PHILIPPINE

ETHNIC GROUPS
WARAY
WARAY
The waray people are one of the most
religious people in the Philippines.
Almost all of them belong to Roman
Catholicism, the world's largest
Christian denomination. Their religious
devotion is very evident in their
celebrations like feasts honoring their
patron saints. Santacruzans and
many more.
The waray people speak the waray-waray language, a
major Visayan language.
Some people who are Waray descent also speak
Waray-Waray as their second or third language,
especially among emigrants to Metro Manila, other
parts of the Philippines and in other parts of the
world.
Many Waray traditions can be traced to pre-colonial
times. For example, the Kuratsa dance is a very
popular traditional dance of the Waray-Waray at
many social gatherings, especially weddings. It is
very common throughout Samar. The couple who
dances the Kuratsa are showered with money by
the people around them. The belief is that more
money showered upon them,the more blessings will
come their way.
ISNEG
Isneg
The Isneg are distinguished from the
other Cordillerans by the fine construction
of their houses, resembling that of the
lowland Filipinos, and they are particular
conspicuous about cleanliness. Their
houses are set on four large and strong
straight posts of incorruptible wood
resistant to humidity, driven into the
earth, instead of being made of bamboo
cut in long narrow strips joined by rattan,
as the lowland Filipinos do.
The earliest residents of Apayao Province (Cordillera
Administrative Region) and one of the remaining tribes in
Luzon, the Isneg are a small ethnoliguistic group inhabiting
the wide mountains of the area. They are concentrated
mainly in the municipalities of Kabugao, Conner, Luna, and
Pudtol. Various names have been used to differentiate the
Isneg. The Spaniards referred to them as los Apayaos
(referring to the river along which they live) and los
Mandayas (taken from the Isneg term meaning “upstream”).
Isnag, the Isneg language, is spoken by around 300,000
people. They also speak Ilocano.
The Isneg settlements are mostly along the river, but they do
farming up the hills at certain times of year. Their villages
are small and houses, close together, for security and
companionship. The traditional house sits on four large
wooden posts and has colourful adornments. There are two
important rituals that bind the Isneg. Say-am is a feast
celebrated by an affluent Isneg family, usually
accompanied by wining, eating, and dancing. In contrast,
pildap is celebrated by the poorer members of the tribe
when a family transfers to another place or when someone
seeks healing.
BATAK
BATAK
The batak which means "mountain people" in
Cuyonon is a group of indigenous Filipino
people that resides in the northeast portion
of Palawan.
They live in the rugged interiors of
northeastern Palawan. Living close to nature,
they are a peaceful and shy people. But the
Toba Bataks however are much more
aggressive than the "younger" Karo Batak.
These people believe in nature spirits, with
whom they communicate through a babaylan
or medium.
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.
The Batak today are fading, and much of their distinctive
traditional culture has been irretrievably lost. Their
population and traditions have been affected by the
continuing invasion of settlers from different parts of the
Philippines, and by logging operations in their habitat. They
have been ravaged by malnutrition and disease because of
poverty.
PALAWEÑOS
 PALAWEÑOS
They are religious, disciplined and have
a highly developed community spirit.
Their conversion to Christianity has led
to the merger of the animistic beliefs
of the Cuyunon with the Christian
elements to produce a folk Christianity
which is the prevailing belief of the
Cuyunon. The Agutayanons practice a
simpler island lifestyle, with fishing
and farming as their main source of
livelihood.
TAUSUGS
TAUSUGS
The word Tausug is derived from the
word tau which means "man" and sug
meaning "current" , and translates into "
people of the current". It refers to the
majority Islamized group in the Sulu
archipelago,their language, and their
culture. The Tausug speak bahasa sug, a
Malayo-Polynesian language related to
Visayan variety spoken in Surigao, and
write in a Malayo-Arabic script known
as jawi or sulat sug.
