Mangyan in Maranao

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Mangyan

Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro, southwest
of the island of Luzon. Mindoro is the seventh largest island in the Philippines, with an area of 10,224
square kilometers and two provinces – Oriental and Occidental. Of the total population of one million, the
indigenous population is estimated at 100,000.
Hanunuo

A Hanunuo-Mangyan family [Source: Mangyan Mission]

The Hanunuo Mangyans live in the municipalities of Mansalay, Bulalacao, and some parts of Bongabong
in Oriental Mindoro, and in the municipality of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro.

To the Hanunuo, clothing (rutay) is one of the most important criteria in distinguishing the Mangyan
from the non-Manyan (damuong). A Hanunuo-Mangyan male wears a loin cloth (ba-ag) and a shirt
(balukas). A female wears an indigo-dyed short skirt (ramit) and a blouse (lambung). Many of the
traditional style shirts and blouses are embroidered on the back with a design called pakudos, based on
the cross shape.

This design is also found on their bags made of buri (palm leaf) and nito (black fern), called bay-ong. Both
sexes used to wear a twilled rattan belt with pocket (hagkos) at their waist. Long hair is the traditional
style for a man. It is tied in one spot at the back of the head with a cloth hair-band called panyo. Women
also have long hair often dressed with a headbands of beads. The Hanunuo Mangyans of all ages and both
sexes are very fond of wearing necklaces and bracelets of beads [Miyamoto, 1985].

In the past they cultivated cotton trees and from these obtained raw materials which they wove in a
crude hand loom called harablon. The process of weaving was called habilan, which starts with the
gathering of cotton balls and pilling them to dry in a flat basket (bilao). Afterwards, the seeds are
removed and the cotton placed on a mat and beaten by two flat sticks to make it fine. Next the cotton is
placed inside a container made out of banana stalks (binuyo) and woven.

Together with their northern neighbor the Buhids, the Hanunuo possess a pre-Spanish writing system,
considered to be of Indic origin, with characters expressing the open syllables of the language [Postma,
1981]. This syllabic writing system, called Surat Mangyan, is being taught in several Mangyan schools in
Mansalay and Bulalacao.

The Hanunuo Mangyans practise swidden farming. This type of farming is different from the "kaingin"
system practised by non-Mangyans which is often very destructive when it is done with no proper
safeguards to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding vegetation. A fallow period is also
observed so that the swidden farm will revert back to forest. According to Conklin, the Mangyans
managed their swidden farms skillfully. In 1995, almost half a century after Conklin's research, a study on
the Hanunuo Mangyans' swidden farming system was conducted by Hayama Atsuko. She concluded that
the Hanunuo Mangyans' farming practices have prevented land deterioration in spite of the fact that
forest land degradation is now evident in their territory due to various factors.
Iraya

An Iraya-Mangyan family [Source: Mangyan Mission]

The Iraya Mangyans live in the municipalities of Puerto Galera, San Teodoro and Baco in Oriental
Mindoro but most are in Occidental Mindoro, particularly in the
municipalities of Abra de Ilog, Paluan, Mamburao and Santa Cruz.

Estel (1952) described the Iraya as having curly or deep wavy hair
and dark skin but not as dark as that of the Negrito.

During ancient times, the Iraya traditional attire was made


of dry tree bark, pounded to make it flat and soft. The women
usually wore a blouse and a skirt and the men wore g-strings made
of cloth. Today, however, the Iraya are dressed just like the lowland
people. Ready-to-wear clothes are easier to find than their
traditional costume [Uyan, 2002].

The Irayas are also skilled in nito-weaving. Handicrafts such as jars,


trays, plates and cups of different sizes and design are being
marketed to the lowlanders.
Alangan

An Alangan-Mangyan woman in traditional attire

The Alangan Mangyans live in the municipalities of Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro, and Victoria in Oriental
Mindoro, and in the municipality of Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.

The name Alangan was derived from the name of a river and mountain slopes in the upper Alangan Valley
[Leykamm, 1979].

