Discernment of the term Igorot

How many of us would say Igorotak!? (I am an Igorot!?)

When I was on my previous job, I was asked by a client of our office if where he could see Igorots. When I told him that I am an Igorot, he immediately stared away from me and was silent for almost a minute then walked away.     

Since time immemorial, Igorots were considered by many as barbaric, uncivilized, uneducated, ignorant, ugly, and "people with tails". There was also a time in our history when they were told by their fellow countrymen that they are not Filipinos. These harsh words have been long associated with the term Igorot.

The Igorots were considered as one of the successful inhabitants of the Philippines who defended well of their lands and families from the invasion of the Spaniards, Japanese, and Americans. And they are called barbaric and uncivilized? There were no schools in the wilderness but they know how the word respect is shown. And they are called uneducated and ignorant? They do not have soaps to wash their bodies but they have pure and clean water, air, and lands. They eat vegetables and meat from wild deer, pigs, and chicken. And they are called ugly? These people exist on their own through the centuries even during the struggle of the Philippines from the invasive foreigners.    

Today Igorots generally refers to the people from the provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region which includes Mt. Province, Benguet, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao, and Baguio City. However, there are places beyond the geographical boundaries of these provinces where Igorots live like in the Ilocos Sur, La Union, Nueva Vizcaya, and other nearby places. While people outside C.A.R. want, claim and accept that they are Igorots, some people within do not want to be called one.

How about you?

Who are the Igorots and the Cordillerans?

When we say Baguio City, Sagada, or Ifugao, what are the things that automatically pop out of your mind? Is it the cold weather, pine trees, rice terraces, or Igorots?

The people of the Philippines were generally called Indios during the Spanish colonial era. But there are many groups of people or tribes who dwell within the thick forests of Luzon, the northern island of Philippines. One native group that specifically refers to the people who inhabit these mountain ranges is the Igorots. 

The word Igorot evolved from the various records of an old Filipino dialect Igolot, Ygolot, and Igorrote. The prefix "i" means "from", and "golot" means "mountains".

With the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region, the term Cordilleran now serves as a blanket that covers all people from C.A.R. and which majority of its people if not all are agreeable as a replacement of the term Igorot. It also refers to the people who are domiciled within the region, and some also proclaim themselves as Cordilleran for many reasons.   

Are you a Cordilleran or an Igorot?