CHAPTER 6

RATAGNON
- sometimes called Latagnon or Datagnon
- southernmost tip of Mindoro island facing the Sulu Sea
- estimated population of 17,562scattered in around 200Ratagnon settlements
- swidden agriculture
- villages not formally developed
- settlements of four to five houses per settlement are located apart from each other
- typical house made of indigenous materials mostly of wood, bamboo, and nipa
- some male members still wear their traditional dress which consist of loincloth as a
lower garment - women wear woven cotton used as wrap-around matched with an
upper garment made of handwoven nito just enough to cover the breasts

Gong is the most common musical instrument for all tribes.

Mangyan Indigenous Groups of Mindoro

BUKIDNON
- bukidnens speak the binukid dialect
- light brown complexion, straight black hair, average height of about five feet, nose
bridge is not flat
- courtship and marriages are brought about by parental arrangements made since
children were eleven years old
- men practice polygamy but women are expected to be monogamous
- marriage done by exchanging betel with molded rice
- bukidnon art is best expressed in their dances, poetry and music, mat weaving, and
basketry - musical instruments consist of bamboo flutes, bamboo jew's harp, one-
stringed violin, and the boatshaped guitar
- handicraft consist of mats, hats, fishtraps, and cloth weaving
- tradional method of farming is still being practiced in upland areas
- agricultural products are palay, corn, sugarcane, pineapple, coffee, cassava, abaca,
and vegetables - power of bukidnen chieftain or datu is built on trust and the
 confidence of his constituents, it is a blend of ascription and achievement and not
governed by seniority or birth

MOLBOG
- molebugan or molebuganon
- concentrated in balabak island and are also found in other islands of the coast of
palawan as the north as panakan
- malubog means murky or turbid water
- probably migrant people from nearby north borneo
- they seem to be related to the orang tidung or tirum, an islamized indigenous group
native to the northeast coast of sabah
- some sama words and tausug words are found in the molbog dialect
- livelihood includes subsistence farming, fishing, and occasional barter trading with
sulu bangsa moro and nearby sabah market centers
- in the past both molbog and the palawanon muslims were ruled by sulu datus thus
forming the outer political periphery of the sulu sultanate
- intermarriage between tausug and the molbog hastened the islamization of the
molbog
- offsprings of these intermarriages are known as kolibugan or "half-breed"

AETA
- earliest inhabitants in the philippines
- one of the 110tribes scarttered around the philippines
- members number around 140,591individuals
- cetral luzon well in the pockets of mountains in the provinces of zambales,
pampanga, tarlac, bataan, and nueva ecija
- tribal in character thus they confine themselves to a very limited world of their own
- nomadic and build only temporary lean-to-shelters made of two folded sticks driven
to the ground and covered with palm of banana leaves
- more prosperous and modernized aetas have learned to live in villages or tablelands
and mountain clearings
- they live on houses made of bamboo and cogon grass
- senses are highly developed
- senses of direction and smell extraordinary
- can track down a snake by its smell and cab identify different kinds of plants and its
flowering patterns
- entertainment are song and dances
- their musical instrument are highly developed

TIGWAHANON
- tigwa or tigwahanons
- scattered all over the municipality of san fernando in bukidnon close to the border of
davao del norte
- tigwahanen may have been derived from guwa (scattered) or from the tigwa river
where it banks and watersheds sre inhabited by the tigwahanon

UMAYAMNON
- watershed of umayamnen river in bukidnon province
- proud and reserved people, firm in their decisions, and forest experts
- fair complexion, medium height, and prominent cheekbones
- engaged in beadworks for their body accessories such as the making of ginakit and
inaboy
(necklaces), suning (men's bags), and binuklad (bracelets)

