GROUP 1

Introduction / History
 The Hanunoo live on Mindoro, a Philippine island located just to the southwest of the main
island, Luzon. The Hanunoo are also known as the Bulalakao, the Hampangan, and the
Mangyan. As recently as the 1950s, the Hanunoo were almost entirely isolated from
modern civilization, but today they have begun to develop relationships with other peoples
and cultures. The Hanunoo language is unlike many other Filipino languages because it
has a written script. As a result, most of the Hanunoo are able to read and write.
Interestingly, they write on bamboo, not paper. A densely populated plain covers the entire
coastal region of Mindoro. The interior of the island is covered by rugged mountains, and
few people live there. Although Mindoro was once a dangerous region infested by malaria,
in recent decades, immigrants from other parts of the Philippines have moved there,
lending a frontier aspect to life on the island. Writt The Hanunuo Mangyans may also be
distinguished by their rutay (clothing). Men usually wear a ba-ag (a loin cloth) and balukas
(shirt) while the women wear a ramit (indigo-dyed short skirt) and lambung (blouse)

What Are Their Lives Like?

Hanunoo communities are usually built in valleys and are often situated to overlook nearby
streams. The villages are small, with only five or six homes and no more than fifty people. Houses
are made of wood and bamboo and have thatched roofs. The homes, which are built on stilts, are
sometimes arranged in rows so that the verandahs connect to each other.

A great majority of Hanunoo grow their own food. They use a method of farming called "slash-
and-burn" agriculture, in which a section of forest is cut down, the plant debris burned, and crops
planted in the resulting clearing. In new clearings, the Hanunoo plant crops such as corn, rice,
sugarcane, and beans. In previously used clearings, they plant secondary crops such as sweet
potatoes. Sometimes they grow bananas and papayas in even older clearings. After several
years of use, the clearings are left to lie fallow and will usually be used again after at least two
years. In addition to farming, the Hanunoo rely on their domestic animals to provide them with
food, although the people only slaughter the animals on festive occasions.

During major feasts, young men and women court by exchanging love songs. A man will be
accompanied by fiddles, guitars, nose flutes, and harps, as he sings a song expressing his
affection for the young woman. The woman answers with a song of her own. Marriages are
arranged only after the families of the couple have given their mutual consent. The husband goes
to live with his wife's family in order to repay the debt he has incurred by marrying their daughter.

The Hanunuo Mangyan called their weaving process “habilan” and the machine that makes it
possible is the “harablon” (backstrap loom).

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Hanunoo are animists, which means that they believe animals and aspects of nature have
spirits. Some of the most important spirits are guardian spirits called kalag. To gain the favor and
goodwill of the kalag, the Hanunoo sacrifice food and glass beads to them.

In addition, the Hanunoo believe the kalag are pleased when customary legal rules are strictly
followed. Should the people stop sacrificing or observing customs, the kalag will allow evil spirits
called labang to afflict the Hanunoo. The labang attack a person's soul, causing illness or even
death.

To combat illness, the Hanunoo call in a shaman, or priest, known in their language as a
balyanan. The balyanan has control over the spirits living in rocks; the balyanan sends these rock
spirits to attack the evil spirits causing the illness.

What Are Their Needs?

The Hanunoo live in poverty and are isolated from most aspects of modern life, including
education and medicine. Even greater than their physical needs are their spiritual ones. They
desperately need to hear of the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. They also need
Christian material translated into their language. Much prayer and further evangelism are keys to
reaching these precious people with the Gospel.
Alangan Mangyans: IPs of the island
provinces of Mindoro
One of the existing Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in the provinces of Oriental and
Occidental Mindoro is the Alangan Mangyan. Most of them are living at the foot
of Mt. Halcon. According to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
(NCIP), most of the Alangans live near the riverbank of the Alangan River.

The term 'Alangan' came from the name of the river which is located between the
mountainous terrain of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. In other words,
historians described the name Alangan literally as ‘in between’.

The women Alangans traditionally wear 'lingeb', a kind of skirt that is made of
long strips of woven nito of forest vines and wrapped around their abdomen which
serves as an undergarment. This is worn together with an ‘abayen’ or skirt made
usually from the bark of the Barokan tree and ‘ulango’ or upper covering made
from the leaf of the wild buri palm.

