Figure 1.--This is a group of Ifugao children in Nueva Vizcaya, north central Luzon, we think about 1930. They live in the Cordillera Adminisrative Region and were fascinated by Underwood & Underwood photographers working in their area. Underwood & Underwood were a major American producer of stereoscopic viewcards and as that markeet delined became a a pioneer in the news bureau photography. The Ifugao are best known for their scenic agriculturaln terraces. In their mountanous redout, terracing was a way of creating productive farm land, including the iocinnic Banaue rice terraces. The Ifugao were part of the overall Igorot tribal community. It was also the area Japanese Gen. Yamashita retreated to in the final months of the Pacifuc War (1945).

The Philippines is a large sprawling Archepelago. This different tibal groups developed on the various islands. Thre are avout ten major tribal grouos. The major tribes include the Negrito (Luzon and Leyte), Igorot (Luzon), Mangyan (Mindoro), Palawan tribes, Panay (Ati and other Panay tribes), Negros (Ati and Panay tribes), and Mindanao (Lumad and Bajau). These major tribeal groupings are collectives of many much smaller tribes. Thus the total number if tribes is about 150. Until the arrival of the Spanish these tribes ofen did not commonly consider themselves to be related peoples. And there was sometimes violent intra-tribal conflit. It is only in modern times that tribal realtiins have been discovered, primarily through linguistic studies. Of course DNA analysis opens up new methods to study these relations. In more pratical terms, threats from the larger Filipino society has encouraged the various tribal groups to band together to protect their rights.

Created: 3:36 AM 5/18/2022
Last updated: 2:38 AM 8/23/2024