Mambucon
- "otit"
- two special awards during his graduation: dean's special award for research and the
dean's special award for advocacy, inclusiveness, and equity as first tigwahanon
- he never dreamed of becoming a doctor
- wanted to become a teacher because he idolize their teachers
- third of six siblings and grew up without any address
- only the one who finished college
- all finished highschool which was already considered a victory for the tribe
- they lived in the mountains in molinga, nakabuclad im san fernando town where thry
had no neighbors
- the biggest problem they had as a child was the rainy season when they had to go
home early because they had to cross three rivers
- responsible brother
- son of a chieftain
-his father edgardo mambucon only finished first grade but was the tribal chieftain
- father is always busy attenting to problems of the whole tribe in san fernando, it was
his mother julieta "yuan" solin-ay mambucon who became they main provider
- father was killed in 2011
- served as nurse 1after passing the board exam in 2010
- finished bachelor of science in nursing at the university of mindanao in davao city
- missionary from the overseas missionary fellowship said they would look for a
sponsor to get him into a medical school but he declined the offer
- served as a nurse at the bukidnon provincial hospital in san fernando from 2011to
2015
- he served as the emergency room nurse, delivery room nurse, and ward nurse at the
same time - decided to take the national medical admission test, took it twice before
introduced to the lasallian brothers
- waiting for his internship at the dlsu-medical center which will start in august this
year
- hopes to join the doctors to the barrios program and get his training as an emergency
medicine physician after three years
- he encourage fellow lumad to have an open mind and to dream big

CHAPTER 7

ABIANS
Abians are Philippines aborigines often called Negritos. They live in Barrio Igang of
Batobalani, Camarines Norte and in Camarines Sur. In 1987, they numbered 12,407.
They are short and dark with kinky hair.
When their homes were bulldozed for forest concessions, they again experienced being
driven away from the place by lowlanders. As a result, they have become nomadic and
do not posses any material property for fear of losing it whenever they suffer further
confiscation.
The abian house is semi- permanent lean-to called butukan. They get their food by
means of the kaingin system, clearing portions of the forest and planting root crops
and rice on the cleared area. They also work for landlords for weeding the fields or
helping during harvest time.
Many old customs have been retained by the Abians. The old women of village still
assist mothers in giving birth.
They have no marriage rites, or formal religion. They practice polygamy and do not
believe in the Christian God but they believe that there is a life after death. Some are
known to put scars on their arms to take away the bad blood.
When an abian dies, neighbors across the hills are called by shouts to announce
patapusan, the death rites which take place three months afterwards. At patapusan,
there is dancing, chanting of the lidong, and weeping and wailing over the passing of a
loved one.

