Philippines: Indigenous Peoples of Luzon/The Cordilleras

This page contains materials on the different indigenous groups in Northern Luzon, especially from the Cordilleras, their cultures and the region itself.  These sources are available at the University of Hawai'i.  Please note, that this guide lists the basic resources and does not contain all of the materials for research.  For additional resources, return to the Philippines LibGuide Homepage for further suggestions.  

**A search on any of the indigenous groups will most often yield results.  See the above "Welcome to The Indigenous Peoples of Luzon Page" box for a list of names.

Cordillera: Diversity in Culture Change: Social Anthropology of Hill People in Northern Luzon, Philippines by Toh Goda (2001).

Cordillera Suite: [Dances from the Mountainous Regions of Northern Philippines] by the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company (2002), videorecording.

The Ethnohistory of Northern Luzon by Felix Keesing (1962).

Form and Splendor: Personal Adornment of Northern Luzon Ethnic Groups, Philippines by Roberto Maramba; photographs by Masato Yokoyama (1998).

The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon: From Ifugao to Kalinga, a Ride Through the Mountains of Northern Luzon, With an Appendix on the Independence of the Philippines by Cornelis De Witt Willcox (1912).

The Ilocos and Cordillera Provinces: A General Physical and Socio-economic Profile by Romeo B. Cleto, with Christoph J. Dehn, Hilario J. Padilla

Journal of Northern Luzon. [periodical]

The Making of the Igorot: Ramut ti Panagkaykaysa Dagiti Taga Cordillera: Contours of Cordillera Consciousness by Gerard A. Finin (2005).

Northern Philippine Linguistic Geography by Curtis D. McFarland (1977).

Resistance and Revolution in the Cordillera edited by Delfin Tolentino, Jr. (1994).

"Similarities and Differences in Life Styles in the Central Cordillera of Northern Luzon (Philippines)" by Jules De Raedt  [1987],  Paper presented at the Conference on Ecology and Human Evolution in the Tropics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 22-24 August 1986.

[Various titles written by William Henry Scott]

University of Baguio Journal. [periodical]

Balweg: The Rebel Priest  by Viva Films (2001), videorecording.

Binongan Itneg Sentences by Janice Walton (1975).

Apayao Life and Legends by Laurence L. Wilson (1967).

Aspects of Focus in Isnag by Rodolfo Rosario Barlaan (1999).

The Conjugal Pair: A Pivotal Focus for the Description of Karagawan Isneg Social Organization by John E. Smart (1971).

The Isneg Life Cycle by Morice Vanoverbergh.

The Isneg of the Northern Philippines; a Study of Trends of Change and Development edited by Alex J. Grant  Hubert Reynolds and Fern Babcock Grant [1973].

Ap-apo ni Tuo = Ancestors of the People: Collection of Benguet's Beliefs, Rituals, Folktales, Myths and Legends retold and illustrated by Leonard Aguinaldo (1997).

The Culture of the Bontoc Igorot by Carmencita Cawed (1972).

Ibaloy Customary Law on Land Resources by June Prill-Brett (1992).

The Igorot Mummies: A Socio-cultural and Historical Treatise by Isikias Picpican (2003).

Nabaloi Tales by C.R. Moss (1924).

Nabaloi Songs by C.R. Moss and A.L. Kroeber (1919).

The Phonology of Karao, the Philippines by Sherri Brainard (1994).

The Resource User's Knowledge, The Neglected Input in Land Resource Management: The Case of the Kankanaey Farmers in Benguet, Philippines by Maria Corazon Mendoza Lawas (1997).

Treasury of Beliefs and Home Rituals of Benguet by Wasing D. Sacla (1987).

Assessing People's Participation in Governance: The Case of Ifugao published by the for Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines College Baguio (1993).

Farmers, Loggers on Fragile Land: Changing Gender Relations in a Philippine Mountain Village by Bernadette Resurreccion-Sayo [1994].

Hudhud: UNESCO Proclaimed Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity [kit] (2005).

Ifugao: Culture and History by Lourdes S. Dulawan (2001).

The Ifugao World by Mariano A. Dumia (1979).

Ikalahan Patterns of Social Development and Their Implications for National Integration by Delbert Rice (1972), microform.

A look at the World of Indigenous Women: A Research in Selected Areas of Ifugao, Maguindanao and Bacolod City published by Center for Women's Resources, Quezon City, Philippines (1999).

Mountains of Water: The Terraces and Traditions of the Ifugao by the Moving Images Creative Team (1998), videorecording.

Oral Literature of the Ifugao by Manuel B. Dulawan (2005).

The Kalinga of Northern Luzon, Philippines by Edward P. Dozier [1967].

Kalinga Ethnoarchaeology: Expanding Archaeological Method and Theory edited by William A. Longacre and James M. Skibo (1994).

Kalinga Tattoo: ancient and Modern Expressions of the Tribal by Lars Krutak; translated from English into German by Dr. Eberhard Wormer [2010].