On the other hand, the men Alangans wear 'abay' or breechcloth made from the
bark of the tree pounded and washed then dried. Sometimes they also use a piece
of cloth with fringes in front and a knot made from the nito and wrapped around
their waist. It comes with a knife used essentially when they are chewing betel
nuts or worn when they are gathering food in the forest.

Alangan Mangyans are mostly living in a Balaylakoy, a large house made of

bamboo poles, cogon grass, rattan strips or vines, and the bark of the trees for
outside covering of the house. The house has only one section, wherein each one
of them is occupied and composed of between 20 to 50 families. The house is
divided by poles and has a ‘poypoyan’ or fireplace. The entire household of
Alangan Mangyans is usually supervised by a ‘Kuyay’ or an elderly person.

The highest leader of the Alangan tribe is called Tanungan and the next authority
is called a Nayon, who serves as the sitio leader and is consulted by the
community members. The Nayon always accompanies the Tanungan, especially
during meetings and dialogues. Moreover, the council, known in the vernacular as
Bokal or Konsehal is the third person in authority in the community. The Bokal
executes the punishment for those who violate their customary laws.

With regard to their livelihoods, the Alangan Mangyan relies mainly on upland farming for
subsistence-- planting crops such as rice, corn, bananas, and other root crops. Their harvest varies
depending on the preparation and management of the farm.
Alangan Mangyans believe to the sacredness of some of the parts of the Ancestral Domain. Keeping
those Sacred Places sanctified makes them acquire and maintain good health.
GROUP 2
TAWBUID
The Tawbuid or Tau-buid Mangyans are part of the eight tribes of the umbrella term
Mangyan. They are known as pipe smokers who start smoking at an early age, even when
they are still children. Interestingly, they prefer to smoke tobacco instead of chewing betel
nuts, which is a habit that their Mangyan brothers and sisters share.
The Tawbuid people are also known as the Batangan Taubuid (by the lowlanders residing on
the west of the island) and Fanawbuid. They can be found in Sablaya and Calintaan in
Occidental Mindoro, and Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro. Specifically, they inhabit the
boroughs of Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Socorro but they are most dominant in Occidental
Mindoro.

Tawbuid Language

The Tawbuid language has two dialects, namely, the Eastern and Western dialects. The
Eastern Tawbuid dialect, also known as Bangon, has approximately 1,130 speakers who
reside in the towns of Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Socorro in Oriental Mindoro. By contrast, the
Western Tawbuid dialect, also known as Batangan, has approximately 6,810 speakers who
reside in the towns of Calintaan and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.

Furthermore, the Tawbuid language as a whole is also closely related to the Buhid language,
both sharing the /f/ phoneme, thus making them sound distinct from other Philippine
languages.
Culture

It is apparent that the Tawbuids still highly value tradition over modernity, and this is evident
in how they dress, their trade, and their way of life in their communities.

Aside from being pipe smokers, the Tawbuid Mangyans have an important duty: they are the
protectors of the world’s rarest buffalo, the critically endangered tamaraw. They also have the
largest number of communities among all the eight Mangyan tribes. Their houses are mostly
nipa huts, and they live on the uplands, enjoying the cold temperatures up in the mountains in
the otherwise hot country.

Many of the Tawbuid women still wrap their bra-string (made of bark) with a knee-length cloth,
while the men are still dressed in loincloths called amakan. They can be seen wearing
necklaces and bracelets made of beads.

To put food on the table, they hunt animals using their tulag (spear), gadun (bow), and silo
(spike trap). They also plant rice and crops for their livelihood.

They sometimes visit neighboring Mangyan tribes to go to school or whenever there are
health missions conducted for the entire Mangyan communities.

The Spiritual Realm of the Tau-Buid

Lai are chants which invoke the spirits to heal, protect, or solve a variety of problems such as bad
weather. Musical instruments are mainly used by the Eastern Tau-buid in chanting these lai as
devices to attract and summon spirits to the house. Jews’ harps (subing) made out of bamboo
or dario palm wood, one-string guitars (batak), nose and mouth flutes (tulali, salinggab), bamboo and
leaf drum membranes (balakdan) , and coin necklaces (dalag singku) are all classified by the Taubuid
as famasugda (“for use in causing the arrival of”) and may be employed during a lai chant. Cow bells
(giring) and brass gongs (agang) are found only in the border areas and are not typically Taubuid.

