What is an IGOROT?

The Igorot are an ethnic people of the Philippines, clustered in the Cordillera region of Luzon. They are
famous for rice-terrace farming and some of them have been known to be headhunters in the past.

Igorot, or Igolot, literally means people from the mountains. As one can infer, they 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 carve terraces at the sides of mountain, which they plant with various grain. The
Igorot people are categorized into six different ethno-linguistic groups: Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg (or
Apayao), Kalinga, and Kankana-ey.

The Bontoc thrive on the bank of the Chico River. Famous as headhunters in the past, they have since
turned their backs on their former ways. At present, a huge majority of the Bontoc have embraced
Christianity. They have seamlessly transitioned into a peaceful, agricultural people.

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.

The Ifugao, on the other hand, are known for their epics and their stories, such as the hudhud and the
alim.

Ifugao people have a total of four different dialects, and are sometimes called Amganad, Kiangan, or
Mayoyao. The word Ifugao means "from the hill."

The Isneg 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.

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.
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 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."

Igorot, (Tagalog: “Mountaineer”) 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.

Two broader groupings may be made of the Igorot as a whole: one, by far the larger, comprises the
peoples of the higher country who cultivate wet rice, mostly in steplike terraces on the mountainsides;
the other comprises peoples of the lower rainforest areas, who grow dry rice in seasonally shifting
gardens. Within the first group the Nabaloi or Ibaloi, Kankanay (Kankanai), Lepanto or northern
Kankanay, Bontoc (Bontok), southern Kalinga, and Tinggian nearly all live in populous villages, but one
ethnic unit, the Ifugao, has small farmsteads of kinsmen dotted throughout the rice terraces. The second
group—the Gaddang, northern Kalinga, and Isneg or Apayao—are sparsely settled in hamlets or
farmsteads around which new gardens are cleared as the soil is worked out; some Gaddang live in tree
houses.

History

The Igorot peoples are Austronesians. They were known in earlier days for their wars and practice of
headhunting. The Spaniards forcibly partially subdued them during the colonial occupation of the
Philippines, that process being completed during the period of U.S. hegemony. Ethnologists distinguish
about 10 main ethnic groups, each with its own dialect and culture. There are also variations within
these groups.

When first "discovered" by the Spaniards in the 16th century, they were called "Ygolotes" - later to be re-
spelled "Igorrotes." The Spaniards used other names to describe Igorots based on where in the
Cordilleras they were found.

Culture

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. There are no clans or tribes, and political organization is generally limited to
the village level. Kinship is traced on both the paternal and the maternal sides, extending as far as third
cousins.

Who are the Igorots?

So what?

These natives are important because they comprise a part of the rich Filipino culture. This site aims to
preserve the culture of this tribe through the amalgamation of key information such as the Igorot
culture, cuisine, dance, and even the latest social and political issues that have wider implications to the
Philippine society. Through this website, I hope to spread awareness on social, political and economic
issues. One key issue being brought up is the displacement of these people. As huge Philippine
corporations begin to reclaim lands, the Igorots are left displaced.

The Igorots originate from six key areas:

Abra

Apayao

Benguet

Kalinga

Ifugao

Baguio

What are the distinctive features of the Igorots?

The Igorots 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 "trees 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 ornate pieces of
wooden weaponry.

Where did they come from?

Early Igorots are Austronesians that migrated to the Northern part of Luzon where they inter-mingled
with the Astral-Melanesian population that had inhabited the islands 23,000 years earlier. As some of
these Austronesians migrated to the southern parts of the island, the Early Igorots then settled in the
mountainous region of the Cordillera where they are able to establish their way of life that we know
today.
The Five Ethno-Linguistic Groups

The Igorots can be subdivided into different groups that are scattered all over the Cordilleras; each has
its own dialect and culture. We have to remember though that even though there are subgroups, they all
make up the Igorots as a whole.

Bontoc Tribe – They live in the central Mountain Province who speaks Bontoc language.

Kalinga Tribe – They live in Kalinga and speaks Kalinga and Limos language.

Isneg – They are also called Apayao, Isnag, or Dibagat-Kabugao-Itneg and can be found in the Northern
Apayao.

Kankana-ey – Also known as Sagada/Besao Igorot located in the Western Mountain Province and speaks
the Kankana-ey laguage.

Ibaloi – They are from the southern Benguet and are also known as Ibaloy or Nabaloi.

Rituals

For centuries, Igorots were able to evade the religious conquest of the Spanish colonization and was able
to preserve their own beliefs and rituals. At present, due to the exposure of the Igorots to certain faiths
and given the right to choose their own religion, there are Igorots who are able to embrace other
religions like Christianity and Islam.

Traditionally some Igorots believed in deities like “Lumawig” who personifies nature and spirits of the
dead called “Anitos”. They have also have categories of God that includes:

Dios Adi Kaila – the creator

Kabunyan – the one who executes the creator’s plans

Anitos – ancestral spirits

The Igorots also has rituals usually performed by the Tribal Leader (also called Manbunong) who not just
perform social functions but also spiritual and religious rites. These rituals are as follows:
Cañao – offered for religious celebration, funerals, and to secure healing

Begnas – offered for bountiful harvest; usually they offer killed animals for their “Anitos” and distribute
the meat to the whole village

Senga for Be-ey – House blessing

Senga for Newly wed couples – they offer animals like chicken, pig, cow, or carabao that they distribute
to their relatives who attended and even those who did not.

Daw-es involves the butchering of a dog as offering to "Kabunyan," primarily to remove the images of
death in the minds of those still living and to dispel evil spirits.

Pigs or chickens are also butchered and prayed over for everyone around to partake. This serves as the
thanksgiving for the survivors' gift of life.

Igorots tend to attribute disasters and calamities to the favour or disfavour of the Anitos’. If there is any
occurrence of misfortune that happens in the village, they sacrifice an animal wherein the Manbunong
will observe the bile for signs and omens. If the Manbunong reads any bad omen with the bile of the
sacrificed animal, he will ask for another one until the desired bile is obtained.

Dances are also part of the Cañao wherein the movements and positions are circular and rhythmic acting
out certain animals as well as aspects of a hunt. During the dance, they are also in traditional garbs
woven in indigenous patterns or designs.

Livelihood

The Igorots 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.

Headhunting and tattoos

In the earlier days, Igorots 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 part during tribal wars for tattoos represented how brave and how good of a
warrior they are. The number of tattoos a person has is proportionate to how many people they have
killed or beheaded. Some tattoos are also for protection, spirituality, and rank.
There is too much to learn about the Igorot people and what I know about them is just a scratch of the
surface of who they really are as people. It will take years for me to fully understand them but I think this
is a good start.

Dances

TAKIK DANCE

The Takik is a Bontoc courtship dance performed by a man and a woman. At least 5 other male dancers
accompany them, providing the music and rhythm for the dance. They line up, starting with the head
gong-player, behind the male dancer. The line of dancers form circular or spiral dancers, with the head
gong-player usually displaying more elaborate steps than the accompanists behind him.

UYAOY DANCE

Uyaoy Dance is an Ifugao wedding festival dance accompanied by gongs and is performed by the affluent
to attain the second level of the wealthy class. Wealthy people who have performed this dance are
entitled to the use of gongs at their death.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Igorot

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lopez26a/classweb/World%20politics%20website/homepage.html

https://whatdoesgabthink.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/who-is-an-igorot/

https://igorottribe.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/igorot-tribal-dance/amp/

https://spirituality.knoji.com/facts-about-the-igorots-of-the-philippines/