AGTA
The agtas are found in the Bicol Peninsula and on the slopes of Mt. Asog, Iriga City.
The group population was 11,078 in 1987. Like any other Aeta group, they call
themselves and their language Agta. They are dark-skinned, kinky-haired, pug-nosed,
and thick lipped people with a height less than five feet tall. They generally are bare
footed. The men used G-strings but now they wear shorts. The women wear clothes
similar to lowlanders. They can speak varied languages such as Bicolano, Tagalog,
and Agta language. Indigenous materials such as wood, bamboo, cogon or talahib,
abaca barks, and coconut leaves are used in the house. Houses are built in clusters
ranging from two to five families for economic and security purposes. They get their
food by means of the kaingin system. They also work for landlords but receive a very
minimal daily wage, not even enough to subsistence. They marry at an early age of
fourteen to their chosen partner but since they have no marriage rites, the couples
simply live as husband and wife. They practice polygamy and atpresent, the Agtas do
not subscribe to family planning, believing that marriage is to produce offspring and
that only God determines the number of children a couple will have. The Agtas
believe in Anitos and the Spirits of the ancestors to whom they offer dances during
rituals. Some dances depict animal and hunting movements. There is no organized
political leadership. However, the older and more experienced males in the community
are consulted for arbitration purposes. Subsistence and Livelihood: The Agtas grow
rootcrops, rice and vegetables in their farms. Rice is often hard hard to come by and is
readily substituted with a boiled root crop called dugma. They also have a favorite
drink concocted from the lakad bulan or sambong plant. The Agtas still observe
certain practices and beliefs for ensuring a good yield. For example, the presence of
cumulus clouds at the moment of planting is believed to enhance the size of the
camote, while planting during high tide or the full moon is said to result in a bountiful
harvest. The camote should be planted in big earth mounds by a man and not by a
woman or else, the camote will form cracks. The ideal time of the day. The camote
should be planted in big earth mounds by a man and not by a woman or else, the
camote will form cracks. The ideal time of the day for planting is during late
afternoon. The man first takes a bath so that the camote crops will remain unspoiled
and delicious. Camote vines are then planted together with betel nuts and camias so
that camote roots will multiply in each mound. The man must be naked so that the
camote skin would not thicken. He must also be in a sitting position with his feet
astride the mound and his penis pointed to it. It is also said that sugar placed near the
mounds will produce sweet camotes. During really hard times, some families dig for
nami, a root crop with a milky poisonous sap but which becomes edible after being
soaked in running water for two days. Hunting is another means of subsistence for the
Agtas. They catch running game by spearing them with pointed sticks called galud or
by means of pit-traps. Birds are caught by using slingshots locally known aslabtik and
bird traps made from a gluelike sap called dikit. A successful hunt for animals or
honey is assured by performing a ritual at the grave of a skilful hunter. Fishing and
catching crabs are also other means of livelihood for the Agtas. Their gadgets include
the baslay, a bow and arrow used for fishing: banwit consisting of a boro, a slender
bamboo with a few meters of nylon at one end that has a sima or hook where the paon
or bait is placed: soo, a small torch used to attract the fishes and crabs during the
panghahapoy or night-time fishing: agahid. a net used for catching fishes and crabs.
Religion The Agtas believe in a Supreme Being called Gugurang, a heaven called
kamurawayan, and a hell called gogombon. The evil spirits are led by the Aswong.
They also believe that death is a journey to the afterlife and that the spirit of the dead
may either go to the kamurawayan or gogombon, depending on how he or she lived
his life. The relatives of a dying person must all be present when he gives his last
wishes, so that he will guide and look after them. Otherwise, he will haunt them. The
Agtas in Camarines Norte perform long rituals to help their dead get to their
destination. A dead child will not find the journey difficult, for he has committed few
wrongdoings. But a strenuous trip awaits those who have reached adulthood and have
lived their lives unworthingly.
AGTA BURIAL AND DEATH RITUALS
When a child dies, a bamboo-slat coffin called sala-sala is made for him. While this is
being done, he is laid on his mother's lap and continues to be breast-fed. When the
sala-sala is finished, a white cloth is wrapped around him and the child is laid inside.
Afterwards, it is placed on the mother's lap and can only be removed in times of
personal necessity. When the parents of the child decides to bury him, the burial spot
is usually along a pathway near the house under the roof. It is the task of any close
relative to dig the grave which is fumigated to drive away the evil spirits. After which,
the mother sets the child aside in the meantime and goes to the burial ground where
she performs three rituals: crying, touching the hole three times and dropping milk
from her breasts into the hole. She now returns for her child and asks a relative to
carry him/her to the grave.. The mother again pours milk on its lips as baon for his
after-life journey. Afterwards, she bids goodbye to her child and prays that he or she
doesn't begrudge his/her family for they have done everything they could to prevent
his or her death. Next, the mother walks away without turning her back. Meanwhile,
the father mourns loudly. Afterwhich, the child is covered with soil and everybody
leaves without turning their backs to avert another death. Upon reaching the house, the
oldest member of the family and the mother crawl and cry, pretending to look for the
child. The Agtas follow the same procedure when burying their adults. When an adult
dies, his clothes are changed and a piece of cloth is wrapped around his head. The lips
are filled with nganga to keep away the flies. The eyes are covered by a strip of cloth
with two openings so that the spirit may be able to see where it is going. The hands
and legs are tied in front. The body is then laid in a bamboo coffin. Like the dead
child, it is also "fed" during mealtime. The food is wrapped with leaves and then tied
to the thumb. Sobbing is then loudly done to prevent strong winds and heavy rains
from occuring. There is no ceremony for the actual burial, whose usual site is between
tall trees. The grave must exactly match the size of the coffin, otherwise, another death
might occur. The coffin is made from bamboo slats laid side by side and tied with
rattan.

