About Maranaos

About
Maranaos
The Maranaos, which means the "people of the lake", lived in isolation far from the sophisticated life of
the cities. They settled around the edge of Lake Lanao, located at the Islamic City of Marawi, Philippines.
The lake is surrounded with myths and legends. A particularly interesting version says that before the
Spanish regime, St. Francis Xavier came to Marawi to preach and convert the Muslims. He was said to
have failed.
Renowned Maranao Poet Datu Tingcap G. Pandi said that the word “MERANAO” is a compound word
composed of “MERA” which means “peacock” and “NAO” which means “awake”. In other words,
“meranao” means “an awake peacock”. Peacock was declared India’s National Bird in 1963. It is also
considered the most beautiful bird in the world.
The Maranaos are the largest Moro and cultural minority in the Philippines, numbering more than 840,000
in the late 20th century. They are known for their brasswork, fine mosques, rish raiment, exotic dances,
and love for music. Usually artistic, the Maranao lavish elegant pageantry and celebration. Their festivals
are rich in vivid hues of red and purple seen on bright banners and intricate silk malongs on both men and
women.
The most popular of the Maranao dances is the Royal Maranao Fan Dance called Kasingkil. It is named
after the singuel or singkil, which are the ankle bells used by the Muslim princess and dancers. Singkil is
performed by a girl of royal blood. It recounts the epic legend of the "Darangan" which is the fateful tale of
diwatas (nymphs or fairies) that play a joke on Princess Gandigan. As the princess was taking a walk with
her faithful slave (umbrella girl), the diwatas cause an earthquake that makes the trees tremble and the
rocks roll. The bamboo symbolize the fallen trees, and create criscross pattern, tapping together to give
the illusion of a violent natural catastrophe. Undaunted, the Princess nimbly skips from place to place
avoiding this ordeal until she is finally rescued by the prince. The dancers use fans (or apir) and scarves
to symbolize the winds that prove to be beneficial for the princess to successfully escape the trees and
rocks from hitting her tiny feet.
The spread of Islamic religion in Marawi, the capital of the province of Lanao del Sur, and the only
chartered city in the country with predominantly Muslim population, followed the pattern in Indonesia and
other Malay areas. It started with the coming of Arab traders, intermingling with the Maranaos and
consequently establishing communities locally.
The first contacts were primarily economic but the Muslim teachers and Islamic missionaries pursued the
native traders with intensity, indoctrinating them with Islamic religion to strengthen their hold on the
natives. Finally, the Maranao chieftains embraced Islamic religion and the people followed. Shortly
thereafter Islam spread throughout the south. By the time the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, Islam
had taken deep root throughout the south. The Maranao families are traditionally large. They are close-
knit people that in a family with 10 members is considered small. Even in a wealthy family, married
members of the same family tend to live in the same house. In some great Maranao merchant houses,
the central room is shared by as many as six married families. The Maranaos are also known for their
business acumen and commercial prowess.
Among the Maranao, feudal standings once strictly defined and inclusive are still visible. The leading
class is composed of sultans, datus and their closest kin, sometimes referred to as "of royal" in reference
to their ancestors who were once the ruling sultans of Lanao. Many of them maintain their high positions
because of wealth, land ownership and generally, political positions to which they are now elected or
appointed
About Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte
The term Lanao is derived from a Maranao word "Ranao" meaning a body of water. Maranaos means
"lake dweller". They are the natives of the place occupying the land around Lake Lanao which is situated
at the Central part of Lanao del Sur. Lanao applies to the entire areas before its division. When it was
divided into two provinces, the southern portion became Lanao del Sur and the northern part became
Lanao del Norte known as "the land of sigayan".
The Maranaos are the tribe of Malay-Arabic descent. They settled the area long before the advent of the
Spaniards in the Philippines. They posses their own culture and civilization which makes them a different
kind of Filipino. Their language, customs, traditions, religion, social system, music and other features are
factors that make Lanao peculiar and distinct from other Philippine Provinces.
Dansalan, Marawi's old name, was explored by the Spaniards as early as 1639. It is said that at the time,
Marawi was already the citadel of Malayan-Arabic Culture in Mindanao. Feeling the pulse of strong
refusal among its inhabitants to adopt Christianity, the Spaniards abandoned the project of colonizing the
area. Dansalan, physically speaking, would have satisfactory qualifies to become a town or a municipality
during the time of said exploration based on the Spanish Policy of "Ecclesiastical Administration" except
for one factor - religion.
Attempts were made later by foreigners to capture Lanao but fierce and fanatical resistance of the
Maranaos to colonial rule had made the planting of Christianity in Dansalan unfulfilled desire.
A strong Spanish expedition to conquer the Maranaos was fielded in 1891 during the time of Governor
General Valeriano Wayler, but this force was driven back to Iligan to capture Dansalan. In 1895,
Governor General Blanco sent a stronger force to take Marawi. Superior fire power forced the Dansalan
defenders to leave the place. Here the conquerors established the garrison that remained until the
outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Spain claimed this event as its victory but the verdict of
history revealed that while the Spaniards were able to erect a garrison in Dansalan, they failed to conquer
its people who stubbornly refused to adhere to the colonial yoke of Spain. Muslim Religion and Maranao
Culture remained intact and untarnished up to these days.
On May 24, 1904, Dansalan was proclaimed a regular municipality by the American Colonial
Government. The Philippines was still under the Commonwealth Regime of the Americans when
Dansalan was chartered into a city in 1904, but World War II delayed its inauguration to September 30,
1950 and remained as Marawi City.
Historically, immigrants who came from the Christian provinces of Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon tended
to settle in the Northern part of Lanao, while the Maranaos concentrated in the south. The latest survey
shows that the Christian-Muslim ratio in the north is 60:40 in favor of the Christians, in the south 95:5 in
favor of the Maranaos.
Republic Act No. 2228 divided Lanao into two provinces giving birth to Lanao del Norte which was
inaugurated on July 04, 1959 making Iligan City as the Capital. The late Honorable Salvador T. Lluch was
the first governor. The second was Honorable Mohammad Ali Dimaporo, from January 1960 to
September 1965, when he ran and won the congressional seat of the province. By operation of the law of
succession, the Honorable Vice Governor Arsenio A. Quibranza became the third Provincial Executive.
By mandate of his people, Governor Quibranza was elected governor in 1967 and almost unanimously
re-elected in 1971, and again in 1980.
Resolution No. 805 series of 1977 of our Sangguniang Panlalawigan, was transformed into Parliamentary
Bill No. 586 sponsored by then, Assemblyman Abdulllah D. Dimaporo (the present governor), which was
finally realized when his Excellency, President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed PB 568 into Batas Pambansa
181, officializing transfer of the seat of the Provincial Goverment from Iligan City to the Municipality of
Tubod, the capital town of the province.
LANAO DEL SUR
Capital: Marawi
Area: 3,850 sq.km.
Cities: Marawi City
No. of Municipalities: 37
Municipality Land No. of Barangays