It should be noted that among the Iraya-Mangyan, marayaw is a genre of spirit song used to
communicate with spirits in rituals for healing the sick and protecting the community.

Un-named deities among the Tau-buid – According to the Tau-buid these deities, who are four in
number, are naked. Two come from the sun and are male, and the other two are from the upper
stream of the river and are female. These four deities are believed to meet behind the successor.
They are believed to be couples without children. Following their custom, unless all the members of
each group observe their loyalty to these deities and act rightly, the deities are supposed not to
appear. For this ceremony, they beat a plate in order to call the deities, for whom they kill the fattest
pig as a sacrificial offering, pouring its blood into the river. The deities are supposed to drink the blood
in the river and return home satisfied. The formal priest then performs the role of Priest fu:unan with
his brothers, cousins and nephews on both his father’s and mother’s sides as his assistants.

Rawtit is a folk hero among the Tau-Buid groups. The fabled tribal matriarch comes with all
trimmings of a superhero; gigantic in size, a huge knife as traditional gear, magical powers to leap
miles in one bound and lycra swapped for a loincloth. She brings peace to the forest and all its
inhabitants.

Folk Medical Technology and Amurit

The fact that the knowledge of folk medicine is generally inherited by all males means that all males
of Tau-buid have the possibility of becoming formal successors. The male children of Tau-buid, from
early childhood, practice different methods of curing diseases under the tutelage of their father or
uncle and by observing the practice of the other elders. There is no special rite to become a medicine
man or ballanan. In practice all cannot evidently become medicine men, so this title is not received
until the people have approved the usefulness of the individual’s practice.

At present there are only two kinds of medicine men: Pain and Ta:moguman. They are regarded as
such because they are able to assist in praying for the soul of the dead and to the deities at the same
time. These are not formal priests, however, but can only play the role of assistant to the priest, for
only a true priest can actually pray to the souls and deities, and it seems these two cannot.

Amurit is a kind of witchcraft. In small communities kinship is more evident and people have mutual
and multiple relationships. Tension is rare, but even if tension does break out, it does not end up in
the actual action of killing. Instead, one causes the death of the other by amurit or cursing. During
investigations, however there was no actual case of cursing to death by amurit, but all adult males
claim to know the method. It is quite simple: they imagine several times the act of murdering the one
whom they want to kill by cursing

Tau- Buid is mainly subsistence agriculturalists, planting a variety of sweet potato, upland (dry
cultivation) rice, and taro. They also trap small animals and wild pigs. Many who live in close contact
with lowland Filipinos sell cash crops such as bananas and ginger.
GROUP 3

BANGON
The peaceful, modest, and usually shy Bangon tribesmen dwell mostly along the Binagaw
River, as well as in the municipalities of Bansud, Bongabong, and Gloria in Oriental Mindoro.
They are one of the eight Mangyan tribes, and they have their own language, customs, as
well as writing system. They make their living mostly by gathering crops such as bananas, or
root crops such as taro, cassava, and ginger.
The Bangon are known for their pipes and even young children can be seen smoking pipes. Portraits
of a Mangyan woman and a Mangyan man transporting coconuts. A Bangon woman in a field near
the Bongabon River,

Culture, Religion, Clothing

Like the other Mangyan groups, the Bangon tribe has long stayed in the rural areas of
Mindoro dating back to pre-historic times. They are generally reserved, peaceful people, and
they are shy around lowlanders, which are personality traits that all Mangyan tribesmen seem
to possess. This is in stark contrast with other tribesmen in the country that are known to be
brave warriors or fierce fighters.

The Bangon tribe live a simple and quiet life in their settlements, far from civilization.
Therefore, they usually use herbal medicine to treat their illnesses or wounds. This is why in
some recent outreach programs, it became a priority for medical doctors to visit the tribe to
conduct check-ups and to assist them in their medical needs.

The Bangons are not very familiar with Christianity or other religions. Instead, like all the
Mangyan tribes, Bangons practice animism and believe in their deities and spiritual beings.
They also have no concept of heaven, hell, the Holy Spirit, and souls.