The women traditionally wear a skirt called lingeb. This is made of long strips of woven nito (forest
vines), and is wound around the abdomen. This is worn together with the g-string called abayen. The
upper covering is called ulango, made from the leaf of the wild buri palm. Sometimes a red kerchief
called limbutong is worn over the ulango. The men wear g-strings with fringes in front.

The Alangan Mangyans practise swidden farming, which consists of eleven stages. Two of them are the
firebreak-making (agait) and the fallowing (agpagamas). A firebreak is made so the fire will not go
beyond the swidden site where the vegetation is thoroughly dry and ready for burning. Two years after
clearing, cultivation of the swidden is normally ceased and the site is allowed to revert back to forest
[Quiaoit, 1997].

Betel nut chewing is also noted among the Alangans, like all other Mangyan tribes. This they chew with
great fervor from morning to night, saying that they don't feel hunger as long as they chew betel nut
[Leykamm, 1979]. Nonetheless, betel chewing has a social dimension. Exchange of betel chew ingredients
signifies social acceptance.
Tadyawan

Tadyawan Mangyans in Oriental Mindoro [Source: Mangyan


Mission]

The Tadyawan Mangyans live in the municipalities of Naujan,


Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Bansud.

In the past, the women wore for their upper covering a red cloth
called paypay, which is wound around the breast. For their
lower covering, they wrapped around the waist a white cloth
called talapi. The men wore g-strings called abay. For their
accessories, women wore colorful bracelets and necklaces made
of beads. Today the women are rarely seen wearing their
traditional attire, though some men still wear the abay.

Like all other Mangyan tribes, the Tadyawan depend on their


"kaingin" farm for subsistence. Their staple foods are upland
rice, banana, sweet potato, and taro. Some have also planted
fruit-bearing trees like rambutan, citrus, and coffee in their
kaingin.

Tau-buid

A Tau-buid Mangyan in Occidental Mindoro [Source: Overseas


Missionary Fellowship]

The Tau-buid Mangyans live in the municipalities of Socorro,


Pinamalayan and Gloria, but mostly in Occidental Mindoro

The Tau-buids are known as pipe smokers and even children begin
smoking at a young age.

Standard dress for men and women is the loin cloth. In some areas
close to the lowlands, women wrap a knee-length cloth around their
bark bra-string and men wear cloth instead of bark. Bark cloth is worn
by both men and women in the interior and is also used for head
bands, women's breast covers, and blankets. Cloth is made by
extracting, pounding and drying the inner bark of several trees
[Pennoyer, 1979].

.
Bangon

A Bangon-Mangyan elder [Source: Mangyan Mission]

The Bangon Mangyans live along the Bongabon river called Binagaw
and the surrounding mountains in the municipalities of Bongabong,
Bansud, and Gloria in Oriental Mindoro.

The Bangon Mangyans have their own culture, language and writing
system, different to the other tribes in Oriental Mindoro, and asserted
they be considered the seventh major tribe – not a sub-tribe of the Tau-
buid. In a March 28, 1996 meeting with Buhid Mangyans in Ogom
Liguma, they decided to accept the word Bangon for their tribe.

Buhid

A Buhid-Mangyan woman [Source: Mangyan Mission]

The Buhid Mangyans live in the municipalities of Roxas, Bansud,


Bongabong and some parts of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro, and in
the municipalities of San Jose and Rizal in Occidental Mindoro.

The Buhids are known as pot makers. Other Mangyan tribes, like the
Alangan and Hanunuo, used to buy their cooking pots from the
Buhids. The word Buhid literally means "mountain dwellers"
[Postma, 1967].

Buhid women wear woven black and white brassiers


called linagmon and a black and white skirt called abol. Unmarried
women wear body ornaments such as a braided nito belt (lufas), blue
thread earrings, beaded headband (sangbaw), beaded bracelet
(uksong), and beaded long necklace (siwayang or ugot). The men
wear g-strings. To enhance body beauty, the men wear ornaments
like a long beaded necklace, tight choker (ugot) and beaded bracelet
(uksong). Both sexes use an accessory bag called bay-ong for personal
things like comb and knife [Litis, 1989].