Area
Bacolod 15.6
Grande 129.8
26
Balabagan 32.5
27
Balindong 36.2
38
(Watu) 49.8
49
Bayang 12.9
26
Binidayan 59.2
33
Buadiposo- 171.5
37
Buntong 272.1
17
Bubong 68.3
19
Bumbaran 48.7
17
Butig 398.5
29
Calanogas 815.5
20
Ganassi 34.3
11
Kapai 78.7
39
Kapatagan 15.6
30
(not well 10.4
41
defined) 312.3
24
Lumba-A- 65.1
37
Bayabao 68.9
37
Lumbatan 22.6
34
Lumbayanague 165.9
96
Madalum 20.0
24
Madamba 16.1
36
Maguing 33.3
26
Malabang 20.0
18
Marantao 31.7
37
Marawi City 17.6
25
Marogong 10.5
23
Masin 33.2
33
Molundo 104.0
29
Pagawayan 144.0
20
Piagapo Poon- 21.8
19
A-Bayabao 29.1
44
Pualas 212.3
43
Ramain 40.2
20
Saguiaran 254.7
23
Sultan
26
Gumander
Tagoloan
Tamparan
Taraka
Tubaran
Tugaya
Wao
OVERVIEW OF THE PROVINCE
Located in the southern portion of the former province of Lanao, Lanao del Sur centers at the basin of
Lake Lanao. The province is bounded by Lanao del Norte on the north, Llana Bay on the east, Cotabato
on the south and Bukidnon on the west.
In 1914, the province of Lanao was constituted to include the present provinces of Lanao del Norte and
Lanao del Sur. The socio-political structure was made up of Muslims who composed the majority of the
population. However, Christian settlements increased in the northern Lanao region with the coming of the
Visayan migrants. This was an important consideration that led to the division of Lanao into two
provinces in 1959. But after the division of Lanao province, there was a considerable out-migration of
Christian population from the Muslim settled areas.
Considered as a fourth class province, Lanao del Sur is made up of one city and 36 municipalities broken
down into 1,245 barangays as of 1990. Lumba-a-bayabao is the largest municipality in terms of land
area, while Marawi City, its capital, has the most number of barangays totalling 96.
Marawi City, the only chartered city in the country with a predominantly Muslim population, once served
as the capital of Lanao province. Today, as the capital of Lanao del Sur, the city is also the cultural
center of the Maranaos as well as transportation center within Lake Lanao.
THE PEOPLE
Most of the settlers used Maranao as their local dialect. Arabic is also widely taught in schools in
Marawi. Muslims have known for their artistics carvings, boats and malongs.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Topographical and hydrological features
Found in the south and serving as natural boundaries separating Lanao del Sur from
Maguindanao and North Cotabato are volcanic mountain ranges. A large lowland area called
Maridogao Valley can be found towards the east near the Bukidnon boundary.
Located at the heart of the province is Lake Lanao, the largest lake in Mindanao and second
largest in the Philippines. Draining the lake is Agus River which bisects the province as it flows
northward emptying its water into Iligan Bay. Plateaus are located on the north, northeast and
northwest of the lake. Deep canyons cut near the edges of these plateaus where waterfalls
provide drainage to these highlands.
Land Classification
In 1986, 133.1 thousand hectares or 34.4 percent of the total land area of 387.3 thousand
hectares were certified alienable and disposable land, while 65.6 percent were forest lands.
Of the total forest land, 242.3 thousand hectares or 95.3 percent were established timberland and
11.8 thousand hectares or 4.7 percent were established forest reserve.
Soil Type
The province has many types of soil varying from loam (land suitable for cultivation) to rubble
land (land limited to wildlife).
EDUCATION
Number of Schools
Enrolment in all levels (except tertiary public schools) increased from 48.1 thousand in SY 1977-
78 to 85.9 thousand in SY 1988-89, or an increase of 78.7 percent in eleven years.
Enrolees in public schools accounted for 88.2 percent of the thousand; secondary level, 5.3
thousand; tertiary, 5.5 thousand; and pre-school, 285.
Number of Teachers
Total number of teachers (except in tertiary government schools) reached 2,231, an increase of
28.5 percent from SY 1977-78. Of the total, 90 percent taught in public schools while 10 percent
taught in private schools.
Elementary school teachers totalled 2,002, or a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:37. Secondary level
teachers, on the other hand, totalled 122, while private college teachers numbered 99. Teachers
in pre-schools totalled only 8.
TRADE AND TOURISM
Coastwise trade
Total coastwise domestic trade of Lanao del Sur in 1988 was P32.4 million. Coastwise imports
decreased both in terms of quantity and value, by 77.0 percent and 81.6 percent, respectively
from 1987 to 1988. Most of the commodities transported to Lanao del Sur were mineral fuels,
lubricants and related materials.
The bulk of imports in 1988 worth P24.3 million came from Batangas.
No coastwise domestic export for the province was registered for both years.
Tourism
The pomp and pageantry of Muslim festivals are among the exciting events in the province. One
of these festivals is the “Kalilang”. The more passage of royalty with sequinned and bejeweled
parasols held over their heads by parasol bearers, is a ritual of sort. “Kini-kini” is a Muslim term
referring to a special artistic way f walking of Maranao women, as dramatized in their dances.
There is also the world famous “Singkil”, a dance which has for its basic accompaniment the
clapping of two bamboo poles (an interesting footnote to Maranao dances: women are not
allowed to dance with men).
Among the places within Lanao del Sur, the City of Marawi draws the most number of visitors.
Located here is the Mindanao State University (MSU) which was founded in 1962. MSU serves
as an educational institute and a center of social and cultural integration. Also found in Marawi
are the King Faisal Center of Arabic Studies, the Mahaad of Arabi, the Jainiatul Philippine al
Islamic and Dansalan College.
Also found in the province is the Aga Khan Museum which is a repository for Maranao and other
Moro artifacts.
HISTORICAL:
A. Aga Khan Museum
Location : It is located inside the Mindanao State University, Marawi City, 350 meters from the entrance
of MSU.
Description : The Museum is named in honor of King Aga Khan who contributed to the realization of
the museum. Historical devel opment of the country is bank on the large space upon the conservation of
cultural materials. It has huge, collection of indigenous art, displayed ethnic music tape recorded, the
native folk dances from different region of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan, the native tools and weapon
used by the Muslims and different artistic designs of houses are the main attractions of the museum.
Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle
B. Moncado Colony
Location : It is located at Moncado, Cadingilan, Marawi City.
Description : It is named in honor of Hilario Camino Moncado, a native Filipino, a leader, an organizer,
author of books and lecturer of Humanities. He Graduated with honor at the age of nine at India College
of Mystery and Physics. The main attractions are the Moncado Monuments and wild animals monuments.
MAN-MADE/CULTURAL:
A. Torogan
Location : It is located at Amilo and Dayawan, Marawi City.
Description : The feeling of the unique setting of the Maranao in Marawi City is manifested by the
presence of many large torogan, an antique royal high rooted with curving designed to Maranao.
B. Ancestral Homes at Bacolod Chico
Location : Bacolod Chico
Description : It is a century old homes inspired by Arabic Architecture and Maranao woodcarvings
(okir). The place is famous of its mats, malong and other woven Maranao textiles.
NATURAL:
A. Beautiful rolling Hills and Mountains
Location : Angolo Hill - Sagod, Marawi City
Signal Hill - Matampay, Marawi City
Arumpac Hill - Saduc, Marawi City
Mt. Mupo - Guimba, Marawi City
Description : The city is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and mountain. Signal Hill, Arumpac Hill, and
Mt. Mupo are considered beautiful and mysterious. Angolo Hill served as a natural watch over tower to
the water of Lake Lanao. Mt. Mupo is known for its untouched trees, beautiful and perfectly cone.
Means of Transportation : Jeepney and hiking
B. Lake Lanao
Location : Beside the city lies in the rolling terrain commanding majestic view of the fascinating lake.
Description : It is the 2nd largest and deepest lake in the Philippines. The lake is ideal for boating,
skiing and immological studies.
Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle and small boat if you want to have a lake tour.
C. Sacred Mountain
Location : It is within the city proper.
Description : The site is ideal for biological studies, mountain trekking and bird watching.
Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle and trekking
D. Signal Hill
Location : It is within the city.
Description : Aging Maranaos encourage treasure hunting at the foot of the hill. You can see the
panoramic view of the entire city and Lake Lanao.
E. Bagang Beach
Location : Caloocan Gulf, Marawi City

