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• Origins and Migrations:

  • Original inhabitants in the Cordillera are a result of migrations for varied reasons and in different times before and after Spanish arrival
  • Ibalo y came from nearby Pangasinan
  • Kankanaey of Benguet and Mountain Province, Bontoks, and Tingguians came from Ilocos
  • Isneg came from coastal Cagayan
  • Southern Apayao and Kalinga came from the lower Chico River in the border of Kalinga and Cagayan
  • Mining activities explain the movement to Lepanto area and Itogon in pre-Spanish times
  • Some moved to the mountains of Cordillera as "runaways" or to avoid Spanish rule
• Highlander Territories:

  • Highlander territories extended to the lowlands of today's Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, Isabela, Pangasinan, La Union, and Ilocos
  • Highlanders were scattered as numerous and autonomous villages, described as "tribus independientes" by the Spaniards
• Colonialism, Resistance, and Naming (1600s - 1898):

  • Spaniards penetrated the region from both east and west for colonial interests
  • Igorot responses to Spanish military expeditions included retreat into deeper parts of the mountain, resulting in population dispersions and muddled ethnic distinctions
  • By the late 1890s, most highlanders remained pagans
  • Ferdinand Blumentritt listed 36 "tribes" of Northern Luzon, around 13 of which are found within the Cordillera
  • Spaniards adopted geographic identifications like Ygolottes, Tingguians, and Mandaya
• American paternalism, Administrative Grid, and Ethnic Classification (1898 - 1941):

  • American pacification campaign combined military and civil approaches
  • Resistance in Lepanto-Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Apayao
  • Trail and road building accompanied military expeditions
  • Americans reinforced earlier highland identities and modified others
  • Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes (BNCT) was organized to produce research about the region and the people
  • American officials reinforced labels such as Igorot, non-Christians, tribes, wild, and headhunters
• Admin grid and identity making:

  • Administrative organization added to the layers of identity making
  • Mountain Province was the home of non-Christian tribes perceived as less civilized
  • American political organization reflected earlier Spanish Commandancia-Politico-Militares
  • Some ethnolinguistic groups found themselves across separate provinces due to administrative boundaries
• Discomfort with Igorot:

  • Unfavorable connotations attached to the Igorot label led to prejudices and discrimination
  • By the 1930s, there was a growing aversion from Igorots themselves to the term, preferring alternatives like "mountaineer" or "native"
  • An organization of professionals called BIB KA preferred the term "native" over "Igorot"
• During the 2nd World War, the first Igorot was appointed as Governor of Mountain Province
• The term "Cultural Minorities" was introduced as an official state label for what used to be Non-Christians, aiming to transition these groups to become part of the mainstream Filipino population
• In 1936, the Commonwealth government abolished the BNCT, removing the last vestige of government special protection of the non-Christian s
• Dr. Hilary Pitapit Clapp from Bontoc was designated as Governor during the Japanese rule, but disappeared and was presumed killed by guerilla members
• The Commission for National Integration (CNI) was created to facilitate the integration of highlanders into mainstream society, offering a scholarship program
• In 1958, Congressman Louis Hora filed a bill in congress to prohibit the use of "Igorot" in printed materials, supporting the use of "highlander" instead
• In 1966, Mountain Province was subdivided into 4 new provinces: Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao, and a new Mountain Province covering the Bontoc territory
• Under PD No. 1 of 1972, Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao were placed under Region II while Benguet and Mountain Province were placed under Region I
• The opposition to the Chico River dam project and logging activities in the 1970s and 1980s led to the revival of Igorot consciousness and resistance against these projects
• The Cordillera Peoples' Liberation Army (CPLA) led by Father Balweg and a breakaway group of the NPA advocated for an autonomous Cordillera due to the treatment of national minorities
• The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 granted collective and individual rights to indigenous people, encouraging the registration and assertion of ethnic identities
• The National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP) was created to oversee the affairs of Indigenous Peoples, replacing the old offices of ONCC and OSCC
• Despite various groups asserting their separate identities, people of the region are generally identified as Igorot, with Cordilleran occasionally used in the campaign for autonomy
• The aspiration for regional autonomy was successfully lobbied and included in Section 14 of Article X of the Philippine Constitution, leading to the establishment of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in 1987
• The Cordillera region includes the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao, Mountain Province, the chartered city of Baguio, and Abra, which joined its mountain neighbors for the first time since the American ethnic and administrative classification in the early 1900s
• The IPRA granted a definitive ownership of land to indigenous people through the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) and the Certificate of Ancestral Land Title (CALT)
• The IPRA led to the registration and assertion of ethnic identities, with more groups emerging to assert their separate identities while still generally being identified as Igorot
• The Cordillera region was named after the Cordillera Central mountains, and the term Cordilleran competed with Igorot as an identity in the 1980s and 1990s
• The Cordillera Peoples' Liberation Army (CPLA) led by Father Balweg signed a peace agreement with the Aquino government, leading to the establishment of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) through Executive Order No. 220 in 1987