The Mystique of the Filipino Highlands

The Pearl of the Orient has had its stint of adventures in terms of clashing and blending cultures inspired by both colonizers and the indigenous varieties that make up the "Country of Islands".
Philippines is vast in its diversified ethnicity that can span the Filipino bloodlines into a culmination of many different nationalities which is present both physically and culturally should anyone traverse the vast plains of true Filipino Culture. There are the Chinese, the Spanish, the Visayan, the Ilocanos and the Muslims which are amongst the 126,000 different cultures and sub-cultures that make up the general knowledge of the Filipino flavor but in reality there are many more for even in the Philippines, there are Highlanders.
The Igorot culture is very strange and spiritual, more concentrated on tribal affairs than trade, they are the core producers of the country's vegetable and fruit distribution coming from verdant mountains littered in every assortment of greenery the country has to offer. The famous Banawe Rice Terraces is a shining example of their achievements as a people since “Igorot” is a general name for the various mountain tribes of current Baguio City, Benguet , Mountain Province, Sagada, Mankayan and Ifugao - all northern parts of the country. The power of this shamanistic culture comes from its vague traditions and ancient mythology of the great creator God “Kabunyan”- their omnipotent deity.
The men wear a garb covering called a “Ba’ag/Bahag” on their groin akin loin cloth coverings like most parts of the tribal world; woven from cotton and thick thread in their clan’s colors (each clan has its own design and color scheme) whilst brandishing a long wooden spear with iron barbed tip common to the Igorot people. The women wear a skirt of similar texture called a “Tapis” and usually wear coffee bean beads or wooden bead accessories on their person aside from the traditional tattoos that grace both men and woman to depict their great deeds and status in their society. The tattoos hold great significant importance as they represent the prowess and strength of a warrior in men (those covered all over their body means they have gone to war countless times and won) while depicting the higher castes for the women (those covered in tattoos usually are the chieftain’s daughters or family, marrying into them gains you their status.) The main staple for an Igorot’s diet is rice and vegetables as they grow their food and hunt only when blessed with enough wild game in their part of the forest.
They are regarded as the Spartans of the Philippines for bearing close similarities in terms of battle prowess, weapon choice and natural gift of war and strength. They are people who brave fierce typhoons that ravage the country in the monsoon seasons and are adept craftsmen who build huts and coffins out of tree husks. They are the also one of the only people to mummify their dead and place them in “hanging coffins” such as those seen in Sagada.