Instead, like all the Mangyan tribes, Bangons practice animism and believe in their deities and
spiritual beings. They also have no concept of heaven, hell, the Holy Spirit, and souls. A unique
recreational item that they normally carry with them is the kwako, which is a clay pipe used for
smoking tobacco.
A unique recreational item that they normally carry with them is the kwako, which is a clay
pipe used for smoking tobacco.

The Bangon used to wear traditional clothing similar to that of the Tabon people. Presently,
however, they wear modern attire, such as T-shirts and jeans.
GROUP 3

TADYAWAN
Among the eight Mangyan tribes are the Tadyawan tribesmen who occupy the province of
Oriental Mindoro, specifically the towns of Naujan, Victoria, Socorro, Pola, Gloria,
Pinamalayan, and Bansud. Similar to most Mangyans, Tadyawans’ traditional clothing
comprises a red cloth on the chest and a white waist wraparound called talapi for women, and
a g-string called abay for men. Men and women adorn themselves with bracelets and
necklaces made of beads.

Approximately 4,150 speak their language of the same name Tadyawan, which belongs to the
North Mangyan subgroup of the Philippine languages.

Tadyawans practice swidden agriculture, similar to the other Mangyan tribes. Oftentimes, they
would also venture to the lowlands to sell their harvested crops and livestock. Additionally,
just like the Iraya Mangyans, they would be seen eating mostly rice, bananas, sweet
potatoes, and other root crops as their steady diet.

The Tadyawan live on the eastern and northeastern edges of Mindoro, and are part of the island's
more general Mangyan culture. They live in settlements of five to twelve single-family houses, which
are situated on slopes near mountain streams and named after the oldest resident.

Tadyawan Language

The Tadyawan language, also called Tadianan, is primarily spoken in Oriental Mindoro,
specifically by the Tadyawan Mangyans in the southern Lake Naujan, as well as in the towns
of Barrio Talapaan and Happy Valley, both in Socorro, and in Pahilaan, Calatagan, in Pola.

Tadyawan is composed of four dialects, namely the Nauhan, East Aglubang, West Aglubang,
and Pola dialects. The Nauhan and East Aglubang dialects are close in syntax and
pronunciation, while the West Aglubang dialect is strongly influenced by the language of the
Alangan Mangyans.

A Glimpse Into Their Lives

As an inevitable consequence of progress, indigenous tribes cope by discarding traditions in

favor of more contemporary customs. Such is the case with Tadyawans. Their traditional
attire is slowly giving way to modern clothing. Furthermore, Tadyawan households now have
access to electricity, and while most members still live in nipa huts, cement houses can also
be found in their community. Schools, health centers, and Catholic churches can also be
found in some of their communities.

A significant number of Tadyawans have gone to school, with some even finishing degree
courses. Not forgetting their roots, these graduates usually give back to their community by
returning to their respective hometowns and practicing their profession there. Several of them
work as nurses, doctors, teachers, and midwives at the service of their tribe.

Like most Mangyan tribes, the majority of Tadyawans worship nature spirits, with only four
percent of their population believing in Christianity.

Tadyawans practice swidden agriculture, similar to the other Mangyan tribes. Oftentimes, they would
also venture to the lowlands to sell their harvested crops and livestock.

GROUP 4 (RATAGNON)

Ratagnon (also transliterated Datagnon or Latagnon) is one of the eight indigenous groups
of Mangyan in the southernmost tip of Occidental Mindoro and the Mindoro Islands along the Sulu
Sea. 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. Today only around 310 people speak the Ratagnon
language, which is nearly extinct, out of an ethnic population of 2,000 people
The Mangyan tribesmen that are believed not to be original settlers of Mindoro are the
Ratagnon Mangyans, who are also called Datagnons and Latagnons. This is due largely to
their language of the same name, Ratagnon, being closely similar to the language in Palawan
Cuyonon.
A Language by Five People

Members of the Ratagnon tribe now opt to use Tagalog instead of their own to communicate
due to modernization. In fact, today, there are only two to five speakers of their native
language out of the 2,000 total Ratagnon ethnic population.