Together with the Hanunuo, the Buhids in some areas possess a pre-Spanish syllabic writing system.
Ratagnon

The Ratagnon live in the southernmost part of the municipality of Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro.
Their language is similar to the Visayan Cuyunon language, spoken by the inhabitants of Cuyo Island in
Northern Palawan.

The Ratagnon women wear a wrap-around cotton cloth from the waistline to the knees and some of the
males still wear the traditional g-string. The women's breast covering is made of woven nito (vine). They
also wear accessories made of beads and copper wire. The males wear a jacket with simple embroidery
during gala festivities and carry flint, tinder, and other paraphernalia for making fire. Both sexes wear
coils of red-dyed rattan at the waistline. Like other Mangyan tribes, they also carry betel chew and its
ingredients in bamboo containers.

Language

Their languages are mutually imposible to understand, though they share some vocabulary and
use Hanunó ’o script to write: Tawbuid and Buhid are closely related, and are unusual among Philippine
languages in having an /f/ phoneme; Tawbuid is divided into eastern and western dialects; Western
Tawbuid may be the only Philippine language to have no  /h/ or /ʔ/.

Hanunuo’s script is written Vertically but written upward and to be read left to right
Religion

Their traditional religious world view is primarily animistic; around 10% have embraced Christianity,
both Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism (The New Testaments have been published in six
of the Mangyan languages).

Indigenous Mangyan religion

The Mangyan have a complex spiritual belief system which includes the following deities:

 Mahal na Makaako – The Supreme Being who gave life to all human beings merely by gazing at
them.
 Binayi – Owner of a garden where all spirits rest.
 Binayo – Is a sacred female spirit, caretaker of the rice spirits or the kalag paray. She is married to
the spirit Bulungabon. The kalag paray must be appeased, to ensure a bountiful harvest. It is for this
reason that specific rituals are conducted in every phase of rice cultivation. Some of these rituals include
the panudlak, the rite of the first planting; the rite of rice planting itself; and the rites of harvesting which
consist of the magbugkos or binding rice stalks, and the pamag-uhan, which follows the harvest.
 Bulungabon – The spirit aided by 12 fierce dogs. Erring souls are chased by these dogs and
eventually drowned in a cauldron of boiling water. He is Binayo’s husband.
Festival

Mangyan Festival

The Mangyan Cultural Festival is the only major cultural activity


in Oriental Mindoro with representation from all seven
Mangyan tribes in the province. They celebrate and promote the
Mangyans’ unique arts and crafts. And Instill among the
Mangyan youth a deeper appreciation and understanding of
their own heritage and of the need to keep it alive for the next
generations.

A Festival by Mangyan for Mangyan


HAGIBBAT was born to weave together the stories of approximately
200,000 Mangyan scattered in the upland and lowland of Mindoro.
Representing tribal groups Hanunoo, Alangan, Gubatnon, Iraya,
Buhid, Bangon and Tadyawan, it is a federation that upholds their
basic rights to land and life in all avenues.

This is the kind of festival that amplifies the very voice of Mangyan
from its most remote of sanctuary in forests to its most exposed
homes in the flatlands.

MALASIMBO MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL – THE MANGYAN CULTURAL


FESTIVAL
Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
The festival is held at the foot of Mount Malasimbo, overlooking the Puerto Galera Bay.
Blending traditional arts and performing styles with contemporary expressions in the arts,
it also showcases the culture of the Mangyan tribal community while promoting the
protection of Puerto Galera’s environment.

