NEGRITOS AND DUMAGATS

Ang Dumagat ay isa sa mga katutubo o etnikong ng Pilipinas. Kasama sa mga kauri nila

ang Ayta, Mangyan, Negrito. Ang Dumagat ay isa sa mahalagang pangkat upang pagtuunan ng pag-

aaral ng pinagmulan ng lahing kayumanggi sa Pilipinas sa dahilang sila ang isa sa unang pangkat ng tao

na nakarating sa kapuluang Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng pagtawid sa tulay na lupa.

Ang salitang "Dumagat" ay nagmula sa salitang "rumakat"/"lumakat" o "lumakad" na siyang

nagpapatunay na sila ay lakad na dumating sa luson at di-tumawid sa dagat. Ang dumagat ay

pinagsamang Negrito, Hindu at kayumanggi bunga ng pagdagsa ng iba-ibang lahi sa paglipas ng

panahon.Sa katunayan, ang katawagang Tagalog ay nagmula sa sinaunang salita na ito at ayon sa mga

matatanda na buhay at nakasaksi sa panahon ng 1950 sa Balara (ngayo'y Quezon City), ang salita na

ipinapantukoy sa tao na nagsasalita ng Tagalog ay "Tageloy"! at ang pantukoy sa salitang ito ay siya

nangang "Tagalog". Ang kanilang wika o salita ay may-pagkasinauna at ang pagbanghay at pagbaybay

nito ay hindi pirmihan kundi pabagu-bago batay sa pinagmulan ng salita. Sila ay nasa ika-4 na rehiyon

sa Luson sa mga lalawigan ng Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan at bahagi ng Quezon.Ang ibang pangkat katutubo

ay may ibang bansag ay bahagyang naiiba sa mga dumagat. Sa kasalukuyan, ang dumagat ay nahahati

sa dalawang pangkat, isa ang remontado o mestiso at ang isa ay ang puro o Agta. Ang tunay na Agtang

Dumagat ay nasa kabundukan ngSierra Madre at ang remontado ay nakatira sa mga mataong bayan sa

Rizal at Quezon tulad ng General Nakar, Quezon at Infanta, Quezon.

Ang tawag sa kanilang wika ay sorot ni dumaghet o "e sorot pa dumaget.May tatlong anyo ang

pangungusap nila, ang una ay ang "mangnih o mangnah" na pang isahang pangkat o tribu ,ang ikalawa

naman ay "baybay" o usap pangkalahatan ng mga agta ni dumaget,at ang ikatlo ay ang "aya'" na gamit

lang sa "pasubkal" o mga piling banal na awit. Ayon sa kanilang paniniwala, ang kanilang salita ay banal

kaya ito ay pinanatili nilang lihim, at baka gamitin ng iba sa maling paraan.Ang tawag nila sa Dios ay " e

makedepat", sa katotohanan ay "e kamatoden at sa kabutihan ay "kapionan".kaya naman mahalaga sa

kanila ang pag iral ng katotohanan at katuwiran ukol sa mabuting kapakanan ng bawat tao.May

pagbigkas sa kanila na mahalaga sa ating kamalayan gaya ng "inomeral e kamatoden ta katoweden ni

makedepat deketamapesan de tabiang ni makedepat". Isa sa mahalagang aklat na naisulat sa wikang ito

ay ang Bibliang nasa bayan ng General Nakar, Quezon.

Casiguran Agta / Casiguran Dumagatby Jesus T. Peralta

The Negrito group recognized in literature as Agta, otherwise locally known as Dumagat, can be found along the Pacific coast of the province of Aurora. They inhabit seven hundred square kilometers of dense forest on the eastern flank of the Sierra Madre mountains of northern Luzon, especially in the municipality of Casiguran. They spread over the ridge to the western flank then to the adjoining province of Nueva Vizcaya. They are one of the over thirty-three identified groups of Negrito distributed allover the country and one of the sixteen known Agta groups in northeastern Luzon.

Negrito Movements

The Negrito are one of the oldest people to populate the various islands of the Philippines. They are said to have arrived in the archipelago between 30,000 to 20,000 years ago at the end of the last glacial period when the sea level started to rise. They were thought to have moved overland and island-hopped, coming from the southwest of the Philippines from the direction of the Indian Ocean. Only two other groups may have come before them in these islands, the first being the Paleolithic Age men of Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon who are dated to have been present as early as 9 million years ago, and the Mamanwa of northeastern Mindanao estimated to have been present in the Lake Mainit area of Agusan del Norte at about 60,000 to 50,000 years ago. Thought earlier as another Negrito group, the Mamanwa were later to be identified as a distinct Proto-Malay population.

There were two Negrito population movements from the southwest. One movement went northwards at the western side of the country along the island of Palawan, Panay, though the Zambales mountains, and hence to Abra and the northern tip of the Cordilleras. The other movement followed the northern coast of Mindanao and hence to the eastern side of the country then turned northwards. This movement now represent the sixteen Negrito groups on the Pacific side of the Philippines, including those in the Bicol Peninsula, the eastern flanks of the Sierra Madre and the narrow coasts, then upward to the northern extensions of the Sierra Madre mountains. The Casiguran Agta were part of this movement.