ATI
The dark-skinned Ati group of Panay Island are probably the best known of the
Filipino Negritos (Spanish term of Ati) being the indigenous tribe credited with
welcoming history's first Malay datus from Boreo in the fourteenth century. The Atis
have retained their dialect with traces of the ancient terms of "Kinaray-a" and dialects
of the present time "Hiligaynon". Ati is the local term for their "dark brown" to "sooty
black" skin color. They have wavy to kinky hair, pug nose, amd thick lips. They are
short in stature and generally below five feet tall. Their physical appearance is
genetically carried up to the third or fourth generation even with mixed marriages.
When the Spanish colonizers came they called the indigenous people of the island
Negritoes because of their skin color. The colonizers also calles the island Negros. The
Atis were scattered in the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo Guimara, Negros
Occidental, and Negros Oriental. The biggest population settled in Nagpana, barangay
Lipata, Barutac Viejo (Iloilo). Other bigger groups are found in Hanti (Antique),
Malay (Aklan), and Lambunao (Iloilo). The total population is 63,654 (OSCC, 1987)
For economic survival, they are adept at hunting, fishing, and food gathering.
Nowadays, they become less sendentary and constantly move in Panung (band). They
became the "Moutain People" in escaping the civilizing process of the colonists. They
are perenially dependent on the yields of the forest, since they practice no permanent
agriculture. Until the moderm times, the Atis have used the forest for idigenous
medicine as it yields medicinal roots, woodships, shavings, gums, wines, seeds, barks,
and herbs for curing kinds of sickness. They apply such herb with corresponding
rituals. Because they are nomadic, the Atis put up their dwellings in the form of a lean-
to or shack. During the olden times, most of the Atis went about naked. The menfolk
wore ubad to cover their private part, while the women wrapped their lower torso with
sahat leaving their breasts exposed. The Atis have an animistic religion. They believe
in the existence of kalosonin (spirit of the forest) and the aswang (witch). They hold a
unique wedding rite on top of a hill . The bride is made to run fast one hundred meters
away from the groom. Drums are sounded when the groom starts to pursue the woman.
The Ati, Aklan's indigenous people and original residents of Boracay Island. Aklan's
Ati-Atihan Festival, celebrated in January, literally means "to be like the Ati." The Ati
face high unemployment levels in addition to hotels' encroachment on their native
land. Fr. Crisostomo estimates that of the 200 Ati in Boracay, fewer than 20 work in
hotels; and they only get these jobs with the help of the church and the non-profit
organization Daughters of Charity. But even so, they experience discrimination from
their workmates because of their darker skin and eventually decide to leave. The less
fortunate of the Ati end up begging on the beaches.

CIMMARON
Cimmarons are found in Buhi, Isarog, Iriga, and Caranwan, all of Camarines Sur,
Bicol Region numbering 9,187 (OSSC, 1987). They are dark brown in skin color being
the offspring of intermarriages between Aeta and the Malays (Bicolanos). Only a few
of them have curly hairs. They are multi-lingual, being able to speak their Cimmaron
language, Bicol, and Tagalog. Their house are provided with items such as coconut
shells, bamboo implements, clay pots, and weapons. Their houses are protected from
enimies by means of mantraps or sharpened stakes which are carefully camouflaged
and hidden in the paths leading to their homes. They cultivative potatoes, gabi, mais,
sugarcane, tobacco, etc. The men's attire is limited to the G-string while the women
wear a type of skirt which covers the hips down to a portion just above the knees.
Their weapons are bows and arrows, spears, round wooden shields, and a broad sword.
They have friendly relations with the Bicolanos with whiom they trade agricultural
products Polygamy is an accepted practice. The woman is sold or purchased at an
average price of ten bushknives to ten dollars in cash. During the marriage, the father
of the bride gives a banquet during which coconut palm wine is drunk. They believe in
the existence of spirits, which they keep from doing harm by offering them food and
betel chew. Sometimes, a ritual practitioner goes into a trance to communicate with the
spirits.
ISAROG
The Isarog group is a class of Bicol Agta found in the vicinity of the Isarog volcano
located in Iriga around Buhi, near Mazaraga in the Cordillera of Caramuan, Camarines
Sur and the neighborhood of Libon and Tobaco, Albay, There are 7,711 of them
scattered in those areas. Many do not have settlements but they wander around like the
Aetas or Negros. Others have houses that are scattered in the jungles. Those who live
in the vicinity of Marzaraga volcano are very friendly and live in peace with
Christians, allowing them to have some of their children baptized. Their physical
appearance is like the other Agta groups due to the intermarriage of Agta and
lowlanders. They have deep seated eyes, brown skin color, curly hair, and heighy of
barely five feet tall. They have an ancient practice like that of the Dayaks of Borneo,
which is killing the first stranger that one meets upon the death of on of their relatives.
They can speak other languanges like Bicolano and Tagalog.