Ebook: The mythology of the Ifugaos

The Ifugao call themselves as i-pugao or “inhabitants of the known earth”; other variations of the name are Ifugaw, Ipugao, and Yfugao. They live primarily in the province of Ifugao in Central Cordillera, in Northern Luzon. The name is supposed to have come from ipugo which means “from the hill.” The Amganad Ifugao (Ifugaw) populate the central part of Ifugao Province and has two dialects: Burnay and Banaue. Additionally, their name is synonymous with the famous man-made Banaue Rice Terraces in northern Luzon, which had once been hailed the “eighth wonder of the world”, and attributed to their engineering knowledge and agricultural terracing. Historically, Ifugao was one of the places in the Archipelago least influenced by the Spaniards, even though they did venture into Ifugao territory; the Spaniards were unable to transform their culture and values.