An Intimacy With Nature

The people are long drawn from a traditionally highly mobile population, not only through the long years of prehistory, but also by the nature of their culture. In the past, their subsistence was based on food-gathering, hunting, and incipient cultivation. This lifestyle molded the way by which their society organized themselves, creating the least impact on their physical environment and, in fact enhancing its recuperative propensities. It is a lifestyle that fits in the many ways nature carries on with all form o f life, a symbiotic relationship with those that participate in a systemic cycle. They forage in the fringes of the forests where the diversity of plant and animal life is the most varied. Their knowledge of the inventory of flora is so intimate that they will know-as they go through a patch of woodland-what shoots, leaves, flowers, roots are edible. They are known to pluck leaves, stems, and shoots as they walk, crushing these between their fingers, smelling, tasting the pulp to determine whether these are any good. In a glance they can and will identify plants, trees, weeds by name together with the information about what they are for, what their characteristics and qualities are.

Their knowledge about animal life is just as intimate. It has been said that by smelling the recent tracks of a snake, they will be able to tell the species of the reptile. They know where animals and birds are to be found at specific times of the year, and on which species of plants and trees. The rivers and the many mountain streams are reliable sources of protein: shrimps and crayfish beneath rocks, shellfish in the sand of silt, all obtained easily with their bare hands or sometimes even by children at play. This knowledge is born of a long tradition of intimacy with nature, perpetuated by practice through many generations. Through these hundreds of years of relating with nature, they have not created such an impact that could degrade the environment. They remain in perfect balance, and like every other living creature obtain only as much as they need in a day.

Negrito Hunting

Although food foraging constitutes their most efficient mode for their daily sustenance, high prestige hunting, although relatively low yielding, is associated with them. Of all the peoples of the Philippines, they are known to be the most proficient in the use of bow and arrows. There are countless varieties of prey, the largest of which are deer, wild pig, and monkey.

Among the Pinatubo Negrito there are at least sixty named varieties of arrowheads employed for specific hunting purposes. The bows are made from the trunk of the palma brava about two meters or so in length and strung with strips of bamboo or bark. When a flat string is used, the arrows are not notched, but when bark strings are used the arrows are notched. The meter-long arrows shafts are made of straight reeds, tri-fletched with feathers, and provided with bamboo or metal heads of many shapes. There are overly long three-pronged arrows for birds or fish. There are harpoon-like arrows with single pronged heads lashed onto the shaft with a short cord that detach and get entangled in the brush as the game tries to escape. Game is also obtained by running them down with dogs and spears. They also use more efficient traps like pitfalls across game trails or spear-spring traps. Catching game by driving them into nets is rarely resorted to since there are just not enough people to constitute a drive. Hunting is more often than not an activity undertaken only by men and youths. Quite rarely, some women also have gone on hunting forays by themselves.

To Dwell Or Not To Dwell

The mode of life implies mobility since subsistence relies on the availability of food in the immediate place of habitation. They have been described as mobile; that is to say they continually wander around without permanent homes. Their basic early living structures are lean-tos erected near water sources like a bank, near mountain streams or beaches. These are no more than a ridgepole across two posts made of saplings, leaning against one side of which is makeshift roofing made of overlapping broad leaves, or grass that are available. The direction of open side is shifted depending on where the sun shines. The interior of the lean-to can be bare ground, or lined with plant material, or slats of bamboo. In front of the opening will be a fireplace, for cooking, warmth during cold nights, or protection against numerous forest insects and pests. Only the barest essentials of life are in the lean-to: the hunting tools, knife or two, bamboo tube containers, occasional bark cloth, cooking paraphernalia, some cooked food like tubers, and little else.

When the place becomes too littered and infested with flies and other insects, they shift dwellings to a more acceptable place within the general area. Major movements, however, are prompted by the availability of food resources. When they have depleted the plant and animal food in the area such that cost-benefit of food foraging is no longer viable, they move. They either leave the lean-to entirely, or bring with them the most essential poles, since it is easy enough to obtain building materials where they will next live. The movement is usually to a previously known area, which has lain fallow for a long time and which now they know would have regenerated food resources. They will select habitable areas influenced by certain beliefs. For instance, they will not select a place with pitcher plants since these are omens of death. Through an annual cycle, the movement is a roughly

patterned circle, moving from one place to another previously occupied area. Only during occasion of drastic change do they enter an unknown area of the forest in order to live there.

Patterns Of Movement

While they are highly mobile, their movement is not aimless and without pattern. In fact, any time through an annual cycle their general location can be predictable. The key to finding them is to know also the cycles that nature undergoes. For instance, they will move to the vicinities of trees, like the balite, when they are know to be already bearing fruits since this is where birds they can hunt will congregate. Wild pigs and deer too will browse below these trees for the fallen fruits. Occasionally, they will converge on open tidal areas to gather shellfish especially during the hot months, or go deeper into the protection of the trees when tropical typhoons are blowing. All through these, they maintain what can be called "frequentation stations" that are familiar even to outsiders.

The basic lean-to houses a nuclear family composed usually of a father, a mother and children of young age, and perhaps a grandparent. Fissioning takes place when older children form their own families. But it is rare that a family lives alone. Present in an area usually is a band composed of a few related families forming a small community of lean-tos. Called a bertan in some areas, this band operates and moves socially as a unit. The organizational links are sanguinal and affinal. Although it is an egalitarian society, there are recognized elders whose opinions and decision are respected. The decision to move to another area, for instance, depends on consensus-formed discussion and consideration of elderly opinions. No single family moves without the rest of the band as f the band itself is the basic social unit.