Description : It is located 2 meters away from the commercial site of the city It is ideal for picnics, nice
place for boating and swimming because of the clear water.
F. Agus River
Location : In between Saduc and Lilod, Marawi City
Description : It is the swiftest river in the country, its famous cataract is the Ma. Cristina Falls, outlet of
Lake Lanao to Illana Bay.
Maranao people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Maranao
Sarimanokis a legendary bird of the Maranao that has become a ubiquitous

symbol of their art
Total population
1,142,000
1.25% of total population
Regions with significant populations
Bukidnon, Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,

Maguindanao, Zamboanga del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-
tawi, Manila, Cebu in the Philippines
Maranaos in USA
Maranao in Saudi Arabia[1]

Middle East
Languages
Maranao, Chabacano, Cebuano, Tagalog, English
Religion
Predominantly Islam
Christian minority exists
Related ethnic groups
Illanun, Maguindanao, Tiruray

Lumad, Visayan,
other Moros,
other Filipino peoples,
other Austronesian peoples
Maranao is the term used for the people of Lanao, a predominantly Muslim region in the
Philippines island of Mindanao. They are famous for their artwork, sophisticated weaving, wood
and metal craft, and their epic literature. The word Maranao, also spelled Maranaw, means
"People of the Lake,"[2] referring to the indigenous people who inhabited the lands around Lake
Lanao whose principal town is Marawi City. The Maranaos are part of the wider Moro ethnic
group, who constitute the sixth largest Filipino ethnic group.
The life of the Maranaos is centered on Lake Lanao, the largest in Mindanao, and the second
largest and deepest lake in the Philippines. This breathtakingly beautiful lake is surrounded with
myths and legends, it is the main source of fisheries, and the main source of a hydroelectric plant
installed on it; and the Agus River system that generates 70% of the electricity used by the
people of Mindanao. A commanding view of the lake is offered by Marawi City, the provincial
capital.
Contents
 1 Etymology
 2 Culture and Customs
o 2.1 Language
o 2.2 Art
o 2.3 Musical Heritage
o 2.4 Cuisine
 2.4.1 The Legend of Maranao Food
 3 Demographics
 4 History
 5 Notes and References
 6 External links
Etymology
The ancient people in Mainland Mindanao were called Iranun, also spelled Iranon,[3] of the
coastal area of Illana Bay (Ilian in Maranao) and Iranaon of the people in Bembaran or Bukidnon
and Kiaranda Area, a ragat or ranao, a lake, in local language.
The Iranon is the people of the constant flow of rivers and creeks from the mountains to the
coastal areas. A volcanic eruption developed a flat land surface little-by-little. In modern science
describes and illustrates this process as results of sedimentary formation and residual remains
that forms the low and flat land surface in the coastal areas. The Maranao vernacular called it
“ira” which means remains.
Thus, the name of the people in the coastal area of Illana Bay was derived from the root word
“ira” plus “ranao” forms the word Iranaon which means people living the residual remains in the
coastal areas.
In present days, the Maranao refers the word Iranaon “tao sa ragat” or the people of Lanao who
migrated to sea area, while the Maranaos are people who dwelled around the lake of Lanao.
These peoples belong to same genealogy, lineages, culture and history. They are called Maranao
in general term.
Culture and Customs

Language
Maranao is an Austronesian language spoken by the Maranao people in the provinces of Lanao
del Norte and Lanao del Sur in the Philippines.[4]
Art
Sarimanok is a legendary bird of the Maranao that has become a ubiquitous symbol of their art. It
is depicted as a fowl with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons.
The head is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf, and spiral motifs. It is said to be a symbol of
good fortune.[5][6]
Musical Heritage
Main articles: Music of the Philippines and Kulintang

