Indigenous Peoples of Luzon

Indigenous Peoples of Luzon

Whatever your ethnicity is, in this life you are going to be on a journey to discover who you are and how you feel about yourself.

- Lauren London

Tagbanwa

Compiled by: Diannebates R. Fuentes

Puerto Princesa, Palawan is the home of the Tagbanwa. Their language may also be known as Aborlan Tagbanwa or even Apurawnon, and is classified under the other Palawanic languages. However, it has some lexical similarities with Cuyonon, a Bisayan language. Tagbanwas are also said to have their own script.

The traditional clothing of the Tagbanwas came from the barks of trees. Transforming the bark into clothing material is a tedious process. Accessories, such as necklaces and anklets, are also essential to their everyday attire. Men and women wear their hair long.

Batak

In Palawan, the smallest and the most endangered of the three major ethnic groups is the Batak tribe. An old Cuyunon term, Batak means “mountain people”; they are classified as a Philippine Aeta group because of their physical characteristics. At present, they live in the rugged northeastern part of Palawan Island, close to the coastal villages of Babuyan, Tinitian, and Malcampo. Previously, they lived in several river valleys of Babuyan, Maoyon, Tanabag, Tarabanan, Laingogan, Tagnipa, Caramay, and Buayan. They speak a language called Batak or Binatak, although majority are bilingual, as they can speak both Batak and Tagbanua. Bataks practice minimal shifting cultivation, alternating rice with cassava, tubers, and vegetables.

Pangasinense

The 9th largest ethnic group in the Philippines, the Pangasinense population is concentrated in Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan Province, in the central area of Luzon Island. Their language can be called both Pangasinan and Pangasinense.

Pangasinan is the largest province in the Ilocos Region, with 44 municipalities. Its name means “land of salt,” derived from asin (salt) and the affixes pang- and -an (“place of”). Other principal economic activities apart from salt production are farming and fishing.

The Pangasinense culture is a rich mix of Malayo-Polynesian, Hispanic, American, and Chinese influences.

Ibanag

One of the oldest inhabitants of Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon, the Ibanag can be found in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya. The term Ibanag originated from i (“people of”) and bannag (river), which pretty much describes where they chose to settle.

In pre-colonial times, the Ibanags hunted for food, as evidenced by the tools found in various archaeological sites in Cagayan Valley. Today, farming continues to be their primary source of income, although modernization has opened other options for them.

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Cordillera Ethnic Groups

• Bontoc
• Ibaloi
• Isneg
• Kalinga
• Kankanaey

Igorots or Cordillerans

Igorot, or Cordillerans, is the collective name of several Austronesian ethnic groups in The Philippines, who inhabit the mountains of Luzon. These highland peoples inhabit the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya and Mountain Province, as well as Baguio City.

Who are the Indigenous Peoples?

refer to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. (http://www.gov.ph/1997/10/29/republic-act-no-8371/)

Hanunuo

Iraya

Bangon

Buhid

Alangan

Neuhan

Mangyan

Pula

Batangan

is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of island of Luzon, the Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 100,000, but official statistics are difficult to determine under the conditions of remote areas, reclusive tribal groups and some having little if any outside world contact.

Adasen

Ivatan

Agta

One of the nine distinct subgroups of the Tingguians of northwestern Luzon, the Adasens are Isnegs from Apayao. They can be found in Dolores, Lagangilang, Sallapadan, and Tineg in northeastern Abra.

• inhabitants of Batanes Group of Islands
• Batan, Itbayat and Sabtang
• they spoke "Chirin nu Ibatan", an Austronesian language spoken exclusively in the Batanes Islands was characterized by the dominant use of the letter “v”, as in valuga, vakul, and vanuwa.
• Due to the frequency of typhoons and drought, they planted root crops that were more resilient to the destructive forces of the environment; these include yam, sweet potato, taro, garlic, ginger, and onion.
• possessed a unique skill to predict weather
• unique to their culture is their stone houses
• vakul, a traditional headgear designed to shield the wearer from the sun and rain, is another cultural feature unique to the Ivatans.

The Adasen dialect and cultural practices reflect the tribe’s origins. Like other Tingguians, they perform religious rituals, songs, and dances in honor of the spirits during important events: birth, childhood, betrothal, marriage, sickness, death, and harvests.

• commonly referred as Negritos
• Agtas in Luzon are named based on the place they live:
• Alabat Island
• Casiguran Dumagat
• Camarines Norte
• Central Cagayan
• Dicamay
• Dupaninan
• Mt. Isarog
• Mt. Iraya
• Mt. Iriga
• Umiray Dumaget
• Villaviciosa
• Agtas are characteristically short, dark-skinned, kinky-haired, thick-lipped, and small-nosed.
• Their traditional clothing is tapis (skirt) for women and bahag (breechcloth) for men. Breastfeeding mothers wear uban, a piece of fabric slung from the shoulders.
• Traditional Agta houses are built in clusters and made from indigenous materials such as bamboo, wood, talahib (cogon), coconut leaves, and abaca bark.
• Agtas as young as 14 marry the partner chosen by their parents.
• Hunting is their main means of subsistence.