THE PHILIPPINE

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’

Indigenous Peoples/Indigenous refer to a group of people sharing common bonds of language, customs,

traditions and other distinctive cultural traits.

Indigenous peoples’ communities can be found in the interiors of Luzon,Mindanao, and some islands of Visayas.

The population data regarding the indigenous peoples in the country varyaccording to who has conducted the research. The Episcopal Commission on

Tribal Filipinos (ECTF) distinguishes approximately 40 ethno-linguistic groupswith a population of about 6.5 to 7.5 million (10-11% of the country’s population

in 1995). The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) estimates some 60 such groups. The National Commission on Indigenous

Peoples (NCIP) identifies 95 distinct tribes, which includes the Islamic or Muslim groups, in 14 regions of the country with an estimated population between 12-15

million members (17-22% of the total population in 1995).

The indigenous peoples in the Philippines continued to live in their

relatively isolated, self-sufficient communities, at the time when most lowland communities had already been integrated into a single colony

under Spain in the 1700s and 1800s.

They were able to preserve the culture and traditions of their

“ethnos” or “tribe” as reflected in their communal views on land, their cooperative work exchanges, their communal rituals, their songs, dances, and folklore. Instead of hierarchical governments,

each of these communities had its own council of elders who customarily settled clan or tribal wars to restore peace and unity.

But with the long years of colonial rule in the Philippines, from the 1700s to the early 1900s, and the influx of migrants into indigenous peoples’ territories, many influences have been introduced that gradually changed the indigenous way of life

Indigenous communities at present are still characterized by these phenomena but are definitely no longer in their pure and natural state, showing varying degrees of influence from outside culture

Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines

There are various indigenous Filipino ethnic groups and tribes in the

Philippines.

Luzon the “IGOROT”

People from the Cordillera Mountains in Luzon are broadly known as Igorot.

Cordillera Peoples: This is the indigenous population of the Cordillera mountain

range, which covers six provinces in the middle of Northern Luzon – Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. They are collectively called Igorots, meaning “mountain people” .There are eight ethno-linguistic groups in the Cordillera, namely, Bontoc,, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Tingguian, and Yapayao, Ibaloi, Ifugao

Bontoc

Ibaloi

Ifugao ,, Isneg

Kalinga

Kankanaey

Tingguian

Yapayao

Caraballo Tribes: These are the five ethnolinguisticgroups – Ibanag, Ilongot, Gaddang, Ikalahan and

Isinai – who together with the Agta peoples inhabit theCaraballo mountain range in Eastern Central Luzon. This range connects the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Nueva

Ecija..

Ibanag Ilongot

Gaddang Ikalahan

Isinai

The Negrito also come from Luzon.

Negrito: The term Negrito is a Spanish word, a diminutive of the word Negro. In this case, Negritos refers to a large group of indigenous tribes in Philippines. It includes the subgroups called the Agta, Aeta, Ati, Ayta, Dumagat and 25 more tribes from the Philippines. Although the Negritos of the Philippines possess some physical similarities with the pygmies of Africa, they are completely unrelated in terms of genetics.

Agta and Aeta/Negrito: These short, dark-skinned and kinky-haired peoples are considered the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines. Aside from having been perpetually pushed into the hinterlands of Central Luzon, mainly in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Pampanga, and in other parts of the country, they also suffer from racial discrimination. With a population of about 160,000, they are the most widely distributed among indigenous peoples.

Visayas The “Manyan” People

The indigenous groups in the Visayas –mostly in Mindoro – are called Mangyan. Again, there are many ethnic groups such as the Tadyawan, Tagbanwa, Palawano, Molbog and Kagayanan.

Mangyan: It is a common name used to refer to eight ethnic tribes in Philippines. The Mangyan people come from the Mindoro islands and their population is around 100,000. The Mangyan people practice subsistence agriculture and they cultivate a number of varieties of the sweet potato along with taro and rice. They follow a religion called Animism.

Mangyan of Mindoro: This is a generic name for

the six ethno-linguistic groups spread over the mountains andfoothills of Mindoro, an island southwest of Luzon, namely,

Batangan, Iraya, Hanunoo, Alangan, Ratagnon, Buhid, andTadyawan. They are described as the first inhabitants of the

island, and until today, they are one of the few groups that stillpractice a pre-Spanish form of writing. Their present

population is about 150,000.

Palawan hill tribes: These are the non-Muslim

tribal people of Palawan island located further west ofMindoro. This group is composed of four ethnic groups –Tagbanua, Batak, Kalamianes,Cuyonin, and Ken-uy, and

they number at least 120,000.

Mindanao The Lumad and Moro

There is some differentiation of the indigenous people in Mindanao. The Moro and the Lumad. The Moro practice Islam and the Lumad do not. Moro is Spanish for the word Moor. Lumad means indigenous or native.

Mindanao Lumad: This is a generic term embracing all non-Muslim hill tribes of Mindanao. Lumad is a Visayan term that means “born and grown in the place”.

The Lumad peoples are composed of some eighteen ethnic groups and they form the largest grouping of indigenous peoples in the country. They have a total population today of 2.1 million and are concentrated in

varying degrees in the hilly

portions of the provinces of Davao, Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao, Zamboanga, Misamis, and Cotabato. They can be found in almost all provinces of Mindanao and they include the Subanen, Manobo, B’laan, T’boli,

Mandaya, Mansaka,

Tiruray, Higaonon, Bagobo, Bukidnon, Tagkaolo, Banwaon,

Dibabawon, Talaandig, Mamanua, and Manguangan.

The Moro or Muslim Groups: These are the Muslims in Mindanao composed of fourteen groups, namely, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug,

Samal, Yakan, Sangil, Palawani, Badjao, Kalibugan, Jama-Mapun, Ipanun, Kalagan, Molbog, and Muslim.