The native Maranao have a fascinating culture that revolves around kulintang music, a specific
type of gong music, found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern
Philippines. Biyula is another Instrument for the Maranao people to use, Biyula is a string
instrument. In 2005, the Darangen Epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao was selected by
UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Cuisine
Exquisite Maranao cuisine and hospitality are palpable.[7] They are known of having a spicy taste
in their foods. A condiment made of traditionally cultivated spices, locally known as Palapa is
one of their distinguished cuisine symbol. It is made of stewed scallion bulbs or “sakurab” in
Maranao. The thinly sliced scallion bulbs and ginger are caramelized by slow cooking and mixed
with chillies and little coconut oil.[8]
Maranao recipes are so rich that it talks about life itself! Suffice it to say that the recipes are
intertwined with the life cycle rites and rituals of all aspects of Maranao society and culture:
from birth to death. In other words, food cannot be separated with daily life activities because
food is life itself![9]
The Legend of Maranao Food
According to a scholar, food is one of the panabi-nabian, prophet, a mercy and a gift from Allah.
"When the world was created, mankind had no food to eat. The soil was asked to feed mankind
but it refused because it does not have enough to feed mankind. And so one of the sons of
Fatima, Asa, was buried so that Nabi Adam will also be fed and be able to move. For seven days
Nabi Saopak was buried. After seven days, it grew. On the head part grew a coconut, on the
heart grew the palay, on the pelvis grew cotton, and on the lower art grew a white chicken. The
palay was harvested and fed to mankind."[9]
Demographics
Maranaos number about 1,142,000. Along with the Illanun and Maguindanao, the Maranao are
one of three related indigenous Muslim groups native to the island of Mindanao. In turn, these
groups also share genes, linguistic and cultural ties to non-Muslim Lumad groups such as the
Tiruray or Subanon. Maranao royals have varied infusions of Arab, Indian, Malay, Javanese, as
well as Chinese ancestry.
The language of the Maranao people is also called Maranao. It is a language spoken by
approximately 1,142,000 people living in areas near Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.[4] The
language can be traced from the Southern Philippine sub-branch of the Western Austronesian
language family, and is closely related to the Illanun language spoken in Sabah and Malaysia. It
is also close to Maguindanaon, the language spoken in Maguindanao, North Cotabato, South
Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Zamboanga del Sur provinces. They speak Cebuano, Tagalog, and
Arabic language, and English as second languages. Practically, all Maranaos are Muslims. A
few, especially those living in the hills around Lake Lanao practice a version of Islam mixed
with traces of pre-Islamic traditions.
History
Previous to the occupation of the Philippines by Spanish, and later American and Japanese, the
Maranaos had their own kingdom with a Sultan ruler due to the influence of Muslim
missionaries.
Ilongot people
The Ilongots are a tribe who inhabit the southern Sierra Madre (Philippines) and Caraballo
Mountains, on the east side of Luzon Island in the Philippines, primarily in the provinces of
Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija and along the mountain border between the provinces of
Quirino and Aurora. An alternative name of this tribe and its language is "Bugkalot". Presently,
there are about 2,500 Ilongots. The Ilongots tend to inhabit areas close to rivers, as they provide
a foodsource and a means for transportation. Their language is the Ilongot language, currently
spoken by about 50,000 people.
In Michelle Rosaldo’s study in 1980 of the Ilongots , she described “gender differences related to
the positive cultural value placed on adventure, travel, and knowledge of the external world.”
Ilongot men, more often than women, visited distant places. They acquired knowledge of the
outside world, amassed experiences there, and returned in order to share their knowledge,
adventures, and feelings in a public oratory in order to pass on their knowledge to others. The
Ilongot men received acclaim as a result of their experiences. Because they lacked external
experience on which to base knowledge and expression, Ilongot women had inferior prestige.
On the basis of Michelle Rosaldo’s study and findings of other stateless societies,
anthropologists must distinguish between prestige systems and actual power within a society.
Just because a male has a high level of prestige, he may not own much economic or political
power compared to others that are less prestigious within the society.
Renato Rosaldo went on to study headhunting among the Ilongots in his book Ilongot
Headhunting, 1883-1974: A Study in Society and History.
Because of the early experiences of boys living in a close relationship with both parents, who
each participate in "motherly" roles, they are relatively unconcerned about the need for
achievement or even defaming women. Men involved in household chores do not claim
submission to their wives. In social life, the Ilongots show little stratification and sexual
inequality but it is certainly present. It is minimized by the fact that women have the right, as
well as feel confident enough, to speak their minds. Finally, we find the home gender relations
based on equality, focusing on cooperation instead of competition and there is a real intimacy
between husband and wife. Rosaldo's conclusion is that perhaps the most egalitarian societies are
those where no sex order authority exists, and where the focus of social life itself is the home.
[edit] References
Phillip, Conrad. (2005). Window on Humanity. New York: McGraw-Hill Rosaldo, Michelle
Zimbalist, Lamphere Louise. A Mulher. A Cultura e a Sociedade.Brazil: RJ. Paz e Terra, 1979.
Coleção O Mundo,hoje. [ENGLISH] Rosaldo, Michelle Zimbalist. Lamphere Louise. Woman.
The Culture and Society. RJ. Paz e Terra, 1979. Collection The World today, 31. p58.
ilonggot
by: Christina Sianghio
The Ilongots are Indonesians who inhabit the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains, on
the easterly central part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. At the present time, there are about 2500 of
them. The type measurements of the Ilongots are: stature, 156; forehead, 82; and shape of nose, 89.
These people tend to live near the streams which furnish them much of their livelihood and
transportation. On account of long isolation and varied associations with the Ainu, Negritos, and other
peoples, many different dialects and customs have developed, which divide the Ilongots into three distinct
groups. Along the upper waters of the Cagayan River is the Italon group which exhibits some short
Mongol mixture, especially to be seen among the women. The men wear long hair with a characteristic
hair net over the forehead. The Egoñgut group lives on the Tabayon River; while the primitive Abaka
group inhabits the Conwap River. In each of these main groups are localities each having its varied
dialect and customs. However, the salient composite features of the ancient Ilongot culture can be
described.
Although there is a larhe concentration of villages at the source of the Cagayan River, Illongot
communities are generally scattered in the Southern Sierra Madre and Carballo mountains. Numerous
rivers and dense tropical rain forests define Ilongot territory, covering Nueva Viscaya, and parts of Nueva
Ecija and Quirino.
The figure above shows the geographical location of the Ilongot Province.
For mutual protection, aid and association, the people in each locality are banded into a group. The
chief or head of a group is called a beganganat. There are usually about eleven or more houses in the
group which is called an alipian. The chief has an assistant called a macatoy. They are chosen for their
leadership, ability, and age. The chief’s word is absolute and he rules for life. After his death, the assistant
takes his place and a new assistant is elected.
The common law enjoins that one must not:

