Friday 8 August 2008

Did the Americans give us our Igorot identity?



I was struck by the ideas presented by Gerard Finin in his book The Making of the Igorot: Contours of Cordillera Consciousness while reading it this morning for a paper I need to write. Couldn't help but share it. What do you think of the following paragraphs?

Crucial in the formulation of American plans for bringing "civilization" to the Cordillera and making highlanders a more integral part of the already largely Hispanized lowland Philippines was the view that all of the "natives" were basically "the same." Establishment of a distinctive administrative grid in the Cordillera was not the product of a grand plan for divide and rule designed to put highlanders against lowlanders. Rather, it was based more on prevailing American conceptions about "types" of people and a strong desire for a "rational" system of administration based on "scientifically" justifiable principles for overseeing highlanders.

This thinking drove the American officials who imposed the colonial structure on Luzon's largest highland territory. From the plans and policies that were devised and implemented during the early part of the 1900s emerged the spatial and social dimensions of the shared pan-Cordillera regional consciousness that so strongly influences the Cordillera today (italics mine). Before discussing what American rule bequeathed, however, it is important to consider the conditions preceding the American presence. (pp. 19-20)


From Chapter 5:

In keeping with the long-range plan to unite highlanders and, in time, assimilate Mountain Province into lowland Philippine society, American officials early in the century began introducing features of American-style democracy. The establishment of Mountain Province's local governments was key to this effort. As yet another element of the grid, it changed highlanders' consciousness in terms of the way they thought about themselves and those around them. (p. 108)


These paragraphs basically sum up what the book is all about: how the American colonial government in the early 1900s were able to create a region in the highlands - unlike the Spaniards who miserably failed to penetrate it - which has then led to the emergence of a pan-Igorot consciousness. He then goes on to write (and illustrate with some examples) that due to this American legacy, highlanders have learned to identify with one another, despite their different tribal or ethnic groupings - a rather picture-perfect image of a united Igorotlandia. Hmmm...

Just before coming here, my Bicolano historian friend who read it kidded me saying, 'Hey, you should thank the Americans because they gave you your Igorot identity'. Huh? It's a must-read for those interested in Cordillera studies.

I actually have a signed copy of this book as I was there at UP Baguio when Gerard Finin launched his book. I found him a warm, charming scholar who was sincerely interested in the Cordillera. He stayed in Abra for two years as a young Peace Corps volunteer and he still speaks Ilocano fluently. But now that I am reading his book, I realize that it's almost impossible to look at the world and analyse events without bringing in your socio-cultural background into the picture. But I must say that some of his analyses are patronizing. He may be an academic but then he is first and foremost an American who is looking at us, Igorots, with an American perspective. I guess Bakhtin is right: we always speak from a particular position.

Some questions:

Without the Americans, would our forebears not learn to live with one another and respect each other's rights despite their different tribes/ethnic groups, languages, and culture?

Would we have never learned to govern ourselves and advance as a people, at least politically and socially? (Except for Benguet, economically, our leaders still have a lot of work to do to bring us out of the country's list of 20 poorest provinces)

Sadly, we would never find out the answers to these questions because the Americans came into the picture and that's that. We cannot undo what actually happened. But we can create a clearer picture by bringing in more voices into the narrative of the making of Igorot consciousness. How I wish we could find out more how early Igorots saw the world during their time. Maybe we could start asking our own parents' stories who may be in their 70s, 80s, or even 90s. It's never too late to write the stories of ordinary, average, working class Igorots. I am certain their narratives are rich and meaningful despite their lack of education, money or power.

Links: Blast from the Past

Ateneo de Manila University Press

12 comments:

Hostingphil Web Services said...

Nice post, Galing talaga rumaket ang ibang banyaga, gagawin nilang medyo controversial ang isang usapin at doon sila kikita.

Hostingphil Web Services said...

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Anonymous said...

very interesting post. i grew up in sagada, and i'm trying to recall what influenced me most regarding my "igorot"-ness. i'm drawing a blank. it seemed everything fell naturally. i knew who i was an igorot ever since i was a child. my classmates and i proudly wrote declamation pieces on being an igorot while we were in grade six. i never talked to my folks about what to put in these. it just came out naturally.

and so, it is to my great surprise that when i went to manila for high school that there were negative connotations on the word "igorot".

as to americans giving us our igorot identity? not too sure about that. i dont think it was that simple. no written documentation out there but i believe that our identity was way in tact even before the americans came.

just my 2 cents...