The Ratagnon language is part of the Bisayan language family that closely resembles
Cuyonon, spoken by residents of Cuyo Islands in the northern part of Palawan. This similarity
is due mainly to the migration of people from Cuyo Islands to Mindoro around the mid-19th
century.

Traditional Clothing Worn in the Modern World

If the language of Ratagnons is near its demise, the opposite can be said for their native clothing.
Presently, Ratagnons maintain their traditional clothes of a knee-length wraparound skirt and woven
breast coverings made of nito for women, and a g-string or traditional loincloth for men.

Aside from their g-strings, Ratagnon men also wear jackets featuring simple embroidery during gala
festivals. Additionally, some would carry flint, tinder, and other materials that can be used for making
a fire during these festivities.

Interestingly, one way to distinguish Ratagnons from the seven other Mangyan tribes is through their
rattan coils that are dyed red. These coils are worn by both men and women around their waistlines.
Aside from these coils, the Ratagnon also wear accessories made of beads and copper wire.

Ratagnons would also be seen carrying betel chew and the ingredients in bamboo containers, as
members of other Mangyan tribes would.
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).

GROUP 4

IRAYA
Probably the most scattered Mangyan people are the Iraya Mangyans, who can be located in
Abra de Ilog, Mamburao, and Paluan in Occidental Mindoro, and in some parts of Puerto
Galera, San Teodoro, and Baco in Oriental Mindoro. They are one of the eight Mangyan
tribes, though compared with the other Mangyan tribes who have mostly retained their
cultures, the younger Iraya Mangyans are slowly becoming more accustomed to using
Tagalog and have now mostly discarded their animistic religion in favor of Roman
Catholicism, Evangelical Christianism, and Iglesia ni Cristo. Nevertheless, the 10,000 or so
Irayas still retain their language of the same name, Iraya.

RELIGION Animism is the traditional religion of Iraya tribe. But later on, many villagers have
combined Christianity with their animistic belief, in a religious syncretism. Villagers believed in
Christian God due to the influence of the Adventist missionaries in the village. The primary religion
practiced by the Iraya is animism, a religious worldview that natural physical entities--including
animals, plants, and even inanimate objects--possess a spiritual essence.

The staple Iraya food consists of rice, banana, beans, papaya, corn, squash, sweet potato,
and other root crops. Furthermore, many modern Irayas are educated police officers,
teachers, and government employees.

Iraya Language

The Iraya language is considerably different from the languages of Tadyawan and Alangan, two of
the other Mangyan tribes. Iraya as a language is considered a still-developing language, as its
speakers use the language in a strong and healthy manner while incorporating some Tagalog. Their
script is also distinct from those of the other Mangyan tribes, though it is hard to maintain and quite
uncommon.

Some dialects of Iraya are the Abra de Ilog, Alag Bako, Pagbahan, Palauan-Calavite, and Pambuhan.
These five dialects share the basic vocabulary and grammar of Iraya, though the preferred use of
words, expressions, and pronunciations of particular words may differ from the general Iraya
vocabulary. Furthermore, Iraya spoken in the lowlands tend to borrow words from Tagalog, while
Iraya spoken in the lower slopes of Mt. Halcon tend to borrow words from the closely related Alangan
language.

Interestingly, there is a colloquial register Ibaba that is generally used by Irayas, as well as a quasi-
liturgical speech register Ita’as. Ita’as is used in power songs and is only understood by shamans of
Occidental Mindoro.

Culture, Artforms, and Clothing

A typical Iraya has dark skin and curly hair. They make it a habit to come down from the mountains
and join the lowlanders’ Christmas season festivities, as a good number of Irayas have converted to
Christianity.
Aside from the modern employments of their educated members, the Iraya traditionally sell
handicrafts, as well as trade food and goods with locals.

There are two kinds of baskets associated with the Irayas. The first is a household basket that is
hexagonal in shape and measures around 18 to 20 centimeters in diameter. It is composed of soft
and narrow strips of the buri palm leaf and contains nito strips as well.

The second type of basket is an open grain type made of bamboo strips that are first blackened and
then dried.

