Produced by Jeroen HellingmanThe Bontoc Igorotby Albert Ernest JenksLetter of TransmittalDepartment of the Interior The Ethnological SurveyMANILA FEBRUARY 3 1904Sir I have the honor to submit a study of the Bontoc Igorot madefor this Survey during the year 1903 It is transmitted with therecommendation that it be published as Volume I of a series ofscientific studies to be issued by The Ethnological Survey for thePhilippine IslandsRespectfullyAlbert Ernst JenksCHIEF OF THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEYHon Dean C WorcesterSECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR MANILA P IPrefaceAfter an expedition of two months in September October and November1902 among the people of northern Luzon it was decided that the Igorotof Bontoc pueblo in the Province of LepantoBontoc are as typical ofthe primitive mountain agriculturist of Luzon as any group visited andthat ethnologic investigations directed from Bontoc pueblo would enablethe investigator to show the culture of the primitive mountaineer ofLuzon as well as or better than investigations centered elsewhereAccompanied by Mrs Jenks the writer took up residence in Bontocpueblo the 1st of January 1903 and remained five months Thefollowing data were gathered during that Bontoc residence the previousexpedition of two months and a residence of about six weeks amongthe Benguet IgorotThe accompanying illustrations are mainly from photographs Some ofthem were taken in April 1903 by Hon Dean C Worcester Secretaryof the Interior others are the work of Mr Charles Martin Governmentphotographer and were taken in January 1903 the others were madeby the writer to supplement those taken by Mr Martin whose timewas limited in the area Credit for each photograph is given withthe halftone as it appearsI wish to express my gratitude for the many favors of the only otherAmericans living in Bontoc Province during my stay there namelyLieutenantGovernor Truman K Hunt MD Constabulary Lieutenant nowCaptain Elmer A Eckman and Mr William F Smith American teacherIn the following pages native words have their syllabic divisionsshown by hyphens and their accented syllables and vowels marked in thevarious sections wherein the words are considered technically for thefirst time and also in the vocabulary in the last chapter In allother places they are unmarked A later study of the language mayshow that errors have been made in writing sentences since it wasnot always possible to get a consistent answer to the question as towhat part of a sentence constitutes a single word and time was toolimited for any extensive language study The following alphabet hasbeen used in writing native wordsA as in FAR Spanish RAMOA as in LAW as O in French ORAY as AI in AISLE Spanish HAYAO as OU in OUT as AU in Spanish AUTOB as in BAD Spanish BAJARCH as in CHECK Spanish CHICOD as in DOG Spanish DARE as in THEY Spanish HALLEE as in THEN Spanish COMENF as in FIGHT Spanish FIRMARG as in GO Spanish GOZARH as in HE Tagalog BAHAYI as in PIQUE Spanish HIJOI as in PICKK as in KEENL as in LAMB Spanish LENTEM as in MAN Spanish MENOSN as in NOW Spanish JABONNG as in FINGER Spanish LENGUAO as in NOTE Spanish NOSOTROSOI as in BOILP as in POOR Spanish PEROQ as CH in German ICHS as in SAUCE Spanish SORDOSH as in SHALL as CH in French CHARMERT as in TOUCH Spanish TOMARU as in RULE Spanish UNOU as in BUTU as in German KUHLV as in VALVE Spanish VOLVERW as in WILL nearly as OU in French OUIY as in YOU Spanish YAIt seems not improper to say a word here regarding some of my commonestimpressions of the Bontoc IgorotPhysically he is a cleanlimbed wellbuilt darkbrown man of mediumstature with no evidence of degeneracy He belongs to that extensivestock of primitive people of which the Malay is the most commonlynamed I do not believe he has received any of his characteristicsas a group from either the Chinese or Japanese though this theoryhas frequently been presented The Bontoc man would be a savage ifit were not that his geographic location compelled him to become anagriculturist necessity drove him to this art of peace In everydaylife his actions are deliberate but he is not lazy He is remarkablyindustrious for a primitive man In his agricultural labors he hasstrength determination and endurance On the trail as a cargadoror burden bearer for Americans he is patient and uncomplaining andearns his wage in the sweat of his brow His social life is lowlyand before marriage is most primitive but a man has only one wife towhom he is usually faithful The social group is decidedly democraticthere are no slaves The people are neither drunkards gamblersnor sportsmen There is little color in the life of the Igorothe is not very inventive and seems to have little imagination Hischief recreation  certainly his mostenjoyed and highly prizedrecreation  is headhunting But headhunting is not the passionwith him that it is with many Malay peoplesHis religion is at base the most primitive religion known  animismor spirit belief  but he has somewhere grasped the idea of one godand has made this belief in a crude way a part of his lifeHe is a very likable man and there is little about his primitivenessthat is repulsive He is of a kindly disposition is not servileand is generally trustworthy He has a strong sense of humor He isdecidedly friendly to the American whose superiority he recognizesand whose methods he desires to learn The boys in school are quickand bright and their teacher pronounces them superior to Indian andMexican children he has taught in Mexico Texas and New Mexico1Briefly I believe in the future development of the Bontoc Igorotfor the following reasons He has an exceptionally fine physique forhis stature and has no vices to destroy his body He has couragewhich no one who knows him seems ever to think of questioning heis industrious has a bright mind and is willing to learn Hisinstitutions  governmental religious and social  are notradically opposed to those of modern civilization  as for instanceare many institutions of the Mohammedanized people of Mindanao andthe Sulu Archipelago  but are such it