Other Mindoro Festivals


Bansudani Festival, January 17-19; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental
A thanksgiving ritual for bountiful harvest which coincides with the town fiesta. It features dances and cultural
presentations by schools and barangay communities.
Feast of the Divine Savior, January 17 –19; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental
Highlight is an agro-trade fair.
Feast of the Sacred Heart, February 14-15; Bansud, Mindoro Oriental
Highlight is an agro-trade fair.
Banana Festival, March 18-19; Baco, Mindoro Oriental
A celebration of the abundance of bananas. It features a banana cookfest and a “saba”-(type of banana)-inspired street
dancing competition and beauty pageant. This coincides with the town fiesta in honor of St. Joseph.
Sulyog Festival, March 19; Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro
A religious festival in honor of St. Joseph. It is celebrated by way of the Sulyog (Suli and Niyog) Festival through dances,
flats, and cultural shows.
Bahag-hari Festival, April 24; Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
A colorful celebration highlighted by street dancing, a parade of colorful floats, and a different kind of Moriones Festival.
The Sabutan Festival and Mini- Trade Fair, April 25-29; Mabitac, Oriental
Mindoro
It showcases the different native products of the province, mainly from Sabutan.
Lechon Festival and Gabi ng Pakulo, June 24; Pola, Oriental Mindoro
A religious festival in honor of St. John the Baptist, coupled with a festive social affair, usually, a banquet, preceded by a
pagoda and the parade of lechon (roast pig). Its most interesting feature is the Gabi ng Pakulo, a combination of street
dancing and all sorts of cultural entertainment, performed by different barangays on the streets of Pola.
Feast of St. John The Baptist / Lechon Festival, June 24; Pola, Oriental Mindoro
At the Lechon Festival, or Parada ng Lechon, in local parlance, roast pigs or lechon garbed in creative costumes are
paraded around the town to the accompaniment of gay chanting and “buhusan” – a customary practice during the San
Juan Bautista feast, which involves water dousing. A selection of the best from among the lechon entries follows, along
with a free-for-all banquet open to the townsfolk and visitors alike.
Biniray Festival, June 29; Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro
A grand pagoda show as a way of thanksgiving for the blessings from the sea. Other highlights are street dancing, a
parade of spectacular floats, and cultural presentations of schools and communities.
Pakapya-agtike Festival, July 25-27; Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
This festivity features cultural shows, a parade of floats, and street dancing on the last day, showcasing agricultural
bounty. Schools, barangays, and tribal communities participate. The festival is a thanksgiving offering to the town
patron, the Holy Family.
Sayaw Lahi Festival, September 10; Naujan, Oriental Mindoro
A festival featuring all native dances performed on the streets by different schools and barangay communities. Other
highlights are the school band competition, live-band concerts, and awarding of outstanding Naujenos.
Kapakyanan Festival, October 14-15; Victoria, Oriental Mindoro
Kapakyanan means abundance. The festival focuses on the bountiful harvest of fruits and crops. Its highlights are street
dancing and a beauty pageant with agriculture as the central theme.
Pamugu-an Festival, 3rd week of October; Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro
It is a festive reunion of different Mangyan tribes. There are sports events, such as the Palaro ng Lahi, cultural
presentations, product demonstrations, and “Barakalan” or “baratillo” or sale of native products.
Sanduguan Festival, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
It revives the barter trade between the Mai natives and the Chinese traders. This week-long festivity features an agro-
trade fair. There is a historical parade, re-enactment of the barter trading, and the Indakan sa Sanduguan, a street
dancing competition. Considered as the biggest and the most innovative festival in the province, it also features art and
historical contests, workshops, and contemporary and ethnic cultural shows.
Feast of Santa Catalina, November 26; Mansalay. Oriental Mindoro
Highlight is the Palarong Lahi, an array of games very native to Mindoreños, and Filipinos, joined in by all game
enthusiasts.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
Highlight is an agro-trade fair.
San Teodoro Founding Day and Immaculate Conception Feast, December 8; San
Teodoro
Highlight is the Tiyakad, a dancing event wherein stilts masters systematically march and sway to the delight of the
viewers; a very funny and entertaining event.
Coco Festival, December 8; San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro
It is a religious festival honoring the Immaculate Conception. It features street dancing, a parade of floats, and other
activities centered on the town’s agricultural bounty, the coconut.

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