in their feasts, or whenever they celebrate their
marriages, the aged people repeat to the younger ones this wonderful history,
so that they can tell it to their sons, and in that way pass from generation to
generation the memory of their first progenitors
 GEOGRAPHY

DEMOGRAPHICS
CULTURE
Igorot’s Political System and Governance
They have little by way of formal political system.
There are no chiefs or councils however, there are
150 district each comprised of several hamlets. In the
center of each district is a defining ritual rice field, the
owner which makes all agricultural decisions for the
district
Bilateral kinship obligations provide most of
political control. Social control is a combination of
kinship behavior and control by a monbaga, a legal
authority whose power rests his wealth, knowledge
of customary legal rules.
Traditionally, social differentiation has been based
on wealth. Wealthy aristocrats are known as
kadangyan.
The less wealthy are known as natumok, they
have little land. The poor, “nawatwat” have no land.
Most of them work as tenant farmers and servants to
the kadangyan
Igorot’s Economic System
The Igorot economy involves agriculture, hunting, fishing,
the domestication of animals, industrial arts, and trade. Fields
are irrigated by carrying water in pots, diverting streams, or by
constructing dams and wooden troughs. All people involved in
the use of the water participate in the construction of the
irrigation systems. Dogs are used to hunt the wild buffalo that
are important for marriage feasts. Pigs are trapped in pits. Pig
raising is also an important part of the culture. Cocks, cats, and
birds are snared. Fishing is done by diverting streams and
driving the fish into nets or traps.
The Bontok have domesticated water buffalo, pigs,
chickens, dogs, and cats. The Bontok are also familiar with
metal working; they use double-piston bellows and charcoal to
forge spear blades. Each village specializes in a particular craft,
and there is thus trade between the villages for spear blades,
pipes, baskets, hats, beeswax, pottery, salt, fermented
sugarcane juice, and breech cloths. Handfuls of rice are used to
pay for imported cotton cloth, brass wire, clothing, blankets,
and axes.
Igorot’s Educational System
Indigenous knowledge and learning systems have
long been recognized as indispensable components of
indigenous peoples’ education, but formal educational
systems usually neglect this indigenous knowledge.
Education came to them, even in their remotest
barrios, and now the third generation of Igorot's are
themselves teachers.
Today, many indigenous people in the Philippines
who have gone through the formal Western
educational system can hardly trace their ethnic
identity. Even at the tertiary-level, indigenous students
know little about their culture and history. No tertiary
level curriculum in the Philippines offers a general
course on indigenous culture and history. Some
teachers try to integrate local knowledge in the
curriculum but many of them are handicapped by the
lack of knowledge and teaching strategies.
Igorot's Environment
The Igorot form two subgroups: the
largest group lives in the south, central, and
western areas, and is very adept at rice-
terrace farming; the other group lives in the
east and north. Igorot's lives 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.
Igorot's Resource management system
The Igorot's are good farmers who have
traditionally cultivated the sides of the
mountains for planting rice and vegetables.
They also breed animals like chickens, pigs,
and cow’s that they use for food source as
well as for rituals. They are also weavers,
artists, and craftsmen that until now are well
known for their impeccable handworks.
Igorot’s Life ways, Arts, Architecture.
Cultural elements common to the Igorot
peoples as a whole include metalworking in
iron and brass, weaving, and animal sacrifice.
They believe in spirits, including those of
ancestors, and have complex rituals to
propitiate them.