Traditional Iraya clothing consists of loincloth bahag fashioned from a tree bark, the belt kaitong and
the headband talawak for males, and skirt-like covering tapis made from bark, the belt lingob and
breast covering sagpan or pamanpan for females. Both males and females wear
necklaces kudyasan that are made from tigbi seeds, and earrings panalingnaw. However, at present,
most modern Irayas are dressed the same way as with lowlanders.

The Irayas’ bloodline is of the first known humans of Mindoro. The mountains are their homes. They
possess indigenous knowledge and culture. They thrive in swidden farming and nito-weaving.
Existing peacefully in the shadows.

As an indigenous cultural community, the Irayas can freely practice their tribal culture and tradition.
It’s mandated by the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997. Such practices strongly influence their
beliefs and actions up to this day.

Like when a family member gets sick or passes away, they’d burn their shack or leave it vacant to get
rid of the bad omen. Then they’d move to another place and make another house.

The Irayas may not totally conform to the western lifestyle of the lowlanders, even in this day and
age. But they do dream of better lives. Mainly to fill their empty stomachs and for their children to be,
at least literate.

Formal education was initially imposed on the Iraya Mangyans in the late 1940s, after the Japanese
occupation. Yet, most indigenous peoples don’t get past elementary. As they hike up and down the
mountains just to reach school, they experience discrimination, plus their irregular source of income
put them in a bind. The government, religious missionaries, and non-government organizations then
help out. Over the years, primary and elementary schools are constructed in their respective
communities with a culturally-relevant curriculum. The second generation of Irayas now sees the
need for their children to go through formal education. For them to have an option to find work with
regular wages.
GROUP 5

BUHID
The name behind Buhid Mangyan represents the dualistic identity of the group. Mangyan means “People” in
their colloquial language. It is a collective term used for the eight (8) indigenous cultural communities residing
in the island of Mindoro, while the word Buhid is derived from the Mangyan word “Sambuhid” which refers to
an elevated parcel of land or mountainous area.
The Buhids are traditional inhabitants of the hilly and mountainous regions of southern Mindoro. The indigenes
have adopted the name "Buhid" because in their language, it appropriately describes them as "hill" or "upland"
dwellers.

Buhid Mangyan Spirits:

Sayum-ay and Manggat: the ancestral ancient couple who named all trees, animals, lakes, rocks,
and spirits.

Labang: Evil spirits which manifests in human or animal forms. The Buhid Mangyan believes that
their bites are fatal. The bite becomes a channel where bad spirits can enter and bring sickness to a
person or even death when the spirit is not driven away. In one tale (below) a man is wounded by a
group of labang. An edu-labang, which is a labang resembling a dog, kills him by licking his wound.
The labang gather and eat his body.

Lahi: spirits which are potential allies and protectors against the Labang.

– Afo Daga: owner of the earth; can cast earthquakes, typhoons, and disease outbreaks when
mankind defies the moral codes; appeased though the igluhodan ritual.

– Afo Fungsu: owner of mountain peaks.

– Afo Sapa: owner of rivers.
Falad: souls of the dead.
Malawan: spirits that live in the springs in the deep forest.
Taw Gubat: jungle men who live deep in the forest.
Bulaw: the Bulaw are those who live in mountain peaks and are depicted as shooting stars because they fly
from one peak to another and light their way with a torch made from human bone.

Buhid Mangyan Beliefs

The Buhid Mangyan attribute their origins to Manggat and his wife Sayum-ay, who were believed to
be the first inhabitants of their Ancestral Domain. According to the Buhid Mangyan
myth, Manggat and Sayum-ay named all the trees, animals, lakes, rocks, and spirits found in their
ancestral domain. They also believe that their ancestors are the first and only settlers of their lands.
Hence, the term non-buhids or luktanon is used to denote this distinction.
The ancestral land plays a significant role in the life of the Buhid Mangyans. Other than a source of
subsistence, the land represents the identity, culture, spirituality and legacy of the Buhid Mangyans.
Accordingly, the ancestral land itself and its natural environment are well-maintained. The Buhid
Mangyan are known to be farmers. Swidden farming or kaingin has always been their main source of
livelihood. This process entails slash-and-burn forest vegetation to concentrate soil nutrients into a
carpet of ash and ensure that the forest-cover will be quickly replaced with cultivated plants and trees.
While slash-and-burn is not widely advocated, this practice promotes, what anthropologist Clifford
Geertz, recognizes as controlled jungle ecology (Gibson, 1986: 34). Like many indigenous groups,
swidden farming has been perfected through enduring practice among Buhid Mangyans. This
mastery paved way for its economical and environmental sustainability.

