THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
This chapter consists of the Background of the Problem, Statement of the Problem, Assumptions, Significance of the Study, Scope and Limitations and Definition of Terms.
Background of the Problem
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. It is sometimes incorrectly named Mountain in some foreign references. The name is also incorrectly shortened by locals to Mt. Province which in turn is read by native Anglophones as “Mount Province.” Mountain Province is subdivided into ten (10) municipalities; one of them is Bontoc, the provincial capital.
Based on the 2000 census survey, 52% of the population of the Bontoc are Kankanaey. The Kankanaey is one of the five ethnolinguistic groups that make up the Igorots. The other four are the Bontocs, Ibaloi, Isneg (or Apayao), and Kalinga.
“Igorot” is a term used to describe the indigenous people of the Cordillera Mountains located in the northern part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They inhabit the six provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province.
Although Igorots are Filipinos “geographically,” there are several factors in their culture that make them unique, like their own languages, their own government (the Cordillera Administrative Region), their own clothing, and their cuisine. (http://rexcrisanto.com/ik-cause/who-are-igorots)
Culture is one of the elements in people’s ways of life that normally remains unchanged. It distinguished human beings’ lifestyles and dictates one’s relationship with other people. Culture makes individuals, families and tribal group unique. But foreign influences and education have reshaped people’s cultures in various degrees. The Igorots, however, were not colonized by the Spaniards during their 333-year stay in the Philippines.
The culture of a region can become a tourist destination; this is called “cultural tourism”. Cultural tourism is
Bibliography: Books Carmencita Cawed,(1972) The Culture of the Bontoc Igorot, R.P.Garcia Publishing Company Manila p.1 Tomas D. Andres, (2004) Understanding the values of the Bontoc and the Bakun Igorot Book Giraffe Books: Quezon City William Henry Scott, (1962) “The Word Igorot”, Philippines studies, vol. 10, No.2 April 1962, p.235 Igorot by heart, (2011) keynotes and selctions of a generation John Dyte et.al (Igorot Global Orgabization) p.66 Dina Elma Piluden-Omengan, (2004) Death and beyond Copy wright Websites http//freewebs.com/shaley/Igorotcuisine.htm www.bohol.ph/books/bi/bi.htm#doe6330