The dominant ethnic group in the Sulu archipelago
because of their political and religious institutions, the
Tausug occupy Jolo, Indanan, Siasi, and Patikul in
Sulu (ARMM). There are also scattered settlements in
Zamboanga del Sur and Cotabato, and all the way to
Malaysia, which has an estimated Tausug population
of more than 110,000.
Tausug is a combination of tau (person) and suug
(the old name of Jolo Island). The present generation
of Tausugs are believed to be descended from the
different ethnic groups that had migrated to the Sulu
archipelago.
The Tausug language is adopted from the vocabulary
of Tagimaha, in whose locality the Sultan of Sulu lived
and established Buansa, the capital of the Sultunate.
They have two dialects: parianum and gimbahanun.
Parianum is spoken by the people living along the
coasts of Jolo and gimbahanun, by those living in the
interior part.
NEGRITOS
NEGRITOS
The Aeta are indigenous people who live
in the mountainous parts of the
Philippines. They are dark brown to
black skinned people who tend to be
short in stature. They are thought to be
the first inhabitants of the Philippines,
preceding the Astronesian migrations.
TheAetas became commonly known
through Spanish colonial rule as
Negritos.
The Negritos of the Philippines are comprised of approximately twenty-five widely
scattered ethnolinguistic groups totaling an estimated 15,000 people. They are
located on several major islands in the country: Luzon, Palawan, Panay, Negros,
Cebu, and Mindanao. They are assumed to be the aboriginal inhabitants of the
archipelago. The religion of most groups remains animistic, often with a thin
overlay of Roman Catholic influence. All the Negrito languages are Austronesian, as
are all the native languages of the Philippines. The Negrito languages do not form
a subfamily among the Philippine Austronesian languages. Rather, they tend to be
most closely related to, but usually mutually unintelligible with, the languages of
the non-Negrito peoples in their particular geographical areas. All Negrito adults in
every area are bilingual, able to converse in and understand the major languages
of their non-Negrito neighbors with only minor difficulty. The population of the
Negritos has declined greatly since the early Hispanic period (1600) and continues
to decline today because of high death rates resulting from encroachment by
outsiders, deforestation, depletion of their traditional game resources, and general
poverty and disease. These Negroid peoples are phenotypically quite different in
appearance from the Mongoloid peoples of the Philippines, who today outnumber
the Negritos by 4,000 to 1. In spite of their Negroid appearance, all scholars reject
the theory that their ancestors came from Africa. Rather, the accepted theory today
is that Philippine Negritos are descendants of groups of Homo sapiens who
migrated into the Philippines during the Upper Pleistocene from mainland
Southeast Asia, and subsequently developed their phenotypic traits in situ, through
processes of microevolution, some 25,000 years ago. All of the Negrito groups are
or were hunter-gatherers. Today they are found in various stages of deculturation.
Most practice some marginal cultivation themselves, and all groups carry on
intense symbiotic relationships with neighboring non-Negrito peoples, trading
forest products for cash or starch food (rice or corn), serving as forest guides,
and especially working as casual laborers on nearby farms.
MANGYANS
MANGYANS
The Mangyans were not exclusive to
Mindoro but apparently also inhabited
the interiors of romblon and Tablas.
During the 10th to 13th centuries, the
southern part of Mindoro was called Mait,
a name that is still used by the Mangyan
tribe in the south of Mindoro. The Mait
Mangyans were trading with the Chinese,
and exchanged their local products of
beeswas, cotton, root crops and medicinal
plants for beads,gongs,plates and jars.
At present, Mangyans live in public lands in five
Mangyan reservations in forest zones in Mindoro. A total
of 20 to 60 households are within a core settlement
composed of 5 to 8 members. Their main source of
livelihood is farming through swidden or kaingin system,
a type of cultivation which practice "field rotation" after
the soil is exhausted rather that the popular "crop
rotation" practice by lowlanders. They also get income
from handicrafts and charcoal making while some of
them are hired in mining operations and from DENR as
forest guard and seedling planters. Their formal
education is considered very low which is about 2% only
of their population due to their belief that education
can be best achieve through experience and its against
to their customs and traditions. Another reason is the
economic and social reason aside from cultural, like
they can't afford to send their kids to schools and they
feel that their kids will not treated well in school by
lowlanders.
