Mangyan
"Mangyan" is the collective name of seven ethno linguistic group inhabiting most of the highland region of Mindoro, the seventh largest island in the northern end of the vast basin of the Sulu Sea, south of Batangas and the mainland southern Luzon, and west of the Bicol region.
Is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found in the Philippine island of Mindoro, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 100,000, but no official statistics are available because of the difficulties of counting remote and reclusive tribal groups, many of which have no contact with the outside world.
The ethnic groups from north to south of the island are: Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid (called Batangan by lowlanders on the west of the island), Buhid, Hanunoo. An additional group on the south coast is labelled Ratagnon. They appear to be intermarried with lowlanders. The group known on the east of Mindoro as Bangon may be a subgroup of Tawbuid, as they speak the 'western' dialect of that language.
They also have an alphabet which is called the Ambahan. Their traditional religious world view is animistic. Around 10% have embraced Christianity, both Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism. New Testaments have been published in six of the languages.
The Hanunoo Mangyan believe in a Supreme Being who is referred to as the Mahal na Makaako, who gave life to all human beings merely by gazing at them. They believe that the universe, called sinukuban ("that which is covered) or kalibutan ("the whole surrounding") has a globular shape "like a coconut".
The stratum of the earth is called the usa ka daga. The daga (land) is surrounded by a border area, which is dagat (sea). Beyond the dagat is the katapusan, the edge of the universe, covered with thick woods and rocks.
Clothes of Mangyan
A common attire for the Mangyan groups is the ba-ag or loincloth worn by males. . A Hanunoo Mangyan male wears his baag, topped by a balukas or cotton shirt. A female wears the ramit, an indigo-dyed short skirt, and a lambung or blouse.
Their traditional shirt and blouses have on the back an embroidered motif called pakudus, from the Spanish word cruz, meaning "cross", which bears its shape. Hanunoo men and women wear the hagkus or willed rattan belt with a pocket. Women wear the hulon, a belt made from nito, around their waist.
Among the Hanunoo, men forge and repair blades for knives, axes, bolo or long knife, spears, and other bladed instruments. Women traditionally spin, dye, and weave cotton cloth for clothing and blankets. Tailoring and embroidery of garments is usually women's work, while men carve the handles and scabbards. Woven basketry is mainly women's work, but sewn goods, twisted cordage, and other goods are crafted by both sexes.
The musical instruments found among the Mangyan are the gitara, a homemade guitar; the gitgit, a three-string indigenous violin with human hair for strings; the lantoy, a transverse nose flute; the kudyapi, a kind of lute; and the kudlung, a parallelstring bamboo tube zither.
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.
Government solution to their problems
The Aquino government has also pledged to protect human rights. On 11 February 1987, President Aquino said the AFP would fight the insurgency with "the highest respect for human rights." But it appears the Philippines military does not entirely back her position. In a 2 March 1987 BBC interview, Gen. Honesto Isleta, spokesperson for the AFP, stated "On the ground war, I would say that if only there would be not this sword of Damocles, of human rights, over our heads. And perhaps if we look at these NPAs as...foreigners...in our country, not Filipinos, then we could go all out. To heck with human rights." Now with the declaration of "total war," the fighting has infiltrated the Mangyan mountain lands.
From the end of February through March 1988, various religious missions across the island received a flood of Mangyan refugees from the mountains. Estimates of the number of refugee families have reached 350, spread in makeshift camps across the province of Oriental Mindoro. Many families hiked down the side of Mt. Halcon and walked for two days to reach the protection of religious settlements. The Mangyan arrived with little or no food.
Passed by: Leah N. Abordo Linda G. Nangit Irene Dangan Darlene B. Daculapas Arianne M. Flores
Passed to: Mary Grace Miranda