Traditional custom vests leadership on an elder of the group who acts as judge, kaksolan/ kaksaan together with other elders. The position is often inherited. He promulgates decisions arrived at consensually by the group. He acts as judge, intervenes in social relationships, and decides on guilt and modes of punishment. The consensus process ensures the legitimacy of decisions. A decision, once promulgated, is to be respected by all the members of the group.

Ornamenting The Body

The dress is very basic: loin covering for men and short skirts for women, and traditionally made of bark. These are at times decorated with vegetable colored prints at the fringes.

There is ornamentation made of plant materials, often dyed in earth colors. Bracelets, girdles, necklaces of vines or of occasional copper or bronze are known, as well as wooden earplugs fronted with engraved mother of pearl.

Body scarification was often practiced for other than mere ornamentation. It is resorted to also in the belief that it protects the person from various forms of diseases. Patterned wounds are incised on the skin of arms, back, chest, abdomen, legs, and hands, even calves.

These are then irritated by ash, lime, fire and others to produce keloids or raise fibrous tissues that produce designs on the skin. Teeth chipping or filing, as well as blackening are also done, since sharp and black teeth are considered human features. Young children go about naked.

Belief System

There are varied views regarding the belief system of the Casiguran Agta. They believe in the existence of deities, among them a virtual "owner" of all resources that they exploit to whom they make votive returns. They have lesser deities that govern nature and natural phenomena: the sun, the moon, thunder, lightning, the forest, the sea; and environmental spirits of the dead. Prayers are always part of economic life, before and after a hunt, an offering of a portion of meat before partaking of a game; a dance to apologize for the fish that they catch, or another after a bee hunt. Omens are important in almost every movement in their daily life-the particular call of a bird or the chirping of a lizard, the passage of a snake determine whether or nor a journey is to be taken. They believe in an after life that is dependent on how life is lived in this world. It is an existence in which reality and the spiritual world intertwine.

From Foragers To Peasants

This idyllic world roughly described where they were just another part of nature, is now a thing of the past. Today, they are definitely a post-foraging society, having changed over the last few decades to what may be considered landless peasantry. The most visible activity of the menfolks is the hunting of wild pig, deer, and monkey, with their bows and arrows. The meat from the game, however, is not consumed domestically, but primarily traded over to lowlanders in exchange for starch and other foodstuff, and trade goods. A considerable amount of their time is spent in gathering forest products for trade like resin, gums, rattan, wild honey, orchids, and other exotic plants. They also work as seasonal laborers for lowlanders. In 1983, about one-fourth of the population maintained small patchworks of swidden field, checkerboard fashion in the forest for some rice, root crops like taro, yams, sweet potato, and some occasional fruit tree or coconuts. The yields of these fields do not meet their barest subsistence needs. Much of their food depend on cultigens obtained through trade with neighboring lowlanders. In the recent years they have resorted to charcoal-making and even logging to sell to lumber yards, further depleting their environment.

The population has been declining steadily through the years. In 1936 there were about 1,000 people. This number diminished to about 800 in 1962, and 616 in 1983. By 2002 the population has been estimated to be about- 600 individuals. Many of them do not even know that they live in a country called the Philippines. Although the population has stopped declining, much of their traditional life continues to be eroded. Only approximately 3% of the forest that they inhabit remains intact. Much of the game they hunt and the fish they catch in the rivers and streams are depleted, straining their subsistence struggles. The trees and plants, especially the rattan that they gather t{) supplement their economic needs, are now subject to competitive exploitation by their lowland neighbors. By 1990, almost all Agta families no longer lived in the dense forests of the Cordilleras, far from the reaches of

lowland communities. They now live near farming settlements of lowlanders, mostly Tagalogs and Ilocano, where they engage in casual labor for wages or in exchange for foodstuff, for handouts like second-hand clothing and other forms of charity. They are now multi-lingual, proficient in Tagalog, to the detriment of their own language. They are now aware of population centers that can be reached through the road that opened in 1977, from Casiguran to the outside world like Manila. Their culture, marked by their language, is no longer being learned by their children. Tagalog, which they use to communicate with their lowland patrons, is inexorably altering their mother language with the incorporation of new words.

Squatters In Their Own Ancestral Land

The traumatic changes have been brought about in the Agta ecosystem by the country's population explosion by forcing landless people or otherwise economically pressured segments into the Casiguran Valley. Whereas they occupied some 90% of the area during the end of the Second World War, they are now squatters in their own ancestral land, crowded in by a population density of 51.5 persons per square kilometer-a number that increases by 1.5% every year. Local companies and corporations that bulldozed roads through Agta settlements and foraging grounds, destroying forests and altering drainage systems, brought about tremendous ecological changes. These roads accelerated the entry of more settlers into the area. The influx of people had a horrific impact on the Agta with the introduction of new kinds of diseases, hard liquor, pesticides, electric fishing, radios, commercial land buyers, and firearms. There had been inter-marriages, too. Alarming is the fact that there is an inordinately high homicide rate now among the Agta.

Local leadership, too, has been undermined. This has been transformed into forms that marginalized traditional leaders, reducing their roles in their own communities. Absorbed into the civil structures of government, young people who have attained some form of education over and above traditional leaders, now assume posts in the government's civil structures. This situation creates conflicts between these young leaders and the elders, and some degree of confusion among the members. The trend is for the traditional structures to recede further back in their social organization until its inevitable disappearance as the ethnic form of social control.