(1) Kill his companions: for the murderer must support the family of the victim;
(2) Commit adultery: for the culprits are severely beaten;
(3) Lie: for the liar pays a fine to the chief;
(4) Work on each fifth day: for one who works pay a fine;
(5) Disobey her husband: for the disobedient wife is first scolded and may be punished more
severely;
(6) Neglect to pay his debts; or
(7) Steal: for whatever one steals will turn to hurt.
In the more advanced settlements of Ilongots, the usual three social classes evolve: the wealthy,
the middle class and the economic slaves. Each man endeavors to maintain the rank by his forefathers
and also maternal ancestors, relationship and descent being reckoned on both the mother’s and father’s
side. Blood ties are strong and the families of an offender are held responsible for his crime. Thus,
criminal and civil cases are usually to be settled by the families concerned.
There are boundaries between each alipian beyond which the members of that alipian do not
usually go except in foray after heads in order to: revenge a death, have a wedding, or upon the sickness
or death of a man in the alipian. Peace-pacts at times are arranged between alipians. A prominent man is
made holder of the peace-pact and is responsible for the safety of visiting members of the alipian. Peace-
pacts have been ratified by human sacrifice and the ceremony of blood-brothership practiced. The end of
the peace-pact is signified by placing arrows in the trail and sprinkling blood upon them. Warfare has
started.
The principal occupation is hunting and fishing. The men run after wild pigs and deer with dogs. The
kill is made with spears, or bows and arrows. They are also very clever in making various traps to catch
the game. The warm streams are full of fish. These are caught in trap as well as nets. The forest, where
roots, seeds and fruits can be obtained, is another source of their food.
In the areas where the tropical forests are dense, the men are skilled travelers in the trees. They
carry forty foot lengths of rattan which have a loop on one end a hook on the other. The Ilongots can thus
travel through the woods at a surprisingly rapid rate. The principal use now of this method is in passing
from tree to tree in cutting off the branches while making a kaingin. The main trunks of the trees are left
standing.
The kaingin system of farming is used. A clearing is made in the forest. The brush is burnt, and
seeds planted in the ashes. A sharp stick is used to make a hole for the seeds. They raise camotes,
camote-cahoy, camote-glano, gabi, squash, ubi, upland rice, corn, bananas, coconuts and sugarcane.
The Ilongots are noted for making a very good quality of basi (wine) from sugarcane in only one day, by
using a native yeast. The soil in the kaingin becomes hard and unfruitful in a couple of years; so a new
one is started in the vicinity and a new house built near by.
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Religious Beliefs and Practices
The gods of the Ilongots are Cain and Abal, two brothers who are the creators and guardian lords of
all things. They are benevolent and their particular care is that of the people who live on earth. They are
invincible and live in the sky, Taon, sometimes on the sun, Elag, or the moon, Dalan, or perchance some
star, Pandac. Their messengers are called Binangunan or Cabuligian. Cain and Abal travel from place to
place. Their road is called Keat (lightning). Kidu (thunder) follows the road.
In the beginning, Cain and Abal lived together in the sky; but they had a quarrel and separated, as
Abal wanted to live on earth where he could herd his animals. He was the one who created the
lowlanders, who have the use of his carabaos and other animals. Abal is stronger and more powerful than
Cain and so there are more lowlanders than mountain people.
Cain created all the mountain people, including the Ilongots. He gave them their customs, which
they have followed throughout the centuries. He was a killer and a head-hunter; so they are also.
The Ilongots pray to Cain and Abal and the Binangunan, asking them for help and inviting them to
their feasts. At the beginning of each feast, a small table with four bamboo legs is erected near the house.
A red cloth covers the table and on it are placed choice persons of the meats together with rice and basi.
Then the priests stands and shouts to the gods saying: “You have helped us: so please come to our feast
and be happy. Please help us with good health and abundant crops.”
Some of the Ilongots also worship the sun, moon and stars because they give life and growth; also
the rain, Oden, for its life-giving water. This cult hold that these dieties all live in the sky. Elag (the sun)
has a great, magnificent house in Gacay. When he gets tired giving light and goes into his house, it is
night. Usually Elag and Delan (the moon) are congenial and take turns giving light; but sometimes they
quarrel and Elag covers Delan more or less with a great, huge winnowing basket, biga-o. Thus we have
the different phases of the moon.
The ancestors are also worshipped and their ways and wishes respected, for they can give help.
They are called betang and sometimes come to a house. If you hear certain sounds like murmuring, you
know that they are talking nearby. Fire too, is revered for the heat and comfort which it gives and is used
in some ceremonies. When a party of men is starting on a hunt, they build a fire, take hold of the dogs
and the weapons and pass them one by one through the smoke. The last dog to be passed through the
smoke is the leader of the pack. After taking it out of the smoke, the owner spits on its face, and rubs the
saliva down its back and sides. Meanwhile, he has been talking and shouting to Gemang, the guardian of
wild beasts, saying: “Do not let our dogs get sick. You must give us one of your animals. Do not take the
form of a wild beast so that the dogs chase you by mistake. If you will let the dogs catch one beast, then
we will give you to eat and drink and likewise your wife.” Following this ceremony, the part starts out in a
successful hunt. The Renewal of Fire Rite is also observed.
The Ilongots thus believe in lesser deities called anitos. Some anitos are good and some are evil
spirited. There are also two classes of anitos. The Ayeg deal with the larger and more general affairs of
men and are usually superior to the Palasekans (dwarfs), who guide one in his daily life and usually
credited with all his successes and failures. The Ayeg are kindly and wish the Palasekans and the people
to do right. They bring wealth when one is honest, kind, and industrious; and give sickness and death as
punishment for sins. They order the Palasekans to give success in hunting, fishing, farming, and other
industries. But the Palasekans do not always follow directions. The Palasekans are especially near in the
early morning and evening. If you should happen to step on or spit on one, he will get angry and punish
you; you may thus catch cold or get an infected foot. Sometimes one slaps you so that you have a
swollen cheek. If you should hurt one in the evening, you may get a headache and a fever. You should
always carry a light.
However, on the whole, the Palasekans are a kindly little people. They are invincible and when they
talk, instead of pronouncing the words, they whistle the sound of them so that one can understand what
they are saying. Sometimes they come foretelling some event or bringing a message from an absent
relative. They may give warning of danger or indicate the best route to take on a journey. Sometimes a
Palasekan likes a certain fortunate person and becomes attached to him. Then that lucky person has a
good life, even to being helped physically. One man told me of how he visited a woman who had a
Palasekan. There were quite a number of visitors; but the woman only cooked a small quantity of rice for
them. However, they marveled to see that, as she ladled out the rice to them, the pot always remained full
until they were all satisfied. It was good rice, too. Each priest has a Palasekan who advises him as to the
diagnosis and treatments of his patients.
The Palasekans enjoy the same things that people do. Sometimes they come and ask for food or
drink. One man told me that once a party of men were drinking basi in the house when they heard a
whistling in the roof, which they understood to say that the Palasekans wished to have a drink. So one
man poured a basi into a coconut shell cup and placed it outside. When he went for it a little later, it was
empty.
The Palasekans know everything and cannot be fooled. One Iloacona school teacher told me of a
modern instance illustrating this. He said that it happened during an evening study period. They heard the
sound of whistling and the pupils reported that the Palasekans would like to have the phonograph played.
The teacher did not want the phonograph to be played and so he told the pupils to tell the Palasekans
that his wife had the key. The Palasekans know everything and cannot be fooled. When the pupils replied
that the teacher’s wife had put the key in her suit-case under the bed, the Palasekans said that they
would play it themselves. The teacher said: “All right, go ahead.” He was amazed to see the phonograph
playing by itself soon after: and so he was shamed into going and winding it up and playing it for them.
Another anito is Lampong, the dwarf shepherd of the wild animals. One hunter related to me how he
was out one night hunting with a bright light. Two brilliant eyes showed up and he shot between them. He
heard a kind of groaning and knew that he had hit a deer; but when he went to the spot, the deer was not
there. Soon agintwo brilliant eyes shone in his light and he fired again. He heard the deer thrashing
around; but could not find it. This thing happened again and again. On the sixth time he glimpsed the light
fur of a white deer. Then immediately it was changed and the hunter saw standing there, a little dwarf
about two feet high. It had on only a tall two-peaked black cup and a long white beard reaching to the
knees. Its eyes were very brilliant. It stood there beckoning to the hunter; but just then the rest of the
hunting party came up and spied the dwarf. Much frightened they cried out: “It is Lampong,” and ran
away. The first hunter of course ran with them. It was said that, if he had stayed, Lampong would have
shown him where he was pasturing a large herd of deer.
The anitos are worshipped at the balete trees where they live. These trees are sacred. Children are
not allowed to play round them and they are not cut down. Caves are also sacred as being where the agi-
mñg and also the spirits of the dead live. No one dares to enter a cave.
The crocodile, boaya, the siren, pungitand, and the python, bigkat, are given some worship to
prevent them from doing inquiry. A small portion of the chicken in a coconut shell may be placed near the
river. Then one calls: “Crocodile, come and eat”: and goes away.
Amulets, charms, and a special little bag (containing an assortment of magical articles) are also
worn to please the anitos.
Auguries are by means of the actions of birds and animals. If a man starts out to go to some place
and a certain small bird, veche-veche, flies across in front of him, it is a bad omen and the man must
return home. Omens and divination play an important part in the daily lives of the Ilongots. Omens are
sought for every important enterprise.
The religious teaching and observances are led by a priest, magnigput, who communicates with the
gods and anitos, and knows all their characteristics. There is one in each community. His is an honored
position which, upon his death, is passed on by inheritance to his eldest son or nearest male kin. The
priest prays at the beginning and end of each feast, including weddings and funerals, counsels the
people, and officiates at such rites as consecrations.
All the feasts are purportedly religious in their character in order to give happiness to some spirit
that it may be influenced either to give help or to cease from doing harm. These feasts are of various
kinds. The buni is a day’s feast given at the time of birth, in case of sickness, upon building a house, or
some such occasion. Chickens, pigs, deer, or wild pigs may be killed and eaten together: and there may
be dancing. The damiti is a week’s thanksgiving feast after harvest; while the baleleong is a great feast
given once in a life-time by well-to-do families in order to establish their social standing. The family
spends months preparing great quantities of rice, meat, and basi. All the people attend and the primary
feast lasts for about a week, then intermittently for maybe a year- whenever a group of people take a
notion to go there and have a good time. It is very expensive; but a happy way to worship the gods.
