There are million reasons why being an Igorot is a privilege but there are also million reasons one wishes he/she doesn't belong to the group.
After years and years of research, digging the Banaue Rice Terraces, searching the Chico River, exploring hundreds of caves within the Cordilleras, and communicating to "anitos" — we finally finished curating a list of reasons why one wishes he/she's not an Igorot.
1 million reasons
Igorots are people of mixed, often confused, culture. For centuries, we have been colonized by different nations that have left lasting imprints on our cultural identity. While all erstwhile foreign influences (including present Western aspirations brought about by Hollywood and other first-world inspirations) have contributed to our varied traditions, rich language and our "global competency," they have also alienated generations of our people from what is distinctively Filipino.
We're sorry but we already sold our cows and chicken but we can't really find any reason why one should be ashamed of his roots.
It is very important that we do not lose touch of who we are as a people because our culture and our values depend on our true understanding of ourselves.
Love yourself! Proud Igorot Here!
Sources:
- Original photo by Darwin Pitlongay; edited