Kalinga Sacrifice by Jules De Raedt [1989].

Sat Kingkingwan Dat Ummuna Utdit Osan Algaw = A Book of Folk History and Customs in Limos-Kalinga, published by the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Manila, Philippines [1977].

Ullalim Banna: A Kalinga Epic sung by Gaano Laudi, from Dalupa, Pasil, Kalinga, Philippines); recorded, transcribed and translated by Ernesto Constantino (2002). 

The Algebra of the Weaving Patterns, Gong Music and Kinship System of the Kankana-ey of Mountain Province, University of the Philippines College Baguio, Discipline of Mathematics (1996).

And Now Comes... The Mountain Province Tribes by Nid Anima (1977).

The Culture of the Bontoc Igorot by Carmencita Cawed (1972).

Death and Beyond: Death & Burial Rituals & Other Practices & Beliefs of the Igorots of Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines by Dinah Elma Piluden-Omengan (2004).

Fiction in the Traditional Kankanay Society by Norma N. Lua [1984].

A History of the Mountain Province by Howard T. Fry (2006).

Indigenous Learning Systems in a Kankana-Ey Community (Mountain Province) by Wilfredo V. Alangui Godofredo P.G. Nebrija, andVladimir A. Cordero (1997).

Pechen, the Bontok Peace Pact Institution by June Prill-Brett (1987).

Ritual/life: Sagada Photographs, 1976-1982, photography by Joachim Voss ; writing by Erlyn Ruth Alcantara (2005).

Note: for more information on the Kankanaey and the Bontoc, see the box "Selected Printed Materials on the Indigenous Peoples of Benguet Province" above.

Gaddang

Bago

Illongot (Ibilao, Bugkalot)

"From the Philippines to The Field Museum: A Study of Ilongot (Bugkalot) Personal Adornment" by Sarah E. Calrson (2013), Honors Project. Paper 45. Illinois Wesleyan University.

Ilongot Headhunting, 1883-1974: A Study in Society and History by Renato Rosaldo (1980).

Ilongot Life and Legends by Laurence L. Wilson (1967).

Knowledge and Passion: Ilongot Notions of Self and Social Life by Michelle Z. Rosaldo (1980).

The Remnants of the Great Ilonggo Nation by Sebastian Sta. Cruz Serag (1997).

Isinay

Isinay Texts and Translations by Ernesto Constantino (1982).

Aeta

The Ecology of Social Boundaries: Agta Foragers of the Philippines by Jean Treloggen Peterson (1978).

Into the contra Costa by Danilo B. Galang with Victor J. Paz (2011).

Leaves on the Water: the Struggle for Survival of Pinatubo Aetas by Rufino G. Tima (2005).

Manoro: The Teacher produced & directed by Brillante Mendoza (2010), videorecording.

Population Dynamics of a Philippine Rain Forest People: the San Ildefonso Agta by John D. Early and Thomas N. Headland (1998).

Ivantan

The Glitter of Gold in Batanes Cultural Heritage by Florentino H. Hornedo (2000).

The Ibatan: A Genealogy of the People of Babuyan Claro Island  compiled by Judith Y.M. Maree (2005).

Ivatan Medical Practices by Dolores Mendoza Recio (1973).

Taming the Wind: Ethno-cultural History on the Ivatan of the Batanes Isles by Florentino H. Hornedo (2000).

Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) is an independent federation of progressive  peoples organizations, most of them grassroots-based organizations among indigenous communities in the Cordillera. CPA is committed to the promotion and defense of indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights, social justice, and national freedom and democracy.

Ivatan Laji is a project to preserve the indigenous oral poetry of the Ivatan in Batanes.  Spearheaded by journalist and poet Dorian Merina, this website contains lyrics and audio and video recordings of this art.

Kalanguya.com is created by the Kalanguya Scripture Translation Team to promote the culture and language of the Kalanguya people.  The website can be viewed in English and in the indigenous language.

KATRIBU "is the progressive party of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. Besides fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples, KATRIBU upholds the rights of the Moro peoples, and all impoverished and oppressed people in Philippine society."

Lars Krutak is a tattoo anthropologist who goes around the world documenting and studying various groups who continue their tattooing and scarification traditions.  Peruse through the articles and full episodes for his documentation on Kalinga tribal tattooing and the famed Kalinga tattoo artist Apo Whang Od.

Nordis.net is the online version of the weekly newspaper Northern Dispatch Weekly (Nordis).  It covers the news in the Ilocos, Cordillera and Cagayan Valley.

Tumayaw Village is being constructed by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur in Banayoyo to preserve the cultural heritage of the Bogo indigenous people and providing more job opportunities and skills training.  This village will be part of the eco-tourism industry growing in the Philippines. 

 Here is a list of Cordillera bloggers found on the blogsite of From the Boondocks, a news and information blog on the Igorots and the Coridllera.