Blog of the Sagada Igorot
SaGaDa-iGoRoT.com

Bugan said...

Hi Jerson,

Thanks for dropping by. Hay naku, medyo nakakainis basahin yung book but it has interesting sections din naman. I visited your site, btw. Glad we have an MP website like yours - it's packed with info. Congratulations! Will explore it some more.

Hello sagada-igorot,

Thanks for the insight. I definitely agree with you. We don't really agonize about our Igorotness since we live it, di ba? But when we meet others who don't know much about us, then the whole thing takes on a new dimension.

Right, I'd like to think that our ancestors have a clear sense of their distinct culture from the beginning. And that they also interacted with other tribes (i.e. Ibalois trading with Ifugaos, or Bontoks relating with Kankana-eys) during the early days.

Naging mas close ang interaction siguro between tribes during the American period. But I certainly don't think that they were mainly responsible for uniting Igorots and for making them proud of their culture. As you said, it's more complex than that:-)

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... Interesting take on the issue. Maybe there are some truths to it, even coming from the colonizer perspective.

But as you said, trading was a way of life of tribes even before the Spaniards came; Igorots were said to have traded even with lowlanders. So there was a consciousness of the presence of 'other' tribes or people.

Adding my two cents worth as well :)

Hostingphil Web Services said...

Just wanna share these links about an American missionary.
http://kapisanan.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/what-killed-dr-william-jones/

and

http://bernabealmirol.blogspot.com/2008/07/remembering-william-jones-can.html

Bugan said...

Hey Jerson, thanks a lot for the links! They're really good pieces! Good to know there are a lot of materials out here on the web about Philippine IPs.

All the best:-)

Bernabe Almirol said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bernabe Almirol said...

Hello Jerson and Bugan,

I am amused by these observations, and I can't help the temptation to dig deeper truth about various ascriptions assigned to IPs in the Philippines. Among Ifugaos, I already sense an anomaly in collective ascriptions (I assumed these are based on indigenous language spoken or places of origin) such as "Ayangan", "Tuali", "Kalanguya or Ikalahan", and "Yattuka or Hangulao". Was there really a "consensus" in naming these indigenous groups collectively as the "Ifugao" people? I have yet to see a sort of a historical proof that such acceptance was expressed. Of course, aside from the law creating the province of Ifugao, which is obviously a colonialist-driven political manipulation. I am aware that some Ifugaos were hesitant to be called Igorots. The Kalanguyas of Nueva Vizcaya who originated from Tinoc do not self-ascribe as Ifugaos, but those who still live in Tinoc and Asipulo accepts the ascription Ifugao because where they live now is a part of the province of Ifugao.

Igorot or 'Ygorotes' as a pan-Cordillera identity is insinuated in the journals of Spanish friars, and what the book discussed is a more recent American perspective.

And why am I bringing the issue of identity so passionately? Because in our age (where rights to land and resources dictate how the future will be shaped) IDENTITY MUST BE CLEARLY INTEGRATED IN THE OVERALL CONCEPT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. "Development for whom?" is still a nagging question before all of us, especially those communities pestered by mining companies now.

Keep me updated with useful links. Thanks a lot!

Bugan said...

Hi Bernabe,

Thanks for visiting my site. I share your interest in finding out more about IPs, although I'm not a history or an anthropology major. It's really interesting to know that there are records which have not found their way in books or articles about the IPs' past.

I agree that the concept of 'identity' is crucial to human development issues.

Let's keep each other posted ngarud:-) All the best!

Anonymous said...

I think that Dr. Finin's points are realities that should be acknowledged. Yes, the administrative subdivisioning influenced who is looked upon as Igorot then. The Cordillera administrative subdivisioning created in the 1970s-80s is influencing who is looked upon as an Igorot today.

My parents were of the BIBAK 1950s-1960s era and they said we are Igorots. Dr. William Scott defined the term Igorot and based on that definition, I agree we are Igorots. So are some people in Ilocos Sur or Ilocos Norte or Isabela or Pangasinan who identify with the "politically recognized" Igorots.

From my perspective, Dr. Finin points out two items that influenced a PAN-Cordillera consciousness:

1. American Administrative Planning
2. BIBAK consciousness by Igorots themselves as they went to school in La Trinidad, Baguio etc.

In the 1970s-80s, that PAN-Cordillera consciousness expanded based because of socio-political and economic development issues of that period.

I do not see any racket in his dissertation. Just a scholarly work from an urban and regional planning theoretical framework. Obviously, another PhD should explore Igorot consciousness from other theoretical framework also.

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