It is at the baleleong that the babies and small children are anointed and consecrated following an
ancient ritual. Wreaths formed of leaves, are hung in the rafters- one for each child. With the wreath is a
dish which the child will use in the meal following the ceremony. The priest holds in his arms the little
male child with the wreath on his head. Then he raises his face to the sky and prays to Abel. After praying
he takes some of the blood of a pig and makes a cross on the forehead. A hole is also made in the lobe
of each ear. The rites are secret. If the priest makes a mistake in the ritual, the child will have a short life.
The males are anointed separately and no females are allowed to be present. Likewise no male is
present when a female is anointed. So an old woman officiates; boiled spring water being used in the
place of blood. Only fish and rice are given to the female child in the subsequent meal.
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Visual Arts and Crafts
Ilongot men wear a loincloth held around the waist by a cagit of either brass wire or rattan. Gabed, a
piece of bark cloth, is wrapped around the legs and tied at the front and back with a string belt. Metal
bands clasp the left arm, and several rings adorn the fingers. A handy bag containing arrowheads, flint,
crocodile teeth, betel nut, and other articles usually complete the male apparel. The boys are set apart
from the men by a boiset band around one of their leg calves.
Ilongot women use bark cloth fro their agde, which are drawn about their bodies like above-the-knee
length skirts. These are matched with blouses which expose the midriffs. Although the Ilongot do not
weave cloth, the women embroider skillfully and make cotton tassles which they tie on their horsehair
ornaments. They also wear panglao (beaded necklaces), kalipan (earrings), brass arm bands, and small
bell accessories.
The women do not weave cloth; but the inner bark of certain trees provides soft material having
much the feel of chamois skin. Men wear a string cagit, women of either rattan or brass wire, wrapped five
or more times around the waist. A piece of bark cloth, gabed, is passed between the legs to cover the
privates, and is secured in front and back to the string belt. A neat bag contains the betel nut, lime, flint,
tinder, and other small articles. Youths wear a band, bosiet, around the calf of the leg.
The women wear a bark tapis or sarong, agde, covering their bodies from the waist to the knees.
The costume is completed with a string of beads, panglao, around the neck together with the earrings,
calipan, and spirals of brass wire on the arms. Before the age of puberty, the children go around without
clothing.
Filed and blackened teeth are considered aesthetically pleasing, and long hair preferred by both
sexes. Prepubescent children are often unclothed.
Fancy headgear identifies a successful headhunter. A rattan frame is decorated with brass wire,
and red yarn and shells. On the projected front part of this frame is placed the large red bill of a kalaw
bird. An era pendant represents a man’s first kill. Notches are added either on the bill or the earlobes to
indicate subsequent successes.
status and maturity for the male Ilngot. The successful headhunter wore a headdress
incorporating the beak of a hornbill. (Philippine Journal of Science 1912, National Libarary
Collection).
A Hombill Headdress
Until very recently, the people built their houses in the trees, where they slept at night in order to
obtain security from their enemies. Most of the roofs of the present house are reminiscently pyramid in
shape. The framework is bamboo tied with rattan and covered with about four layers of anahao leaves.
The floor is of split bamboo. The low walls are sided with runo stalks placed close to each other.
For cooking, an iron pot is suspended by a rattan line over the fire-box in one corner. If there is
more than one family in the house, each has its own fire-place. Cups and plates are made of anahao
leaves. Fingers are used as forks. Skulls of animals are the main decoration of the houses. Sleeping mats
are used without a pillow. The bark tapis of a woman is used at night to partially cover the man and wife.
The Ilongots use kaingin system of farming. The general utility tool is a long knife with a curved
cutting edge. It is called an ilayao. The weapons are: barbed spear, gayang, bow and arrow, and a large,
blunt, wide bladed ilayao which is called a sinamongan. They never go unarmed. The warrior carries a
wooden, rectangular shield with its long edges scalloped and a round boss. Mats and baskets are woven
from tubeng. Both the checker and twilled processes are used. Water-proof packed bags are formed from
the whole skin of fawns, merely sun-cured.
The men procure rattan, honey, basewax, gums and other forest products, which they trade to
lowlanders for salt, cloth, brasswire, shells, pots, steel, and other necessities.
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Literary Arts
Folk stories, dimolat, are interesting and valuable not only for the pleasure received from the
hearing of a tale; but also as a portrayal of the customs and ideals of the people. Thus, a study of a
complete collection arranged chronologically, of the folk stories of a certain people would likely give their
cultural history as well as throw side lights on their political history. For instance, some Ilongot stories
unfold bits of ancient Hindu epics or are patterned on Hindu examples-thus indicating some contact with
India.
The Ilongots tell their stories in two ways. The short way is used at such times as when they happen
together, or are resting for a while. It is a simple narration of events.
The long way is used when time hangs rather heavily during the confinement of the torrential
tropical rains, or in the long evenings. These story hours are much enjoyed and are the principal
amusement of the people. An old woman or man, steeped in the lore of the past, makes the best story
teller. He draws a slight line between anitos, people and animal characters. He spins out his tale in a
certain pleasing tune which at times is rather monotonous and other times becomes excitingly thrilling
according to the drift of the story. In order to follow the tune, he often draws out the end of some words or
adds meaningless syllables. There are many repetitions of action and thought as well as inconsequential
happenings. Incongruities of action and sudden transitions of scene often occur. Once in a while the
narrative is broken by some ludicrous incident as clowning in a drama. The pleasure is not so much in
following the development of the plot of the story as it is in the delightful manner of telling. Yet the plot is
interesting, being based on one of the practical jokes, of which the people are especially fond. Listening
to such a story is really a very happy way to spend an otherwise dull time. But, if one wrote down every
word or sound which the story teller uttered, he would have a book very few people would care to read.
Therefore, the folktales in this little collection is narrated in the short way. Here are some examples
of Ilongot folktales.
How We Became Ilongots (Ma Nanggapuan Min Ilongot, Bua River Dialect)
A long time ago god (Cain) created two persons. One was a man and the other was a woman.
These two persons were in the mountains. As they were thriving in the mountains, they were considering
what they should do. The following morning the couple agreed to marry. After their marriage, they erected
their hut. After five months of living together, the woman became pregnant. While the woman was in her
family way, the man felt very happy. The husband thanked god because he had given him his wife as his
companion. The time cam when the woman delivered. They were very happy. They hoped to have
another child. Their wish was granted. Their next child was a girl, while the first one had been a boy.
When their children were woman and man, the parents urged them to marry. They therefore agreed to
marry. They built their own huts also. This process was repeated right along. Year after as they increased
in number, each family becoming nomadic.
In the completion of this story, we Ilongots have followed the same way as our forefathers did.
Rock - A Boy (Yapugo-Sita Ulissi, Bua River Dialect)
Yapugo was the name of a baby boy Ilongot. He was called Cacad Yapugo for he belonged to that
place. He lived in Pugo in the center of the big forest at the source of the river. From birth until boyhood,
he had never seen a lowlander. He always stayed in the forest day and night with his ilayao, bow and
arrow. Everything which he saw, he shot at with his bow and arrow and always hit it.
Yapugo became a big man, strong and alert and quick of movement. Some peaceful Ilongots called,
Benabe, feared Yapugo because he was a good shot. Yapugo belonged to the Ilongot Cacaddengan.
The Benabe and Cacad were often at war. This is the reason that the Benabe were afraid of Yapugo for
being a good shot.
For many days, none of the Benabe made war with the Cacaddengan.
The Origin of the Monkey (Sayma Nag-gapuan Ma Bulangan, Bua River Dialect)
Long time ago there lived a rich man who had many properties. He had a large farm. He had many
helpers on his farm to do the work. This man was so selfish that he fed his laborers only once a day.
There were so many workers so he had some make a kaingin. After cutting the small trees under
the big ones, they went to the forest to get rattan which could be made into tagiboc. When they returned
from the forest, it was already mid-day. After their return, they were very hungry. Being so hungry, they
began to climb the big trees to cut the branches and even the twigs. As they were so hungry and there
were no means of obtaining food, they became faint. They took the rattan and placed it between their
legs. Finally, it was connected to their anus, and thus became their tails.
Not long after, the rich man went to the farm to see the workers. Upon his arrival, he was surprised
because his laborers were not around. Instead, he found monkeys jumping and running among the trees.
He called to them: but not one listened to him. They ran away.
The rich man went home and was wondering where his laborers had gone. He didn’t know at first
that his laborers has turned into monkeys; but on the following night he dreamed that his workers were
the monkeys which he had found in the farm.
That is the origin of the monkey.
The Dog and the Rooster (Ma Ato ay Den Ma Panggase, Cagayan River Dialect)
Once upon a time, there was a dog and a rooster. They went to the forest. By the time they reached
where they were going, it was growing dark. Then the rooster said: “Let us stay here the whole night.” I
will sleep on this tree top, said the rooster, while you may friend can sleep in the hollow tree. So they
went to sleep were each liked to sleep. And in the morning the rooster begabe to crow. The dog heard
him crowing and he said: “That is the rooster crowing.” And so he said to himself, “He must be lost in the
forest. I will eat him for breakfast . Then he looked up and soon he spied the rooster on top of the tree.
Then the dog thought: “What fine food I will have this morning? I must make him come down from the
tree.” So the dog said to the rooster: “What a fine rooster you are. Will you come home and eat your
breakfast.” Then the rooster said: “I will come, if my friend will come with me.” “Yes,” said the dog. So they
went home together. When they reached home, the dog fed the rooster. So the rooster ate his breakfast.
While the rooster was eating, the dog sprang on top of him, and he ate the rooster there.
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Performing Arts
Ilongot rituals and feasts, marked by song and dance, are performed to solicit the blessings and
protection of the gods. Moreover, daily livelihood tasks as well as the life cycle- courtship, marriage,
parenthood, and death- present other venues for the Ilongot performing arts.
Ilongot musical instruments produce strange and unusual sounds. Such instrumnets can be
classified into two: those played only to provide rhythm for dances, and those for other purposes. The
only recorded example of the first type is the ganza or brass gong ensemble, which is probably not native
to the group. Examples of the second type include the bamboo or brass jew’s harp, the kuliteng or
bamboo guitar, the bamboo zither (which can be either plucked or tapped), the bamboo or bark-and-skin
violin, and the nose flute.
Ilongot vocal music is often shouted or sung during ritual dances. Other types are performed on
their own, like the baliwayway (lullabies), cradle songs and love songs.
When a child has grown bigger, he/she may be put to sleep with a cradle song, such as this one
(Wilson 1967:107-108):
A Small Boy (Otoyo, Cagayan River Dialect, an example of a cradle song )
Otoyo nappalindo walaan canman

