The Igorot Headhunters: Are they really headhunters?

Igorots are known as the head hunters of the Philippines.  They have been mistakenly recognized also as the people who have tails.  By that, people perhaps mean the G_strings that the Igorot men had worn many years ago.

Today, in this modern world, you seldom see any man wearing the G-string except for especial occasions when it is a must use costume..  The G-strings are now considered a thing in the past to the new generation who have never worn the G-string. 

In the olden days, there were parts of the cordillera region where even other Igorots feared and considered places to avoid because of the tribal wars and the belief that some residents kidnap people who are strangers in their place.  We call them "BUSO" which means headhunters who prey on the residents of other places.  There were cases when people just disappeared without a trace and that was what we always feared when we were kids. 

In the 60s up to early 70s, we weren't allowed to travel to distant places except with the company of elders or other people.  There was always the fear of someone waylaying travelers on the way.  It was not advisable for a lone woman to travel.

If you want to read more about headhunting, here’s a link:

The Headhunters of the Cordilleras

The Igorot Way of Honoring the Dead

Igorots have high regard and respect to their dead.  The wake is very important.  The wake is a very significant event that needs special attention from all the community people. As soon as a member of a family dies, donations of all kinds from every household are brought to the aggrieved family. The community people try their best to make things easier for the grieving family. Aside from money and donations in kind, the aggrieved family will get the best help from all the people. The Igorots are very organized in times of calamities. Everybody is willing to give a hand in whatever way they can. There are always things to be done like preparing the food, washing the dishes and others.  At night time when the workers have come from work, they will always go and pay their last respect to the dead.

While the dead in the cities and other parts of the world are left in the care of funeral homes, the Igorots take care of their own dead at home.

The coffin is usually made by the men and the dead is usually buried in the yard. Today because there are cemeteries, most people bury their dead in the cemeteries.

My grandparents were all buried in their yard but my mother and father were buried in the cemetery. You would be surprised to see a tomb in the middle of the rice terraces or a tomb just in front of the house, because this is a part of the igorot culture.  Although in the modern world, people are advised to bury their dead in the cemetery for health reasons. This is not strictly enforced since culture cannot be altered.

The interment is considered a holiday in the community. People will not go to work because they have to attend the burial first before going to work. You can see at least one member of each family giving cash or in kind to the aggrieved family during the burial day; it could be rice, sugar, or anything in order to give aid to the family in need.

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