What Now, Agta?

As far back as ethnic memory can reach, the Agta consider land as part of their ancestral domain, governed by usufruct. With the passage if the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA 1997) to recognize, protect and promote the rights of indigenous peoples, an assertion has been made for their right to regulate the entry of immigrants. This brought about a confrontational situation with the non-indigenous migrant population because of access to resources within the ancestral domains. It is questionable whether the Agta with their moribund culture will be able to contend with a more dominant population that is swallowing them up inexorably. It will not be long before the memory of the Agta will only be that - a memory - for even the color of their skin and curliness of their hair will also be things that will merely linger for a little while more and only at the edges of the mind.

Mindoro       Capital : Mamburao       Area : 5,879.8 sq. km.      Population : 282,593 

LOCATION 

Occidental Mindoro is the western part of the island of Mindoro, south of Batangas. It is bounded on the north by the Calavite Passage, on the east by Oriental Mindoro, on the west by ApoEast Pass, and on the south by the Mindoro Strait. 

THE LAND 

Occidental Mindoro consists of high rolling mountains in the east. To the west are coastal plains where the towns are situated. Numerous rivers flow from these mountain ranges: Pagbahan and  amburao-Matamayor in the north, Mompong and Amnay in the center, and Caguray and Busuanga in the south. The climate is dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The province lies in the path of destructive typhoons. 

A BRIEF HISTORY 

Mindoro, formerly called Mait, was known to Chinese traders even before the coming of the Spanish. In 15 70, the Spanish began to explore the island and named it "Mina de Oro" (mineof gold) after finding some of the precious metal, though no major gold discoveries were ever made. Missionaries became  active around Ilin Island off the southern tip, Lubang Island off the northern tip,and Mamburao.  Moro  raids later forced them to abandon these places. In 1754, the Muslims established strongholds in Mamburao and Balete (near Sablayan). From there, they launched raids against nearby settlements. An expedition sent by Governor Simon de Anda put an end to these raids. 

In the early years, Mindoro was administered as part of Bonbon, now Batangas.Early in the 17th  century, the island was separated from Bonbon and orga- nized into a corregimiento. In 1902 the island of Lubang, which was formerly a part of Cavite, was annexed to Mindoro. In the same year Mindoro and Lubang were annexed to Marinduque when the latter became a regular province. Mindoro became a regular province in 1921. On June 13, 1950, under Republic Act No. 505, Mindoro was divided into two provinces, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. 

THE PEOPLE 

The plains of Occidental Mindoro are inhabited by the Tagalogs and the remote forested interior by the  Mangyans. Extensive tribal settlements of Mangyans in the province belong to such sub-groups as the Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan, Buhid, Hanunuo, and Bangon. The Mangyans aresimple people. They were once coastal dwellers driven into the mountains to avoid religious conversion by the Spaniards, raids by Moro pirates, and the influx of recent migrants. They now lead a semi-nomadic existence. Mangyans live in loose clusters of up to 20 bamboo huts with thatched roofs and raised floors. They sometimes are away from their families for many weeks in search of food. Men wear a loincloth of pounded bark while the women have a coil of woven nito, a sturdy black vine, and rattan around their hips. Mangyans practice animism and are superstitious. 

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 

Occidental Mindoro is basically an agricultural province. The principal products are rice, coconut, peanut, and abaca. The inhabitants are also engaged in cattle and poultry raising, logging, and fishing. The waters on the west coast comprise one of the most important fishing grounds in the country. Hunting along the banks of the Busuanga River can yield deer, wild boars, and tamaraw. 

Mangyan Roots and History

For two decades, Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro has been the venue of one of the country’s most colorful celebrations – the Sanduguan Festival. Every November 15, the main thoroughfares in the city are closed to vehicles to give way to the dancing parade. Various groups of students from different levels re-enact the first barter trade through dance interpretations. They garb themselves in catchy costumes that are made from materials found in their hometown, such as calamansi and bananas. Tourists come in scores to join this yearly event. 

Mangyans were the first to inhabit the island of Mindoro. Comprising 10% of the whole Mindoro population, the Mangyans are composed of twelve tribes, each with its own language, culture, and way of life. There are the Iraya, Batangan, Buid, Hanuno'o, Alangan, Ratagnon, Tagaydan (or Tadyawan), Bangon, Pula, Buhid, Nauhan, and Furuan. 

For centuries, they lived peacefully along the coastal areas of Oriental Mindoro, where they fished for a living. That was until migrants from nearby islands settled on the island. To avoid disputes, the mild-mannered and peace-loving people gave up their land, moved to the mountains, and came down only for food and other necessities. 

Sadly, they have been treated as second class citizens like other indigenous people in the world -- for years often exploited, neglected, and discriminated against by lowlanders. They have experienced being misjudged as uneducated and uncivilized people. They often struggle with poverty. They survive by farming root crops and fruits,

which is the only livelihood they know.   

A typical Mangyan house

According to hearsay, during the Spanish times, a Spanish ship sank in the oceans near Mindoro. Its passengers mostly Spanish soldiers and some of their families, rowed onto nearby shores and settled.  They discovered that it was inhabited by people the "mangyans."  Some of the soldiers sleep with female native and bore sons and daughters. Thus, their offsprings grew up handsome and beautiful. 

