The Igorot struggle for independence: William Henry Scott.

mineral wealth, implies a great population. If they were few and
not disposed to cooperate among themselves, they would not have
been able to resist becoming Christians and obedient vassals until
now.
"Although their agriculture is most primitive, they do not
have those duties, sometimes enforced, which the Christians havelike government service, running messages, making roads, attending church, and various tasks incompatible with working and
cultivating their fields. Those who live by working in the gold,
copper and iron mines care little about making fields. And why
should they wear themselves out in agriculture when the gold,
knives and pots they produce suffice for everything? But from this
it is not to be concluded that their land is completely barren and
miserable, for it abounds in precious materials.
The fact is that the Igorots are contented with it, and
that it costs the missionaries much battling, strife and diligence to
get them out of their lands and make them live among Christians.
They give many reasons for not coming down. They say that the
towns of the Christians are very hot, that there is much smallpox
and many epidemics, that there are crimes, robberies and conflicts
between people, and that there are many to give orders and make
the poor people work. Much less are the tribute, monopoly, and
government officials hidden from them. And even though they also
have to be subject to the whims of their leaders up there, these
are lighter and they can evade them. In short, they do not envy
the products and conveniences of the Christians, and only seek
free trade in blankets, G-strings and animals for their gold. And
with this alone they keep themselves perfectly happy in their
mountains."
This independent attitude would not have been so objectionable if it had been kept in aloof isolation on the heights of the
Cordillera. But the fact was that the Igorots. came and went to the
lowlands as they pleased. It was galling enough that they raided
tribute-paying Spanish subjects and carried off lowland heads-or
even whole lowlanders as slaves or objects of ransom. But what was
worse was that these depredations did not interrupt 350 years of
lowland commercial cooperation with them.

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