T'BOLIS
T'BOLIS
The T'bolis live in the southern part of
Cotabato. They are famous for their very
artistic and sophisticated style of weaving.
Some practice the "slash and burn" type of
agriculture. They clear a part of the forest
by cutting the big trees and burning the
lower bushes, after which they use the
clear plots as arable land for some years.
Rice, cassava and yams are the most
important agricultural products. They go
fishing for additional food.
One of southern Mindanao’s indigenous people, the T’boli are
concentrated in Kiamba, Maitum, and Surallah in South
Cotabato. As settlers from other Philippine islands arrived, the
T’boli gradually withdrew to the mountain slopes and lived in
scattered villages. Their cultural heartland lies in the highland
lake complex: Sebu, Selutan, and Lahit Lakes. T’boli, B’laan,
and Tiruray belong to a single language group and are
distinct from the other languages of Mindanao.
T’boli employ slash-and-burn farming in planting corn, upland
rice, vegetables, and root crops. The bulk of their produce is
for household consumption, but some of it is used in
bartering for other household necessities. They are famous for
several things, among them: (1) numerous crafts, such as the
casting in brass of human and animal figures, bells, and
metal boxes; (2) elaborate traditional dresses, especially their
ceremonial and festival attire, which is made from tie-dyed
woven abaca cloth called tinalak; and (3) vivacious dances
and music.
BAGOBOS
BAGOBOS
The word Bagobo is derived from the word
bago which means "new" while obo means "
to grow" in the tribe's dialect. The term may
loosely apply to the coastal people of
Davao Gulf, especially those native groups
on the western shores of southeastern
Davao.
The Bagobos have a light brown complexion.
Their hair is brown or brownish black,
ranging from wavy to curly. Bagobo men
and women have an average height of five
feet and three inches and five feet,
respectively.
The Bagóbo are a proud people with proto Malayan features and with a
strong social structure enabled them, as a group, to integrate with the
main body politic while retaining much of their indigenous customs,
beliefs, and values. That said, most of the Bagóbo have suffered
dislocation due to the loss of their ancestral lands and the effects of
modern day insurgency. While many are in economically depressed
circumstances, a considerable number have attained a substantial
degree of self-sufficiency. For instance, they are renowned for their
metal-craft skills, particularly in the production of brass articles by
means of the ancient lost-wax process; weaponry best exemplify
Bagóbo ornate traditions of metal-crafting. While still others of the
Bagóbo specialize weaving abacca cloths of earth-toned hues, as well
as, basket-making trimmed with beads, fibers and horse hair.
Their distinct ceremonial attire made of ikat textiles is likely to be
referred to as either costume or dress. For the Bagóbo, however,
whichever word is used made a difference. For example, they tend to
use kóstyom (costume) when speaking to non-Bagóbo; amongst
themselves, they use ompák (garment or clothing). Kóstyom is not just
“costume” pronounced with a local accent, it referred to something more
exact. For the Bagóbo, the implementation of these clothes took on
multiple meanings that delineated the many modes of being a modern
Bagóbo. Textiles continue to profoundly connect to ideas of the self in
relation to the group, especially with regard to shared ideals of spiritual
understanding and belonging.
MARANAOS
 MARANAOS
Maranaos are the descendants of Muslim
Malays who came to the Philippines. The
word Maranao means "People of the Lake"
. They are famous for their artworks,
sophisticated weaving, wood and metal
craft and their epic literature.
Previous to the occupation of the
Philippines by the Spaniarda, the
Maranaos had their own kingdom with a
Sultan ruler. Their Royals have varied Arab,
Malay and Indonesian infusions.
