 Okay, now. Christy, is this? Yes, it's on. Can you lower it a little bit? Your back a little bit. God, I can see you guys. The paper I wrote is, I have to make sure I'm qualified. Because they always ask me, why do you talk about the Igorot, Igorotka? So, I tried to look for that connection and I found it. My father is Tagalog from Malabon Resalt, the superior Tagalog who looked down on everybody, especially the Lukanu and the Visayans. So you can think, what would they think of the Igorot? That is a very strong social reality in the Philippines. I went to school here at the London School of Economics, they're very expensive, very prestigious, very post-modern school. I went to University of California, Berkeley, where I really learned what anthropology is all about. And finally, I went to school in U.P. Delimano for an English League major, and then the University of San Francisco for Doctorate in Education, bilingual multicultural health, taught and administered with the public schools in America, California, and finally ended up teaching Philippine Cultural Society at the City College of San Francisco. And so when I retired from public schools, I went back to Baguio, started a lecture series, which fortunately turned out very, very well with the help of Cordillera Scholars, Bagdaya, Nagano, Kibiten, Saboy, and now it's published, and you can take a look at it outside. And still continuing, we hope to get the next series early next year. And what I noticed was the Ibaloy Ethnolinguistic Group was not well represented in academic achievements. So I look into this and Professor Fong, who teaches Ibaloy at U.P. Baguio and I, held a conference, so we have a new book called Chiva, which means storytelling in the Ibaloy language. My topic is the origins of the word ego, you know, I'm so used as a Baguio girl to say ego rot. And when I first came here, the man at the immigration said, ma'am, what is ego rot? What? What is ego rot, Kounanakipin? Oh, I don't know what that is. This one, you said, you're going to give a talk on the ego rot. Oh, ego rot, yes, yes, ego rot. Let me get this clear in Ilocano. When the Ilocano says ego rot with the emphasis on the first word, it's bad. It's very, very loaded. Ego rot data. That means, oh boy, he's an ego rot. Ego rot iso. Oh boy, he's an ego rot. That is the Ilocano, most Ilocano perception of the ego rot. However, what I would like to tell you is both historical and psychological. Why this happened? There are three parts of my paper. Part one explores the historical background. When and why the Spaniards colonized the Philippine archipelago, colonization means the domination of one country over another territory or territories. And one of this long colonization of the archipelago meant the interaction of the Spaniards with the natives. The beginning of the word, ego rot actually started way, way back in the 1500s when the Philippines was discovered. At that time, historically, Spain and Portugal were in competition in search of the spiced trade in the Malocas. Malocas is in the Celebesi, part of Indonesia, below the Philippines, and just above New Guinea. Part two explores the historical background of how the United States of America acquired the Philippine archipelago, the reaction of the American rulers to the upland peoples of the Cordillera. And what the word, ego rot, first coined by the Spanish colonizers meant to the second colonizers, American administrators, military, and missionaries. Part three is a process of the colonization. It refers to the intellectual, the colonization coming from the colonizer's idea that made and made the colonized inferior. So what I'm talking about is events that led to the graduate chains of the word, ego rot from the 50s to the present, 2080s, and its effect on the people, on the so-called, ego rots. Historian John Philan wrote of the mindset of the Spaniards during the long quest for imperialism. Remember, the 1500s was very, very exciting, age of discovery, age of exploration, and all of Europe or Russia trying to get colonies. Spaniards, you have to know where the Spaniard is coming from. Spaniards of all classes during the 16th century were inspired by an almost limitless faith in their nation's power and prestige. The Spanish race appeared to them as God's new chosen people, the steam that executed the plans of the Providence. Spain's mission was to force the spiritual unity of all mankind by crushing the Protestants of the Old World, defending Christendom against the onslaught of the Turks, the Muslims, and spreading the gospel among the infidels of America and Asia. So you could see how the Spanish mind was really made up to conquer. It was a search for spice. The spice trade was a very lucrative business. First, the Portuguese were there, and they made a lot. Economically, it made them really very powerful because they get a lot of funds for selling the spices in Europe. The spice island, as I told you, is in the Malocas, part of Indonesia, and just above New Guinea. The Spaniards somehow had to find a way to get to the Malocas. But what happened was, Ferdinand Magellan, who you know are the person who discovered the Philippines, crossed the straits that he named formerly Estratio de Todos Rosantos, to Estratio de Magallanes, which is located at the southern Chile, separating South America to the north, and Piera del Fuego to the south. This is the most important passageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In 1490, the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople and controlled the spice trade, route that existed at that time. Western Europeans' reaction to this event was, no, they did not want to depend on a non-Christian power for their local trade with the East. Thus, the new search started, and that is how Magellan entered in the