Driving around Baguio and the towns of Benguet, one sees this sticker at the back of a vehicle, “Igorotak,” sometimes with a drawing of a chubby boy in g-strings, holding a spear with one hand. I also meet a couple of young people, wearing T-shirts with this lettering, “Igorotak.” This is interesting! I wonder why? Living in a multi-cultural environment, do we, Igorots, feel that we’re losing our identity? Do we feel we have to assert ourselves more?
Shouting to people, in whatever way, that “I’m an Igorot” (Igorotak) can mean several things. It can mean I’m proud of my identity, and that, please, don’t mistake me to be a lowlander. I belong to these beautiful mountains of the Cordilleras, with its unique climate in a tropical land, its peculiar flora and fauna. I’m original here, not a migrant to these mountains. It can also mean that I actually feel inferior to others, to lowlanders, to migrants, to outsiders. My shouting to others, “Igorotak” is my way of compensating my inferiority complex. It’s like beating an empty drum to make a big sound.
Most Igorots are comfortable with their identity. They neither feel superior or inferior about it. It’s a given fact of life. Others are Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Koreans and even mestizos. That’s fine! And I’m an Igorot. That’s also fine! Sometimes, it’s the outsider who is not comfortable with Igorot identity. Once, an Igorot lady told me that when she was working with someone from Manila, she was advised by that person never to tell people down there that she was an Igorot. She can say she’s from Baguio or whatever, but not that she’s a native Igorot. She wondered why? So, it’s non-Igorots who are ashame of Igorot identity, not the Igorots themselves!
In any case, being comfortable with one’s identity is important. It is accepting what God has made us to be. And, when we accept ourselves, we accept others too for what God made them to be. There is no question here of superiority or inferiority. It’s simply that God created us all uniquely, and we all complement one another. This is reflected in nature! Look at the Cordilleras. There are high mountains and deep valleys; there are majestic pine trees and lovely fern trees; there are places with colder climes and others, warmer. All reflect the greatness and goodness of God!
Shouting to people, in whatever way, that “I’m an Igorot” (Igorotak) can mean several things. It can mean I’m proud of my identity, and that, please, don’t mistake me to be a lowlander. I belong to these beautiful mountains of the Cordilleras, with its unique climate in a tropical land, its peculiar flora and fauna. I’m original here, not a migrant to these mountains. It can also mean that I actually feel inferior to others, to lowlanders, to migrants, to outsiders. My shouting to others, “Igorotak” is my way of compensating my inferiority complex. It’s like beating an empty drum to make a big sound.
Most Igorots are comfortable with their identity. They neither feel superior or inferior about it. It’s a given fact of life. Others are Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Koreans and even mestizos. That’s fine! And I’m an Igorot. That’s also fine! Sometimes, it’s the outsider who is not comfortable with Igorot identity. Once, an Igorot lady told me that when she was working with someone from Manila, she was advised by that person never to tell people down there that she was an Igorot. She can say she’s from Baguio or whatever, but not that she’s a native Igorot. She wondered why? So, it’s non-Igorots who are ashame of Igorot identity, not the Igorots themselves!
In any case, being comfortable with one’s identity is important. It is accepting what God has made us to be. And, when we accept ourselves, we accept others too for what God made them to be. There is no question here of superiority or inferiority. It’s simply that God created us all uniquely, and we all complement one another. This is reflected in nature! Look at the Cordilleras. There are high mountains and deep valleys; there are majestic pine trees and lovely fern trees; there are places with colder climes and others, warmer. All reflect the greatness and goodness of God!
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