Tay asimpogong noy kinnolayab noy lambong.
Imepat a nakigeb. Noy saguet.
Ipipian nong o
Mam’bintan ka ñgomka manibil
no umuwit inam
Gimat’ amam nanganBekeg ma talabacon inam
Ta kagamakan de no unka muka sumikan’
Tano we kadedege ma Apo sin Diot,
Ta iya’dan na ka no madukem biay’mo
Ta bukod no sumikan ka
Sika po, manalima mad bugan’gat ta.
A small boy who plays with flowers-

With his small cloth he climbs the yellow bell-flower.
It bends over and breaks. He falls.
So you had better sleep soundly;
Then cry when mother comes.
Father went out to hunt deer for you,
In addition to mother’s work;
With the purpose of making you grow.
And if our sire grants his help to you,
And permits you to have a long life,
When you grow old,
It’s then your duty to support your parents.
songs, which are replaced with other lullabies as the child grows bigger. Note the child's
handkerchief, knife and kneelets. (National Geographic Magazine 1912, GCF Books Collection).
Love songs are sung among the youth who have reached adolescence. Following is the love song
of a girl to her suitor (Wilson 1967:110-111):
Love Song of a Girl (Cagayan River Dialect)
Talumpacdet, talumpacdet,
Papan ginsolaney.
Tumacla ginlamonyao,
Kadiapot otog bilao,
Bilao dipo alandeden.
Gapuca ñgo upad longot,
Aduan toy sulimpat;
Admo deken weningweng.
Wait for me, wait for me,

There were you cut trees. And let’s go and gather oranges.
We will eat them on the grass, The grass where our houses are.
You have been in the forest,
And you didn’t get any bean-shooter;
You didn’t bring anything for me.
Ilongot dances are relatively free from foreign influences. Their headhunting dances, for instance are
emotionally powerful in a way that is typically Ilongot. The movements are strenous and betray internal
stress. The tagem or postheading dance is still executed according to custom. While the women play the
kolesing, or bamboo zithers counterpointed by the sticks and the litlit or guitar with the human hair strings,
the men dance with their weapons, moving in vigorous and trancelike manner. The women later join the
men and dance with equal intensity.
DANCES. Ilongot
dances typify strength and agility. A pair of warriors dance to a crowd to the rhythm of bamboo
string instruments. (National Geographic Magazine 1912, Lopez Museum Collection).
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References
Alarcon, Norma I. Philippine Architecture During the Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods. Manila: University
of Santo Tomas, 1991.
Cuasay, Pablo M. Kalinangan ng Ating Mga Katutubo. Quezon City: Man lapaz Publishing Company,
1975.
Henry, Robert S. Map. Manila: Philippine-Asean Publishers Inc., 1959.
National Geographic Magazine. (Sept 1912).

Notices of the Pagan Igorots in the Interior of the Island Manila. Corporation de PP. Dominicos de
Filipinas Inc., 1988. Originally published in Spanish, 1/89. William H. Scott (trans).
Orosa-Goquingco, Leonor. The Dances of the Emerald Isles. Quezon City:Ben-lor, 1980.
Philippine Journal of Science. Plate XIX, (Apr 1913).
Regional Map of the Philippines _ II, III, & IVA. Manila: Edmundo R. Abigan Jr., 1988.
Rosalso, Renato. Ilongot Headhunting 1883-1974. A Study in Society and History. Stanford: Stanford
University Press, 1980.
Wilson, Laurence L. Ilongot Life and Legends. Manila: Bookman Inc., 1967.
"Social changes in Modern Philippines: Perspectives, Problems and Prospects," Part I. Journal of
Northern Luzon. Mario Zamora, Donald J. Boxter, and Robert Lawless (eds.). Vol. IX, Nos. 1-9, (Jul 1978-
Jan 1979). Nueva Vizcaya: St. Mary's College of Bayombong.
Negrito
For the shrub, see Citharexylum berlandieri.
Negrito
Regions with significant populations
Philippines
(Luzon, Palawan, Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Mindanao)
India
(Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
Malaysia
(Peninsular Malaysia)
Thailand
(Southern Thailand)
Burma
(Southern Burma)
Religion
Animism
Related ethnic groups
Australoid race, including Melanesians
Negrito group photo (Malaysia, 1905).
Negritos in a fishing boat (Philippines, 1899).