In some areas of Mindoro, there are Mangyan community whose people lives a better life in concrete houses,

dresses like civilized people in lowlands, owned rice and corn plantation and even have vehicles.    

A mangyan mother with her kids  

The Mangyans were the only inhabitants of Mindoro before they were driven from the coasts into the mountainous areas by invading Tagalogs. They are a mixture of Austronesians, proto-Malays, Indian settlers and Malays. They once populated the whole island including the coasts. Since 150 years they have by and by been driven to the mountainous areas of the island by invading Tagalog settlers. Today their settlements can be found mainly in central cordillera and in secluded areas of Oriental Mindoro. There are now about 50,000 Mangyans living in Oriental Mindoro. The term Mangyan is a generic name for the diverse groups inhabiting the mountains and foothills. Individually, the groups identify themselves by other names. 

"Mangyan" is a collective name of uncertain origin for several tribes of which the main groups are:  ALANGAN  6,000 to 7,000 (1991 SIL). North central Mindoro, around Mt. Halcon  IRAYA 10,000 (1991 OMF). Northern Mindoro from Baco to Mamburao  BUHID (BUKIL, BANGON, BATANGAN) 8,000 . Southern Mindoro  TADYAWAN (PULA, TADIANAN, BALABAN) 2,000 . East central Mindoro  HANUNOO (HANONOO) 10,000 to 12,000. Southern Oriental Mindoro 

Some Mangyans in remote areas have conserved their traditional lifestyle - hunting with bows and arrows and gathering food. The majority though practices small-scale and self-supporting agriculture and exchange of products. Tagalog planters employ them for "dirty work" such as cleaning the plantations from unwanted plants or even converting forests into plantations - which contributes to further reduction of their habitats. 

The Hanunoo tribe seems to be less affected by influences of the Tagalog speaking population - maybe also because their settlements in  the mountains are located in an area dominated by the New People's Army guerilla.

Their way of living Most of them rely on planting rice, corn, vegetables and hunting wild animals to support their every day living. A male at age 16 can become a family man if he can build his own house. A house made up of coconut leaves, bamboo, tree for its pillar,  and other materials. 

During Christmas season, they go down to lowlands with some of their handicrafts to sell of exchange for anything such as clothes, foods and others. 

A mangyan is very much willing and happy to give their live chicken in exchange for a can of sardines.

For them, sardines is a very special food.   

The Tagbanwa or Tagbanua, one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines, can be mainly found in

the central and northern Palawan. Research has shown that the Tagbanwa are possible descendants of

the Tabon Man; thus, making them one of the original inhabitants of the Philippines.[1] They are brown-

skinned, slim and straight-haired ethnic group.[2]

There are two major classifications based on the geographical location where they can be found. Central

Tagbanwas are found in the western and eastern coastal areas of central Palawan. They are

concentrated in the municipalities of Aborlan, Quezon, and Puerto Princesa.Calamian Tagbanwa, on the

other hand, are found in Baras coast, Busuanga Island, Coron Island and in some parts of El Nido.

[3] These two Tagbanwa sub-groups speak different languages and do not exactly have the same custom.[1][4]

Tagbanwa live in compact villages of 45 to 500 individuals.[5] In 1987, there are 129,691 Tagbanwas living

in Palawan.[4] At present, Tagbanwa tribe has an estimated population of over 10,000.[1] 1,800 of these

are in the Calamianes.

Contents

  [hide] 

1   History

o 1.1   Ancestral domain

2   Culture

o 2.1   Language

o 2.2   Religion

o 2.3   Family structure

o 2.4   Visual Arts and crafts

o 2.5   Performing Arts

2.5.1   Music

2.5.2   Dance

2.5.3   Drama

3   Economic activity

4   References

5   External links

[edit]History

According to folk history, the Tagbanwa had an early relationship with Brunei, with the first sultan

of Brunyu, from the place called Burnay.

Formal history of the Tagbanwa tribe began in 1521 when Magellan's ships docked in Palawan for

provisions. Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, recorded that the Tagbanwa practiced the ritual

of blood compact, cultivated their fields, hunted with blowpipes and thick wooden arrows, valued brass

rings and chains, bells, knives, and copper wire for binding fish hooks, raised large and very tame cocks

for fighting, and distilled rice wine.

Demographics of the Philippines

EducationReligionsLanguages

Peoples

  Filipino

        Ivatan

        Ilocano

        Igorot

        Ibanag

        Pangasinan

        Kapampangan

        Aeta

        Sambal

        Tagalog

        Bicolano

        Mangyan

        Palawan peoples

        Visayan

        Ati

        Chavacano

        Lumad

        Moro

        Bajau

        Mestizo

          Chinese

          Spanish

  Africans

  Americans

  Arabs

  Europeans

  Indonesians

  Japanese

  Jews

  Koreans

  South Asians

  Spaniards

Until the latter part of the 17th century, southern Palawan was under the jurisdiction of the Sultan of

Brunei, leading to friction between Spaniards and the Sultan. During this time, and for almost three

hundred years, the Spaniards and the Muslims of Sulu, Mindanao, Palawan, and north Borneo were at

war.

In the 19th century, the Tagbanwa continued to believe in their native gods. Each year, a big feast is

celebrated after each harvest to honor their deities.

When the Spanish regime ended and the Americans occupied the Philippines, some changes came to the

island of Palawan, and to the Tagbanwa. In 1904,Iwahig became the site of a penal colony, which

displaced the Tagbanwa as it expanded. In 1910, the Americans put up a reservation for the Tagbanwa.

In succeeding years, internal migration from the Visayan islands and from Luzon, the dominance of

the Christian religion, and the absorption of the island into economic and political mainstream

marginalized the Tagbanwa people.

[edit]Ancestral domain

In 1998, the Tagbanwa of Coron Island were awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) over

more than 22,000 hectares of land and sea. CADT is the title to the land and the sea that have sustained

the community for centuries. It gives the Tagbanwa the right to manage the area and preserve its rich

marine and land resources.[6]

The Coron Island Ancestral Domain of the Tagbanwa people covers the two villages of Banuang Daan

and Cabugao, and the neighboring Delian Island. The ancestral domain is currently ruled by HM Tribal

Chieftain Rodolfo Aguilar I, assisted by his Council of Elders.

[edit]Culture

[edit]Language

Further information: Tagbanwa alphabet

The Tagbanwa people have their own native languages (Aborlan Tagbanwa, Calamian Tagbanwa,

and Central Tagbanwa), however, they are also proficient in speaking the Palawano language and

several other dialects like Tandulanon, Silanganon, and Baras in each locality, while a significant number

of them can comprehend Tagalog, Batak, Cuyonon, and Calawian languages.[4]

[edit]Religion

Further information: Tagbanwa mythology

The Tagbanwa's relationship with the spirit world is the basis for their rituals, celebration, and dances.

The many ceremonial feasts punctuating Tagbanwa life are based on a firm belief in a natural interaction

between the world of the living the world of the dead. These ceremonies and rituals takes place on all

levels, ranging from rituals perform within the family, to those led by the community's leader on behalf of

the people. Such celebrations call for special structures to be built, such as ceremonial platforms and

rafts. Rituals offering include rice, chicken and betel nut.[7]

The Tagabanwa tribe has four major deities. The first, the lord of the heavens, was

called Mangindusa or Nagabacaban, who sits up in the sky and lets his feet dangle below, above the

earth. The god of the sea was named Polo and was deemed a benevolent spirit. His help was invoked in

times of illness. The third was the god of the earth named Sedumunadoc, whose favor was sought in

order to have a good harvest. The fourth was called Tabiacoud, who lived, in the deep bowels of the

earth.[7]

For these gods, the Tagbanwa celebrated a big feast each year, right after harvest, when there is much

singing, dancing, courting, and conclusion of blood compacts. The babaylan (shaman) called for the

people to converge at the seashore, carrying food offering of all kinds. The babaylan took the chickens

and roosters brought for the ceremony, and hung them by their legs on tree branches, killing them by

beating with a stick. They were allowed only one blow for each animal, and those who survive went free,

never to be harmed again, because Polo, the sea god, took them under his protection. The fowl that died

were seasoned, cooked and eaten. After eating, they danced and drank rice wine. At midnight, as

Buntala, a heavenly body, passed the meridian, the babaylan entered the sea waist dipped, all the while

dancing and pushing a raft made of bamboo, which had offering on it. If the offering was returned to the

shore by waves and winds, it meant the sea god refused the people's offering. But if the raft disappeared,

there was rejoicing. Their offering was accepted and their year would be a happy one.[7]

Other spirits inhabit the forests and environment, and belief in their existence necessitates rituals to

placate them or gain their favors. The babaylan performs rituals of life, from birth to death. It is believed

that there is a deity who accompanies the soul of the dead to its final destination. Hunters invoke the

assistance of the spirits of the dead relatives in asking the owners of the wild pigs to allow their hunting

dogs to locate the prey. A mutya (charm) is commonly used to help its possessor succeed in the hunt.

However, the Tagbanwas of the North inhabiting Coron Island are now predominantly Christians due to

evangelization efforts of foreign missionaries during the late sixties and seventies.[7]

[edit]Family structure

A typical Tagbanwa hut.

The basic social unit of the Tagbanwas is their nuclear family composed of a married couple and their

children. They are monogamous.[4][5] They live in houses that are made up of bamboo and wood for a

strong frame, anahaw leaves for roof and walls, and bamboo slats for the flooring.

Families can either be free men or nobles, which, in the Southern tribes are known as Usba.[4]

[edit]Visual Arts and crafts

The traditional costumes of the Tagbanwa were fashioned from the bark of trees, particularly the salugin.

The preparation of this bark was unique. After being felled, the tree would be cut around the trunk, the

outer bark stripped off to expose the inner layer. A mallet would beat the layer, until it is soft to hang loose

from the bole. This is washed and dried under the sun. In the past, menfolk wore simple loincloths,

supported by a woven rattan waistband called ambalad, while women wore only brief wraparound skirts

made from bark. The Tagbanua later adopt some articles of Muslim clothing. At present, while many

Tagbanwa still wear their traditional apparel, western-type clothing has found its way among the people.[7]

In the past, when both men and women wore their hair long, they filled and blackened their teeth, and

carved earplugs from the hardwood bantilinaw. The Tagbanwa also carved wooden combs and bracelets.