As one can infer, Igorot's are a highland

race, and are well-adapted to life in raised
altitudes. To assure themselves a steady
supply of crop, they have even devised a way
to carved terraces at the sides of mountain,
which they plant with various grains.
Igorot’s knowledge and systems.
The Igorot's are an ethnic people of the
Philippines, clustered in the Cordillera region of
Luzon. It is true that they are famous for rice-
terrace farming but saying that some of them
have been known to be cannibals in the past is an
exaggeration which only downgrades them.
In the earlier days, Igorot's were known as
headhunters who during warfare decapitate the
heads of their rival tribes and put them in front of
their houses. This barbaric practice was subdued
during the Spanish Colonization and outlawed
during the American occupation. Tattoos was also
a big and rank.
Bontoc
The Bontoc thrive on the bank of the Chico
River. Famous as headhunters in the past, they
have since turned their backs from the practice of
head hunting. At present, a huge majority of the
Bontoc have embraced Christianity. They have
seamlessly transitioned into a peaceful,
agricultural people.
Ibaloi
Ibaloi. The Ibaloi too are an agrarian society.
Mostly found in Southern Benguet, there are
about 93,000 of them all over the Philippines.
Their language is from the Austronesian family of
languages.
Ifugao
The Ifugao, on the other hand, are known for
their epics and their stories, such as the hudhud
and the alim. Like the Bontoc Igorots, Ifugao
people were headhunters in the past. Ifugao
people have a total of four different dialects, and
are sometimes called Amganad, Kiangan, or
Mayoyao. The word Ifugao means "from the hill."
Isneg
Isneg, kinship is bilateral, meaning children are equally
related to both the mother and the father. Households
consist of interrelated families living close to each other,
and extended families of three generations living together
in their balay. The family is the key element in society, the
larger the better, headed by the husband. No other society
structure exists, though brave men, mengals, lead in
hunting and fishing. The bravest, Kamenglan, is the overall
leader. A young man entered their ranks after the first
headhunting expedition. A mengal carries a red kerchief on
the head and has tattoos on his arms and shoulders. They
are animistic and practice polygamy.
Kalinga
The Kalinga tribes are perhaps the most
diplomatic of all the Igorot. They put great
importance on kinship and social ties, and are
heralded for the peace pacts that have allowed
their tribes to become strong. They are also
known as the most heavily adorned of all the
Igorot people.
Kankana-ey
Finally, the Kankana-ey are one of the few tribes
who still practice a way of living more common in
the old days, although is fast disappearing as well.
In the Kankana-ey, young men and women are
divided by gender and then ushered into separate
dormitories. Entry into a dormitory signifies a
young person's readiness to enter the stages of
courtship. Courtships are carried out in the ebgan,
or the "girl house."
Itneg
Itneg is an alternate name of Tinguian.
Tinguian means "the people of the mountains," It
was originally used to refer to all mountain
dwelling people. These days it is particularly used
to refer to a cultural minority group occupying the
mountains of Abra. The Tinguian are listed as one
of the Cordillerean people called "Igorots". Some
feature of the culture, customs, traditions, rituals,
beliefs and ethnic values are the same with the
Igorots.
Isnag
The Isnag or Apayao can be found living near
the banks of the Apayao River. Originally slash-
and-burn farmers, they have since begun to
practice more sustainable forms of farming. The
Isneg are also known as good fishers, and have a
penchant for coffee
Gaddang
The Gaddang once comprised a large group in the Cagayan Valley
region and are mostly found in Central Isabela, Nueva Vizaya, Quirino,
and Cagayan. Their name derives from a combination of ga “heat” and
dang “burned”, hence, they have have a darker complexion compared
to other peoples of the Cordilleras.
Chrisitans stereotyped them as 'untamed' and dangerous; in
reality, they're of a calmer disposition compared to neighboring tribes.
The highlanders have maintained their unique culture, including their
traditional costumes lavishly adorned with beads and precious stones.
For instance, their ceremonial dress and ornamentation are some of
the most elaborate and decorative; clothing of Western cut and
commercial fabric are obtained from the lowland market
Ilongot
The Ilongot (or Ibilao) are a tribe who inhabit
the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo
Mountains, on the east side of Luzon in the
Philippines, primarily in the provinces of Nueva
Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija and along the mountain
border between the provinces of Quirino and
Aurora. An alternative name of this tribe and its
language is "Bugkalot". They are known as a tribe
of headhunters.
 Problems faced
Economic poverty is just one type of poverty that the
Igorot's are facing -- where land is considered to be a
valuable asset and the Igorot's don't have access to their
land. The Igorot's also face social poverty, where they are
socially excluded and considered to be very a primitive and
CHALLENGES
backward tribe. They consider themselves to be a tribe
who are able to “address invisible powers, ancestors and
gods” (Kohen, 70).
The third dimension of poverty that they are facing is
political poverty – where it is very difficult for them to
participate in democratic systems of the country such as
voting. This is a reality that the tribe faces. Much of these
issues are of utmost importance and must be addressed.
Changes Adapted
 
The landlocked province, once home to “fearsome warriors”
during the Spanish colonization of the country, is now host to
educated and peace-loving people.
More than 100 years since the Episcopal and Roman Catholic
missionaries set foot in the hinterlands of Mountain Province,
especially in the capital town of Bontoc and nearby Sagada,
Christianity has brought profound changes in the lives of many
Igorot's, the dominant race in this province.
The Episcopalian Church 
On Oct. 11, 2001, thousands of Filipino and foreign Anglicans celebrated the
triumphs and legacy of the 100 years of growth of the Episcopal Church in Sagada
where the first mission church cum school was established at the turn of the 20th
century. 
Two years later, the Episcopal Church’s All Saints Cathedral established in Bontoc
also turned 100 years old. In 2004, the St. Mary the Virgin Mission in Sagada founded
by American missionary Rev. John Armitage Staunton Jr. turned 100 years old. The
centenary of the All Saints Mission Elementary School, also in Bontoc, followed in 2006.
Beyond the 100-year existence of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines is the
celebration of one of the greatest legacies left by the missionaries. Beginning with the
first 17 pupils enrolled at St. Mary’s, the school has produced thousands of graduates
who now occupy significant positions in the government and private sector here and
overseas.
 
Blending faith and culture 
One distinct characteristic among Christian Igorots in Montañosa
and its outlying provinces is their resolve to preserve the beautiful
culture passed to them by their forefathers, who fought hard in a bid to
preserve their identity against several attempts to be colonized and
influenced by the Spaniards. 
When the capital town of Bontoc marked its centenary in September
2008, young and old villagers clad in their native garbs paraded along
the main thoroughfares to proclaim the greatness of God and to
celebrate their rich culture.

 
Proof that Christian Igorot's in Montañosa remain proud of their culture
is the conduct of the annual culture-based festivals in time for the
founding anniversary of the churches in their respective towns. 
For instance, the now Christianized people of Sabangan town
celebrate the Gagayam Festival as they also rejoice in the founding
anniversary of the St. Joseph Parish. 
The inception of the culture-bound Lang-ay Festival was also welcomed
by noted Church leaders like Bishop-Emeritus Francisco Claver who
noted that “As we proceed with the celebrations of the Lang-ay Festival,
we treasure to remember the values which our forefathers have
handed on to us. That we live in the faith and hand it on to the
children.”