The Maranao inhabit Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur in Mindanao. The name
Maranao translates to mean “People of the Lake”, after their traditional territory in
the area surrounding Lake Lanao in the Bukidnon-Lanao Plateau.
According to the early written genealogical documents salsila, this term generally
referred to the native people living around Lake Lanao. The lake area is the home-
range of the Maranao which is located in North Central Mindanao, approximately
135 sq. miles in area and is situated 2,300 feet above sea level. They are one of the
largest Islamic groups in the Philippines, with the core areas being Marawi City,
Lumba-a-bayabao, and Bayang. The Maranao are a splinter group of the
Maguindanao who took up Islam; families tracing their religious origins to Sharif
Kabunsuan, who introduced the religion to the region. Communities are clustered
around a mosque and a torogan, a royal house belonging to the preeminent
economic household in the area. Aside from exotic textiles, metalwork, and
woodcraft, the torogan structure is the most significant and spectacular example
of Filipino secular architecture. As a people, the Maranao are widely distributed
and contribute significantly to the market and trade industry. For instance, the
awang (dugout boat) used principally in Lake Lanao is both unique and extremely
ornate. Textiles, on the other hand, symbolize the socio-economic rank of the
wearer through the intricacies of the design motifs woven into the fabric, as well as,
the richness of the colors used.
Maranao villages are composed of several families living in homes sans walls for
partition. They are allowed to be members of different villages simultaneously,
without fear of recrimination as outcasts due largely in part to the accepted
bilateral relationships. As transients, they're found in other parts of the
Archipelago. Primary subsistence consists of dry rice cultivation in hilly areas;
intensive wet rice in flood plains; and some corn, sweet potato, coffee, cassava and
peanuts. To supplement their agricultural harvests, they also incorporate fishing.
IFUGAOS
IFUGAOS
The Ifugaos inhabit the most
rugged and mountainous part
of the country, high in the
Central Cordillera in northern
Luzon.
 The Ifugao call themselves as i-pugao or "inhabitants of
the known earth"; other variations of the name are
Ifugaw, Ipugao, and Yfugao. They live primarily in the
province of Ifugao in Central Cordillera, in Northern
Luzon. The name is supposed to have come from ipugo
which means "from the hill." The Amganad Ifugao
(Ifugaw) populate the central part of Ifugao Province
and has two dialects: Burnay and Banaue. Additionally,
their name is synonymous with the famous man-made
Banaue Rice Terraces in northern Luzon, which had once
been hailed the "eighth wonder of the world", and
attributed to their engineering knowledge and
agricultural terracing. Historically, Ifugao was one of the
places in the Archipelago least influenced by the
Spaniards, even though they did venture into Ifugao
territory; the Spaniards were unable to transform their
culture and values. Anthropologists have regarded the
Ifugao as possibly the oldest residents of the highlands;
their origin attributed to Indonesian migration, dating
back as early as 800-500 BC.
TAGALOGS
TAGALOGS
The ancient Tagalogs were
primarily a Hindu people who
were converted to Islam by arab
traders just before the arrival of
the Spaniards.
The Tagalogs are one of the largest and most
dominant ethnic groups in the country. Most Tagalogs
live outside the National Capital Region, in the
provinces of Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon, Cavite,
Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Tarlac, Zambales, Marinduque,
Bataan, and Aurora. Significant Tagalog populations
are also found in Mindoro and Palawan. The vast
majority are followers of Christianity, most of whom
are Roman Catholics.
The Tagalog spoken in Manila is regarded as the most
standard variation of Tagalog. It is enriched by
regional and international influences, considering that
the city of Manila is the country’s capital. Metro
Manila (National Capital Region), of which Manila city
is part, is the national seat of business, commerce,
education, and the arts has become the locus of
multiculturalism in the Philippines. Thus, Manileño
Tagalog is the foundation of Filipino, the country’s
official language.
THE END