They strung bead necklaces to be used in covering women's necks. Anklets of copper and brass wire

were also crafted and worn by women.[7]

Tagbanwa women wear bright body ornament and brightly colored clothes.[2] They dress just like the non-

tribe lowlanders but some elder men prefer to use G-strings for comfort while tilling the field or going

fishing.[5]

Baskets and woodcarvings are the more notable products of Tagbanwa artistic crafts today. They excel in

the number of designs they apply to their tingkop (harvest basket). These baskets are made of blackened

and natural bamboo, which makes the designs stand out. The cone-shaped type of basket is another fine

example of Tagbanwa skilled artistry. Using black and natural color designs outside, the center of the

cone has the bamboo strip skived slightly smaller, creating even holes for the screen. The funnel effect is

accomplished through a close weaving of the bamboo strips towards the top.[7]

The soft rice baskets, called bayong-bayong, are made with different unusual shapes. These have square

bases and round tops. To produce interesting block and V-shapes, the plain buri sides superimposed with

colored buri. Color is woven into the Tagbanwa basket with the used of dyed palm leaves.[7]

Blackened woodcarvings of animals, with simple etched or incised features exposing the original whit

grain of the wood, are the most well known examples of Tagbanwa woodcarvings or sculpture.[7]

Some of the objects carved are mammanuk (rooster), a ritual bowl, kiruman (turtle), kararaga (a native

bird), dugyan (a small ground animal), lizards, and wild pigs. Carved animals are used with rice, betel nut,

and other offerings to attract the deities and spirit relatives in the pagdiwata rituals. The turtles, for

instance, floats on grains of palay in an ancient Ming trade bowl. Others that are not used in rituals

become toys for children.[7]

[edit]Performing Arts

[edit]Music

Main articles: Music of the Philippines and Agung

Complementing the rich Tagbanwa rituals and social gatherings in the past was an assortment of musical

instruments. These included the aruding or jaw harp; the babarak or nose flute; the tipanu or mouth flute;

the pagang and tibuldu, two variations of the bamboo zithers; the kudlung or boat lute; the gimbal or

drum, whose top was made from the skin of the bayawak or monitor lizard; and the tiring, composed of

lengths of bamboo with openings of various sizes producing different notes when struck with a stick. In

addition, there were two generic types of gongs obtained from the shallow babandil. The mouth flute is

still in use, and the gongs and drums are still played during rituals. Modern acoustic type guitar and the

ukulele, which is fashioned from a half coconut shell, supplant the other instruments.[7]

[edit]Dance

The known dances associated with the rituals are the following: abellano, also called soriano, a traditional

dance performed by males; bugas-bugasan, a dance for all participants of a pagdiwata, after they have

drunk the ceremonial tabad (rice wine); kalindapan, solo dance by the female babaylan and her

attendants; runsay, ritual dances performed by the villagers on the seashore, where bamboo rafts laden

with food offering are floated for the gods; sarungkay, a healing dance by the main babaylan as she

balances a sword on her head and waves ugsang or palm leaf strip; tugatak and tarindak, dances perform

by the villagers who attend an inim or pagdiwata; tamigan, performed by male combatants using round

winnowers or bilao to represent shields.[7]

The dancing accompanying the runsay, performed about midnight and lasting until daybreak, is possibly

the most moving of all Tagbanwa dances, since it is a part of a sacred ritual that takes place only once a

year, and is performed on the beach from where the ritual raft has been launched towards the sea world.[7]

Guests who attend the albarka ritual watch dances such as the busak-busak, the spider dance; batak

ribid, a dance simulating the gathering of camote; bungalon, a showing off dance; bugsay-bugsay, a

paddle dance using fans; segutset, a courtship dance; and tarek, a traditional dance. The andardi is a

festival dance of the Tagbanwa in and around Aborlan, perform at social gatherings. When dancing

during a festival, the performers are dressed in their costumes, and hold in each hand a dried palm leaf

called palaspas. The music of the andardi is composed of one part of twelve measures, played or sung

continuously throughout the dance. Drum or gongs accompanies the music and the song.[7]

[edit]Drama

Drama in Tagbanwa society is expressed in the mimetic dances imitating animals, such as busak-busak,

and those showing occupations, such as batak ribid and bugsay-bugsay. But the most important mimetic

forms are the rituals where the priestess is possessed by and plays the role of the deity to whom the

offerings are being made.[7]

[edit]Economic activity

They cultivate rice in swidden or kaingin field that is intercropped with sweet potato, corn, and cassava.

Those in the coastal areas indulge in fishing and exchange it with agricultural products for consumption.

They also gather forest products such as gum, rattan, and honey for cash.

The highest potential source of income for the Tagbanwa are handicrafts particularly woodworking, mat

making and basketry, the raw materials for which are readily available to them.[5][8]

MuslimFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Dongxiang Muslim students in China

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A Muslim, also spelled Moslem,[1] is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion  based on

the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with

lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts,

called hadith. "Muslim" is an Arabic word meaning "one who submits to God".

