Who Are the Igorot?
Igorot (meaning "mountain people") is a collective term for the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Central mountains in northern Luzon, Philippines, numbering over 1.5 million. The term encompasses distinct ethnolinguistic groups including Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Ibaloi, Isneg, and Tingguian. While each group has its own language, customs, and territory, they share mountain adaptations, rice terrace agriculture, and historical resistance to colonization. The Cordillera Administrative Region was created partly in recognition of Igorot distinctiveness within the Philippines.
Rice Terraces
The Cordillera rice terraces—particularly those of Ifugao, a UNESCO World Heritage Site—represent one of humanity's greatest agricultural engineering achievements. Built into steep mountain slopes over 2,000 years, the terraces demonstrate sophisticated understanding of hydrology, engineering, and sustainable agriculture. Each terrace group developed variants suited to local conditions. The terraces require constant maintenance; stone walls, irrigation channels, and the terraces themselves demand ongoing labor. Modern pressures—migration of youth, economic alternatives, and climate change—threaten terrace maintenance and the agricultural knowledge that sustains them.
Colonial Resistance
The Igorot successfully resisted Spanish colonization for over 300 years—the Cordillera remained largely unconquered despite repeated Spanish expeditions. This resistance reflected both geography (rugged mountains favored defenders) and social organization (decentralized villages couldn't be conquered through capturing a capital). American colonizers found the Igorot similarly difficult to subdue, requiring military campaigns into the 1910s. This resistance history shapes Igorot identity—they were never conquered peoples but remained autonomous until incorporation into the Philippine state. This independence continues in Cordillera autonomy movements.
Contemporary Igorot
Modern Igorot navigate between mountain traditions and Philippine mainstream society. Many have achieved education and professional success while maintaining cultural identity. The Cordillera Administrative Region has limited autonomy; stronger autonomy proposals remain contested. Mining and dam projects threaten traditional territories, generating organized resistance continuing the anti-colonial tradition. Cultural festivals celebrate Igorot heritage; traditional practices persist alongside Christianity. Igorot diaspora communities maintain connections to ancestral homelands. How the diverse Igorot peoples preserve distinct identities while cooperating on common concerns shapes this mountain confederation's contemporary development.
References
- Scott, W. H. (1974). The Discovery of the Igorots: Spanish Contacts with the Pagans of Northern Luzon
- Keesing, F. M. (1962). The Ethnohistory of Northern Luzon
- Prill-Brett, J. (1987). "A Survey of Cordillera Indigenous Political Institutions"