The Negrito are a class of several ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia.[1]
Their current populations include 12 Andamanese peoples of the Andaman Islands, six Semang
peoples of Malaysia, the Mani of Thailand, and the Aeta, Agta, Ati, and 30 other peoples of the
Philippines. Reports from British traders also speak of negrito people on Borneo (Sarawak).
(Journal of the Malayan Branch Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XXIX, part 1, 1956)
Negritos are the most genetically distant human population from Africans at most loci studied
thus far (except for MC1R, which codes for dark skin).
They have also been shown to have separated early from Asians, suggesting that they are either
surviving descendants of settlers from an early migration out of Africa, commonly referred to as
the Proto-Australoids, or that they are descendants of one of the founder populations of modern
humans.[2]
Contents
 1 Etymology
 2 Origins
 3 Historical distribution
 4 See also
 5 Notes
 6 Further reading
 7 External links
Etymology
The term "Negrito" is the Spanish diminutive of negro, i.e. "little black person", referring to their
small stature, and was coined by early European explorers.[3]
Occasionally, some Negritos are referred to as pygmies, bundling them with peoples of similar
physical stature in Central Africa, and likewise, the term Negrito was previously occasionally
used to refer to African Pygmies.[4]
Origins
Being among the least-known (by outsiders) of all living human groups, the origins of the
Negrito people is a much debated topic. The Malay term for them is orang asli, or original
people.
They are likely descendants of the indigenous Australoid populations of the Sunda landmass and
New Guinea, predating the Austronesian peoples who later entered Southeast Asia.[5]
Alternatively, some scientists[who?] claim they are merely a group of Australo-Melanesians who
have undergone island dwarfing over thousands of years, reducing their food intake in order to
cope with limited resources and adapt to a tropical rainforest environment.
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article
by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and
removed. (August 2012)
Anthropologist Jared Diamond in his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel suggests that the Negritos
are possible ancestors of the Aboriginal Australians and Papuans of New Guinea, groups
regarded as Australoid.
A number of features would seem to suggest a common origin for the Negritos and African
pygmies, especially in the Andamanese Islanders who have been isolated from incoming waves
of Asiatic and Indo-Aryan peoples. No other living human population has experienced such
long-lasting isolation from contact with other groups.[6]
These features include short stature, very dark skin, woolly hair, scant body hair and occasional
steatopygia. The claim that Andamanese pygmoids more closely resemble Africans than Asians
in their cranial morphology in a 1973 study added some weight to this theory before genetic
studies pointed to a closer relationship with Asians.[6]
Other more recent studies have shown closer craniometric affinities to Egyptians and Europeans
than to Sub Saharan populations such as that of African Pygmies. Walter Neves' study of the
Lagoa Santa people had the incidental correlation of showing Andamanese as classifying closer
to Egyptians and Europeans than any Sub Saharan population.[7][8]
Multiple studies also show that Negritos from Southeast Asia to New Guinea share a closer
cranial affinity with Australo-Melanesians.[5][9] Further evidence for Asian ancestry is in
craniometric markers such as sundadonty, shared by Asian and Negrito populations.
It has been suggested that the craniometric similarities to Asians could merely indicate a level of
interbreeding between Negritos and later waves of people arriving from the Asian mainland. This
hypothesis is not supported by genetic evidence that has shown the level of isolation populations
such as the Andamanese have had.
However, some studies have suggested that each group should be considered separately, as the
genetic evidence refutes the notion of a specific shared ancestry between the "Negrito" groups of
the Andaman Islands, Malay Peninsula, and Philippines.[10]
A study on blood groups and proteins in the 1950s suggested that the Andamanese were more
closely related to Oceanic peoples than Africans. Genetic studies on Philippine Negritos, based
on polymorphic blood enzymes and antigens, showed they were similar to surrounding Asian
populations.[6] Genetic testing places all the Onge and all but two of the Great Andamanese in
the mtDNA Haplogroup M, found in East Africa, East Asia, and South Asia, suggesting that the
Negritos are at least partly descended from a migration originating in eastern Africa as much as
60,000 years ago. This migration is hypothesized to have followed a coastal route through India
and into Southeast Asia, which is sometimes referred to as the Great Coastal Migration.
Analysis of mtDNA coding sites indicated that these Andamanese fall into a subgroup of M not
previously identified in human populations in Africa and Asia. These findings suggest an early
split from the population of migrants from Africa; the descendants of these migrants would
eventually populate the entire habitable world.[6] Haplogroup C and haplogroup D is believed to
represent Y-DNA in the migration.[11]
A recent genetic study has found that unlike other early groups in Malesia the Andamanese
Negritos lack the Denisovan hominin admixture in their DNA while other Negrito groups may
show some varying degree of Denisovan ancestry in their DNA. Denisovan ancestry is found
among indigenous Melanesian and Australian populations between 4-6% [12]
Historical distribution
Negritos may have also lived in Taiwan, where they were called the "Little Black People". Apart
from being short-statured, they were also said to be broad-nosed and dark-skinned with curly
hair.[13] The little black population shrank to the point up to 100 years ago only one small group
lived near the Saisiyat tribe.[13] A festival celebrated by the Saisiyat gives evidence to their
former habitation of Taiwan. The Saisiyat tribe celebrate the black people in a festival called
Ritual of the Little Black People (矮靈祭).[13]
According to James J.Y. Liu, a professor of comparative literature, the Chinese term Kun-lun
(崑崙) means Negrito.[14]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Negrito
Peoples
 Aeta peoples
 Al-Akhdam
 Ati people
 Australoid race
 Black people
 Dravidian peoples
 Indigenous Australians
 Koro-pok-guru
 Kunlun Nu
 Mamanwa
 Mani people
 Negroid race
 Orang Asli
 Peopling of India
 Proto-Australoid
 Pygmy peoples
 Saisiyat people
 Semang
 Shanyue
Topics
 History of Taiwan
 List of topics related to the African diaspora
 Primitive culture
Notes
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh,
ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
1. ^ Snow, Philip. The Star Raft: China's Encounter With Africa. Cornell Univ. Press, 1989
(ISBN 0801495830)
2. ^ Kashyap VK, Sitalaximi T, Sarkar BN, Trivedi R (2003), "Molecular relatedness of the
aboriginal groups of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with similar ethnic populations"
(PDF), The International Journals of Human Genetics 3: 5–11.
3. ^ William Marsden (1834). "On the Polynesian, or East-Insular Languages".
Miscellaneous works of William Marsden. Pub. for the Author by Parbury, Allen. p. 4.
4. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, 1910–1911: "Second are the large Negrito
family, represented in Africa by the dwarf-races of the equatorial forests, the Akkas,
Batwas, Wochuas and others..." (pg. 851)
5. ^ a b Getting Here: The Story of Human Evolution, William Howells, