The Igorots are one of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. They are from the Cordillera region in Northern Philippines. The Igorots are one of the TRUE Filipinos with TRUE Filipino culture. They were ingenious people who carved the mountains to plant rice way before the Philippines was colonized by the church of Spain.
These people whom everyone mock and disregard are the builders of the Rice Terraces approximately 2,000 years ago. Ironically, the people who racially discriminate the Igorots were also proud of the Rice Terraces they built that Filipinos consider as the “Eight Wonder of the World”. The Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras is by the way, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Rice Terraces is disputed as the works of the Miao tribe from China who migrated to the Cordilleras. So what? These people, whatever their origins, were already living here before the country even got its name.
Apart from the Rice Terraces, the Hudhud (narrative chants during rice sowing season, harvest and funeral wakes) was declared by UNESCO World Heritage as one of the world’s intangible heritages in 2001. I am really amazed that in a far-flung mountainous area in the Cordilleras live a culture, arts and a very rich history worth a treasure.
Do the “Filipinos” from the lowlands ever have their “OWN, TRUE FILIPINO” culture to be proud of? I DOUBT! Lowlanders’ cultures are just mixtures of different cultures from the colonizers and traders of the country.
But why do the Igorots suffer more insults and discrimination than foreigners from bigot and egotistic Filipinos? Well, I suppose the Igorots are not Filipinos as described by Carlos P. Romulo. Maybe the Igorots have their own “Sovereign State” within the borders of the Philippines just like the Vatican City is to Italy?
Filipinos have Regionalistic discrimination as well (ex: Ilocanos - tightwad) but I will no longer discuss it here.
So, how can we try to solve this discrimination within ourselves? Here are some suggestions:
The Rice Terraces is disputed as the works of the Miao tribe from China who migrated to the Cordilleras. So what? These people, whatever their origins, were already living here before the country even got its name.
Apart from the Rice Terraces, the Hudhud (narrative chants during rice sowing season, harvest and funeral wakes) was declared by UNESCO World Heritage as one of the world’s intangible heritages in 2001. I am really amazed that in a far-flung mountainous area in the Cordilleras live a culture, arts and a very rich history worth a treasure.
Do the “Filipinos” from the lowlands ever have their “OWN, TRUE FILIPINO” culture to be proud of? I DOUBT! Lowlanders’ cultures are just mixtures of different cultures from the colonizers and traders of the country.
But why do the Igorots suffer more insults and discrimination than foreigners from bigot and egotistic Filipinos? Well, I suppose the Igorots are not Filipinos as described by Carlos P. Romulo. Maybe the Igorots have their own “Sovereign State” within the borders of the Philippines just like the Vatican City is to Italy?
Filipinos have Regionalistic discrimination as well (ex: Ilocanos - tightwad) but I will no longer discuss it here.
So, how can we try to solve this discrimination within ourselves? Here are some suggestions:
- Learn the culture – try to learn their culture to avoid conflict.
- My suggestions in Part 1 also applies.
P.S. I do not belong to the “Great Igorots”. I wish I am one of them. I am embarrassed by the bigotry of lowlanders where I belong. Peace.