Muslims believe that God is eternal, transcendent, absolutely one (the doctrine of tawhid, or strict or simple

monotheism), and incomparable; that he is self-sustaining, who begets not nor was begotten. Muslim beliefs

regarding God are summed up in chapter 112 of the Qur'an, al-Ikhlas, "the chapter of purity".[2][3] Muslims also

believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times

and places before, including through the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.[4] Muslims maintain that

previous messages and revelations have been partiallychanged or corrupted over time,[5] but consider the

Qur'an to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God—Final Testament.[6]

Most Muslims accept as a Muslim anyone who has publicly pronounced the Shahadah (declaration of faith)

which states, "I testify that there is no god except for the God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of

God." They also believe that Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets and the final prophet. Their basic religious

practices are enumerated in the Five Pillars of Islam, which, in addition to Shahadah, consist of daily prayers

(salat), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in

a lifetime.[7][8]

The majority of Muslims are Sunni, being over 75–90% of all Muslims.[9] The second largest sect, Shia, makes

up 10–20%.[10] The most populous Muslim-majority country is Indonesia home to 12.7% of the world's Muslims

followed by Pakistan (11.0%), Bangladesh (9.2%), and Egypt (4.9%).[11] Sizable minorities are also found

in India, China, Russia, Ethiopia, Americas, Australia and parts of Europe. With about 1.8 billion followers or

26% of earth's population,[12][13][14][15] Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the

world.[16][17][18]

ndigenous peoples of the PhilippinesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Map of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines by province.

Demographics of the Philippines

EducationReligionsLanguages

Peoples

  Filipino

        Ivatan

        Ilocano

        Igorot

        Ibanag

        Pangasinan

        Kapampangan

        Aeta

        Sambal

        Tagalog

        Bicolano

        Mangyan

        Palawan peoples

        Visayan

        Ati

        Chavacano

        Lumad

        Moro

        Bajau

        Mestizo

          Chinese

          Spanish

  Africans

  Americans

  Arabs

  Europeans

  Indonesians

  Japanese

  Jews

  Koreans

  South Asians

  Spaniards

The indigenous peoples of the Philippines consist of a large number of indigenous ethnic groups living in

the country. They are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines who have managed to resist

centuries of Spanish and United States colonization and in the process have retained their customs and

traditions.[1]

In the 1990s, there were more than 100 highland tribal groups constituted approximately 3% of the population.

The upland tribal groups were a blend in ethnic origin like other lowland Filipinos, although they did not have

contact with the outside world. They displayed a variety of social organization, cultural expression and artistic

skills. They showed a high degree of creativity, usually employed to embellish utilitarian objects, such as bowls,

baskets, clothing, weapons and spoons. These groups ranged from various Igorot tribes, a group that includes

the Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankana-ey and Tinguian, who built the Rice Terraces. They also

covered a wide spectrum in terms of their integration and acculturation with lowland Christian and Muslim

Filipinos. Native groups such as the Bukidnon in Mindanao, had intermarried with lowlanders for almost a

century. Other groups such as the Kalinga in Luzon have remained isolated from lowland influence.

There were several indigenous groups living in the Cordillera Central of Luzon in 1990. At one time it was

employed by lowland Filipinos in a pejorative sense, but in recent years it came to be used with pride by native

groups in the mountain region as a positive expression of their ethnic identity. The Ifugaos of Ifugao Province ,

the Bontocs, Kalinga, Tinguian, the Kankana-ey and Ibaloi were all farmers who constructed the rice terraces

for many centuries.

Other mountain peoples of Luzon are the Isnegs of northern Kalinga-Apayao Province, the Gaddangs of the

border between Kalinga-Apayao, and Isabela provinces  and the Ilongots of Nueva Vizcaya

Province and Caraballo Mountains  all developed hunting and gathering, farming cultivation and headhunting.

Other indigenous people such as the Negritos formerly dominated the highlands throughout the islands for

thousands of years, but have been reduced to a small population, living in widely scattered locations, primarily

along the eastern ranges of the mountains.

In the southern Philippines, upland and lowland tribal groups were concentrated on Mindanao and

western Visayas, although there are several indigenous groups such as the Mangyan living in Mindoro. Among

the most important groups found on Mindanao are collectively called the Lumad, and includes the Manobo,

Bukidnon of Bukidnon Province , Bagobo, Mandaya, and Mansaka, who inhabited the mountains bordering

the Davao Gulf; theSubanon of upland areas in the Zamboanga; the Mamanua in the Agusan-Surigao border

region; the Bila -an , Tiruray and Tboli in the region of the Cotabato province , and the Samal and Bajau in the

Sulu Archipelago. The tribal groups of the Philippines are known for their carved wooden figures, baskets,

weaving, pottery and weapons.

[edit]Reservation

Kampilan are weapons used by Rajahsand Datus.

The Philippine government succeeded in establishing a number of protected reservations[disambiguation needed] for

tribal groups. Indigenous people were expected to speak their native language, dress in their traditional tribal

clothing, live in houses constructed of natural materials using traditional architectural designs and celebrate

their traditional ceremonies of propitiation of spirits believed to be inhabiting their environment. They are also

encouraged to re-establish their traditional authority structure in which, as in indigenous society were governed

by chieftains known as Rajah and Datu.

Contact between "primitive" and "modern" ethnic groups usually resulted in weakening or destroying tribal

culture without assimilating the indigenous groups into modern society. It seemed doubtful that the shift of the

Philippine government policy from assimilation to cultural pluralism could reverse the process. Several Filipino

tribes tends to lead to the abandonment of traditional culture because land security makes it easier for tribal

members to adopt the economic process of the larger society and facilitates marriage with outsiders. In the

past, the Philippine government bureaus could not preserve tribes as social museum exhibits, but with the aid

of various nationwide organizations, they hoped to help the tribes adapt to modern society without completely

losing their ethnic identity

[edit]See also