Philippine Archipelago. The Philippines at that time was just made of a few communities from a few hundred to a few thousand. There was no stopping the invasion of the Philippines. So eventually, Spanish hegemony was established. As you know, invasion is never accepted easily. This means that the practices that invaders put in place will be head burdened to the invaded. Spain, while in competition with the Dutch, made the Filipinas, bore a good deal in defending the Philippine Archipelago. Apart from that, there was also the imposition of beliefs. The Spanish occupation had emphasized the conversion of Filipinas to become Christians. And this, by the way, was their most successful venture, because 90% became Catholics, Filipinas. And that's also true as of today. The lowlands of the archipelago was first conquered. But the attempt to up to the upland proved very difficult for the Spanish. Why? Because the mountaineers put up a strong resistance. The attempt to get hold of an economic motivation, the search for gold, and the attempt to Christianize the inhabitants of the Cordillera meant territorial occupation. However, historian Philan added one more reason. Aside from the inhabitants' defense of their territory, this has to do with financing the expedition. In the face of the uncompromising story, hostility of the mountaineers, and the resistance of Manila to underwrite the expenses of a long-cost territorial occupation, various military expeditions. Expeditions in 1591, 1608, 1635 proved fruitless. During the Revolution at the end of the Spanish regime, English man John Foreman remarked, the feeble efforts displayed to conquer them only serve to demonstrate the impotence of the Europeans. The impotence of the Europeans reminds me of Professor Dandes Afroydian, but this is coming from an Englishman. William Henry Scott, Anglican law missionary and educator wrote in his article, the origin of the word igorot set. As far as the meaning of the word igorot itself, Dr. Srinivas Padre de Tibera, an Eminent Tagalog scholar at the end of the century, stated that it was really made up of the word gullot, gullot, meaning mountain chain. And then it prefix I, L, meaning people of, that it was composed of the root word gullot, meaning mountain chain. And the prefix L, meaning people of, or dwellers in. Scott explained how the word gullot eventually became a gullot. The word gullot therefore appears to be perfectly indigenous, Filipino, in origin. And this form that first appeared in Spanish records. The subsisting of the letter R for L of the word did not become popular until the 18th century, when Antonio Moser, who spelled it igorot himself in his 1763, not Asia, historical, natural, commented. Corrupted the words, they will want to call it igorot. Scott made a comment that there is no record that the people in question themselves igorots. So you do have to get that straight. This way did not come from the people, from the mountainers. They called themselves according to their eely. So if they went from an eely of bontoks, agada, kalinga, whatever, that's what they called them. They didn't call themselves igorots. The Americans' authority, however, did also find that they did not call themselves igorots. They called themselves according to their village or the eely. In 1885, the exposition. Actually, Professor Amores explained what was going on, like the St. Louis fairs, do you know about that? And what it meant. Finally, I should go to Fray, Fray, or father, Angel Perez. He wrote a book called Igorotes Geográfico etnografico sobre algunus. The Citus del Norte Lusonus from public in 1902. He came to the Philippines in 1884, and he included in his writing. But Father Diaz, another priest, Augustinian, by the way, said, the igorots are a barbaric people of little intelligent districts. They sit full cunning and cruel, a sure sign of cowardice. They are little constant in their forced religions, but they are very superstitious. They believe in the nation. They practice bigamy, marrying many women. They chip and kill with great skill. However, Scott, in his book, Discovery of the Igorots Undigital, Igorot ethnography, contradicts Father Diaz. Why? He said, igorots was known among all non-igorot observers for strict social adherence to monogamy, and all their stern death sentence for adultery, or even intimidations of adultery, except to Casimir Diaz, who practiced what he said was igorot bigamy. At the Madrid Zoological Exposition, where there were igorots exhibited with others, Dr. Josele Sal was the one who made the protest. He was, and this is what he said in a letter to Blumentrip. I wish they would all die and suffer no more. Let the Philippines forget that her sons have been treated like this, to be exhibited and ridiculed with animals and plants. Remember, it's a zoological exhibition. The mindset of the Americans and the Spaniards showed a similarity. However, the methods of employing their aims there was a big difference. The Spaniards, of course, were only successful in terms of the religious, of the introduction of religion, Christianity, which by the way, Christianity means civilized. And if you're not a Christian, you're a pagan, then you're uncivilized. You have to remember that distinction, who is civilized and who is uncivilized. The United States was emerging as a world power in the beginning of the century. And in a battle where the Spaniards easily took the Philippines and Philippines was easily annexed at the Treaty of Paris. Here is American imperialism, challenging Philippine nationalism. And the Philippine-American war was a brutal war, something that we really are not aware of, but it was brutal. By the time the Americans took over the Philippines, the word igorod had native connotations. This is the perception first of some Spaniards, but with the colonizers, second colonizers. One of them was still that Professor Amores said. When he went to the Philippines, he said that the Bontuk igorods were honest and truthful. So he was on the positive side of defining what an igorod is. He also mentioned the shortcomings of the lowland, and this is why he was so gung-ho on separating the two groups, lowlanders and the uplanders. One of the Americans who was very successful was Jeff Galman. He was brave, he was a fighter, and he was honest, and he was a strict disciplinarian. And in American view of the Philippines, what came out was Jeff Galman up to the present is quite a character. They always referred to him as Manganonne Galman, meaning, leave it to Galman, he'll solve it for you very well. Finally, I'd like to talk about the lowland perception, and this will not take long because my time is almost up. One of the most devastating events was when a very well-known journalist, diplomat from Camilinta Lac, said in his book, Mother America, the igorods are not Filipinos. Really, that was a very strong statement. Of course, people objected to that. The other one was Baguio X Mejo, who said, the igorods are dirty. They urinate everywhere. They are deceitful. You have to be careful. One of the worst things that happened is when a UP graduate, a female lowlander of media popularity, said, I am not an igorod. I am a human being. So you could see that the stigma, the putting down of igorods, continued with the lowlanders. The designation of igorods as pagans and civilized, immoral, et cetera, et cetera, apparently added more negative connotations to present non-igorods. By the way, when I'm talking about igorods, I'm talking of the inhabitants of Benguet. I'm confining that. And also to the mountain province. In Benguet, that would be the Ibaloi de Cancana in the Caramuia. And in the mountain province, it would be Cancanais, speakers, and others. One of the things that came to my attention was what Albert Bacda, I am, said, do you know of the closet igorods? What is a closet igorod? A closet igorod is an igorod who denies his identity, his or her identity. That's why he's hiding in the closet. That happened with the older generation, mostly. Not all, but mostly. However, with the younger generation, as Professor Amores showed you, there is a resurgence of pride in being an igorod. There is, at present time, a continuing consciousness of what is known as decolonization. And even Gerald Hinnin, who wrote the book on igorod consciousness, testified to the fact that, yes, beginning in the 50s, organizations, political, as well as other, social, meant that the igorods were beginning to be conscious that they are not lesser of their brothers in the lowland, but they are just as good as their brothers in the lowlands. Now it is now 2018, and what can we say about the status of the igorod? In the city of Baguio, where I was born, I grew up, in the 50s, the B-buck that Professor Amores also mentioned became very active, they became very political. When they went overseas, because they're hard workers, they were very successful, and one of the most successful examples I found was when I was doing my research on Kabunyan in Kabayan, and I saw this calendar, it says, Putin, I said, who is Putin? Ah-ha, he has an office in Germany, in London, et cetera. I said, what does he do? Ah-ha, he's a businessman, very successful, I said. So you could see that, what I'm saying is that the igorods have gone a long way, they have become equal, and actually some of them are better than the lowland brothers. I also want to share with you the daughter of Albert Bagdian, who recently became a judge in New York, an igorod judge in New York and a woman at that, so I think that says a lot. Thank you for listening, and questions. Pardon a little late, so we have about five minutes to open the door, your questions. Who is the brave soul who wants to ask a question? Come on guys, you're wasting time. Pardon, so if igorod or igorod began as a simple descriptive term, when and why did it turn into a pejorative? When and why it turned into a igorod? Into a pejorative, into an insult. I told you it was Mosul, who coined that word, igorod, and changed the air to air. That's not my question. That's your question. It started off as a descriptive term, simple descriptive term, people who live in the mountains. When and why did it turn into a pejorative, into an insulting term? I can answer it. Thank you for helping, she thought. Good morning, sir. I could help answer that, because I've also been doing some research. And in my research, it has been known that the igorods have been resilient to the Spanish conquest. And so if the Spaniards would build villages in the lowlands and in the highlands, the igorods would come and burn these churches. And so the Spanish have labeled them barbaric, they are difficult, they are oppressed in the world. They do not succumb to what we want. So the term, until now, a bit, it has stuck a little bit, also because when they were going around Cordilleras looking for the gold that they found in the lowlands, they asked the lowlanders, where is your gold coming from? So the lowlanders said it's from the igorods, so they followed these igorods looking for the mountain gold, but they didn't have it easy as well. So because of the resilience of the igorods, the fights or the expeditions that was from the Spanish expeditions to the mountains of the Cordilleras didn't succeed, didn't turn as they hoped. And so this history was kept in their books. It wasn't out in the open, like in the Philippine histories, it wasn't. So they labeled us igorods as barbaric, as I've said. So it's stuck a little throughout the centuries as well. So was the problem a failure of political control or a thing to convert the igorods? Yes, it's both.