Two Images of a Bontoc Igorot Man – 05.02.004.IMG_WEMP.MetamorphosisOfBontocIgorot.1914.PD.DeanWorcester

These images represent one justification for “Manifest Destiny” and the US’s colonization of the Philippines. The transition of the barefoot boy on the left to the respectable doctor on the right romanticized the “civilizing” impact of colonial expansion without regard for the loss of indigeneity.

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The Asian American Studies Center acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, So. Channel Islands) and pay our respects to the honuukvetam (ancestors), ‘ahiihirom (elders), and ‘eyoohiinkem (relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging.

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