Missions of the provinces of Ilocos and Pangasinan in general
[Mozo states that the two provinces of Pampanga and Pangasinan were so
populous that, "of those whom our forefathers converted in these two
provinces alone are counted more than one hundred and fifty thousand
souls--who, settled in villages, and maintained in a very civilized
and Christian society, hold their own on the frontier of the infidels;
for their territory allows them no alternative, shut in on one side
by the sea, and on the other by very rugged mountains."]
Four very noted tribes, three of them very extensive and populous,
the fourth of more restricted territory and containing fewer souls--in
which last the enemy [of souls], strongly fortified, has resisted
for long ages--have been the aim to which the zeal and fervor of the
evangelical ministers have been directed. The said tribes dwell among
mountain ranges that are very extensive, lofty, and rugged--which,
stretching from the province of Pampanga and bordering that of
Pangasinan, run throughout Ilocos, through a space, with bends and
turns, of about a hundred leguas. [30] The first of these tribes is
called Igolot, and, corrupting the letters, they are wont to call
it Igorrot; their territory occupies about thirty leguas, from the
confines of Pampanga to those of the province of Ilocos. Contiguous
to this tribe is another which is called Tinggian, not less numerous;
and it extends for a distance of about forty leguas along the same
mountains, even trenching upon the province of Ilocos. Then comes
another, called Apayao, [31] extending about thirty leguas, which
consists of many thousands of souls; and at one side dwell another
tribe, called Adang, which has fewer people, but, for the very reason
that they find themselves less powerful, they have their dwellings
in places almost inaccessible--maintaining (as do the three others)
their own different dialect. Of the said four tribes, the first
and third are to a great degree cruel and barbarous; but the second
and third, although sufficiently obstinate, are more tractable. It
is said that the Igolot tribe are a caste of those Chinese who
had come over with the pirate Limahon to conquer those islands;
and, being conquered, he escaped with those whom he could gather,
those who could taking refuge in these mountains, in which they have
multiplied exceedingly. Besides the reasons which favor this opinion,
it is apparently confirmed by their appearance; for, although they go
about naked, and are subjected to every inclemency of the weather,
they nevertheless greatly resemble the Chinese in the light color
and gracefulness of their bodies, especially in the eyes, in which
there is a close likeness between them. Their fierceness and cruelty
is unequaled; their only desire is to take captives, in order to
have slaves for their service, and, when they have enough of these,
to kill whomever they encounter. For this reason, without a strong
escort one cannot pass, except with great danger, through the upper
part of those mountains; and even the villages are so infested with
them that as a precaution they always keep some men armed to resist
these marauders--at night stationing a sentinel with his drum, who
is changed during the daytime--throughout that mountain range. And
because in every place our natives (especially if they are away from
the village) are so harassed by the Igolots, therefore when they go to
sow their grain or gather their crops they erect high sentry-posts,
from which they can see if the enemy are coming; and those who work
keep the sickle in one hand and a weapon in the other--as we are told
of the Israelites when in the time of Esdras they were building the
walls of Jerusalem.... And even when they do this, they are not safe
from the fury of these savages. Such was the ferocity of this tribe,
in which they continued until the past year of 1755, and in such
manner did they try the patience of all those villages.
The tribe adjoining this one, called Tingguian, are more gentle and
more industrious, and maintain a much more civilized condition,
because they have much intercourse with the Christians in whose
vicinity they live; and for the same reason they are more open to
the teachings of the religious. And although so far as concerns the
acceptance of baptism they have continued very obstinate, for many
years refusing to allow a religious to live among them, yet always
it has been a very satisfactory harvest [of souls] which annually
has been gathered and united with the Christians, as may be seen by
the certificate of the reverend father provincial which is presented
above; speaking of the Tingguians, he states that in only two years one
hundred and fifty-six infidels had been converted to our holy faith
by the religious of the villages near by--which has always been the
fact, sometimes more and sometimes fewer. With such a drop of comfort
as this, the ministers were consoled--who, not finding any hindrance
in going from time to time to visit those savages, went in and out,
carried away by their holy zeal. And although, when the fathers talked
to them about our holy law, they would reply that the time for it had
not yet come for them, nor was it possible to overcome their caprices
by any arguments, nevertheless there was always one person here, or
another there, who was made ready to receive the heavenly influences.
The third tribe, which is the one called Apayao, not only does
not remain behind the Igolot in cruelty, bloodthirstiness, and
barbarism, but in a great degree surpasses it. For not only are
its men continually going about, placing a thousand ambushes in the
roads, in order to exercise their rage on the wretches who have the
misfortune to fall into their hands, without sparing any person, no
matter of what rank or condition he may be; but they have, besides,
a specially barbaric custom and cruel superstition at the funerals
and obsequies of their chiefs and other persons whom they respect,
in every way very similar to that which for many centuries the Greeks
practiced at the death of their heroes, and other persons of rank,
before and after the so celebrated destruction of Troya. [Here Mozo
makes a long digression regarding the customs of the ancient Greeks and
Romans in killing slaves or other people at the death of a prominent
person.] These [Apayao] barbarians, then, are wont to celebrate the
funerals and obsequies of their dead, although not promiscuously of
all, but only those of their chiefs and other persons to whom they
pay respect; and because they believe that the shades [manes] of the
deceased take delight in human blood, they endeavor to give them this
pleasure by killing people--a greater or less number, according to
the station of the dead man. To do so, they avail themselves only
of those whom they capture for this purpose, and these they go out
to seek with great diligence, as soon as the dying man has ceased
to breathe. In order that they may not lack these captives, they
assemble a considerable number of men, and, some taking one road and
some another, they go down from the mountains well armed, and, hiding
in the brushwood near the roads, they wait very silently for some
passers-by; and, as soon as they discover such persons, they attack
them with great fury, and kill them with their javelins on the very
spot. This done, the assailants cut off their heads, and laden with
these (leaving the bodies there) they carry them to their own dead,
and place the heads about him. After this they celebrate their sort
of banquet, at which they eat and drink like beasts; and when this is
finished they complete the burial. Placing in the tomb some portion of
food and drink, they bury the corpse with those heads, being greatly
pleased and satisfied at having pleased the shades of their dead,
and believing that through this whatever they may undertake will have
a prosperous issue.
[Mozo recalls the scanty results of missionary work among these savage
tribes in the early days. "In the year 1660, when Don Diego de Salcedo
was governor of these islands, two religious escorted by some soldiers
entered the territory of the Igorrots, and in a place called Cayam
[32] they established a small military post with a church, which
they dedicated to the archangel St. Michael; and from this place
they began with apostolic zeal to preach to those tribes the holy
name of God, but the harvest of souls which they could obtain was
exceedingly small...." A little while after the said religious had
made this entrance, the soldiers became sick through the insalubrity
of the region, and the barbarians threatened to cut them into pieces
if they did not immediately go away from that place. Accordingly, not
having sufficient force to resist, the fathers were obliged to yield to
this opposition, and retired with much sadness, taking with them such
persons as they had baptized. From that time until recent years, none
of the various attempts to found a mission there had been successful,
although occasional converts were made among those tribes. Among the
Apayaos and Tingguians also this experience was repeated; only within
recent years had they allowed the religious to labor among them,
a few, however, being converted by missionaries in villages near them.]