Among the Buhid Mangyans, kaingin is interlinked with other complementary livelihood activities such
as animal husbandry, hunting, gathering, fishing, handicraft-making and farming services for non-
Buhids (Erni, 2000:8). However, hunting is largely undertaken as a means to protect crops in swidden
farms. Nevertheless, the game from hunting is usually shared with the community (Gibson, 1986: 40,
44). The gathering of non-timber forest products such as fruits, orchids, honey, bamboo, and rattan
also provides a certain amount of income to Buhid Mangyan families (Gibson, 1986: 52). The
livelihood opportunities derived from the land explains the attachment of the Buhid Mangyan to their
land. The Buhid Mangyans have many beliefs associated with swidden farming. For instance, when a
farmer dreamt of catching a wild pig or a hawk catching a chick, during the early farming process,
clearing of the whole intended swidden farmland should be postponed to avoid bad luck.
Furthermore, the Buhid Mangyans believe that spirits dwell in their ancestral domain.

Based on these beliefs, they have designated different zones for these areas:

•Faganoon Furuhayo is the Buhid term for ICCA and considered as strict protection area and sacred
grounds while for Bangon, they called it Famhaganon Furowan Gubatan.

•Fangayayagan or Fanligayan is the area for hunting. There are no other activities allowed in the
area except hunting of wild animals like deer and wild boar. Agricultural activities such as farming and
planting are not allowed except if the plants to be planted shall serve as food for these wild animals.

•Fananagaban or Pansakahan is the area for kaingin and other agricultural activities. These areas
are mostly near the settlement areas for accessibility and far from the ICCA to avoid effects or
impacts of opening up of areas (kaingin) and tilling the soil. The fallow period is strictly observed to
maintain the productivity of the area. In most cases, the fallow period ranges from 2-3 years
depending on the crops planted. Other restrictions are also observed like when seedlings of
hardwood species emerge in the area, it can no longer be cultivated.

•Fambalayan or Pamayanan is the settlement and community areas.

The Buhid Mangyan used to have an indigenous political structure headed by a Gurangon, also
known as Tanungan. The Gurangon/ Tanungan are leaders for each big river (Safa Dahol). The river
defines a cluster composed of a number of associated communities where each community is
headed by a leader called Tahinan. Presently, only the tahinan exists in the form of sitio leaders. To
this end, leadership is based on election. These leaders are responsible for the management of their
ancestral domain.
To appease Afo Daga, the Buhid Mangyans conduct the “igluhodan.” The igluhodan is a ritual where
pigs are slaughtered and prayers are offered to the spirit. Other spirits - Spirits that live in the springs
in the deep forest are called 'Malawan. ' The 'Taw Gubat' are jungle men who also lives deep in the
forest.
The males wear a loin-cloth (ba-ag) and a shirt (balukas). They also used to tie their hairs on one
point at the back with a hair-band called panyo. On the other hand, the females wear an indigo-dyed
short skirt (ramit) and a blouse (lambung).
Group 1
 Identify that following that are being asked by complete the table below and present it to the
class.

Indigenous Location Religious/Belief Clothes/Language Livelihood Practices

people

HANUNUO

Alangan
Names:

Group 2
 Identify that following that are being asked by complete the table below and present it to the
class.

Indigenous Location Religious/Belief Clothes/Language Livelihood Practices

people

TAU-BUID
Names:

Group 3
 Identify that following that are being asked by complete the table below and present it to the
class.

Indigenous Location Religious/Belief Clothes/Language Livelihood Practices

people

BANGON

TADYAWAN
Names:

Group 4
 Identify that following that are being asked by complete the table below and present it to the
class.

Indigenous Location Religious/Belief Clothes/Language Livelihood Practices

people

RATAGNON

IRAYA
Names:

Group
 Identify that following that are being asked by complete the table below and present it to the
class.

Indigenous Location Religious/Belief Clothes/Language Livelihood Practices

people

BUHID
Names: