The Igorots

Cordillera Mountain Ranges of Northern Luzon

Origin The Igorot are a group of related village-

based societies in the mountainous country of central and northern Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago. While most of the peoples of the Philippines are either Christian or Muslim, the Igorot practice a native religion often called “animism,” an anthropological term referring to the belief that spirits permeate the material world. Although Spain began colonizing the Philippines in the sixteenth century, the Igorot’s isolation in their mountainous homeland enabled them to maintain their cultural and political autonomy.

Map of Ifugao

Location

Location Ifugao is a landlocked province of the

Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Covering a total land area of 262,820 hectares, the province of Ifugao is located in a mountainous region characterized by rugged terrain, river valleys, and massive forests. Its capital is Lagawe and borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south. It is named after the term "i-pugo" which means "i" (from/people) and "pugo" (hill), thus people of the hill.

HOUSES

The Igorots build their houses on piles. The pyramid-shaped roof is used as a bedroom, kitchen and storeroom. All in one space! There are no windows. To please the gods, the skull of a sacrificed pig is fixed on the outside of the house. The residents still live in the same type of houses as their ancestors.

ATTIRES

SKILLS

The Igorots still practices the same skills as in the past: Woodcarving, weaving clothes, hunting and farming. They discovered  the tourists as a  welcome client for their products in a time that the most young igorot prefer Western clothes.

WEAPONS

Igorot’s Spear Igorot’s Axe

Igorot’s Shield

TRADITIONS The Ifugaos practice a number of rituals.

Some of these rituals are:• Hingot, the betrothal ritual which announces the union of two

families (generally marriages among the Ifugaos are pre-arranged)

• Amung, a sacrificial ritual wherein the gods and the family's ancestors are asked to make the body healthy, the mother well and strong, and the family wealthy

• Uya-uy, a ritual of feasting; Hagabi, a ritual of those aspiring to attain the rank of the real "kadangayan“.

• Ketema, a ritual intended to identify the spirit who caused a certain sickness.

• Ayag, a ritual performed to identify the evil spirits who caused an illness

• Kolot, a ritual for the first cutting of child's hair.

CONTRIBUTIONS

BANAUE RICE TERRACES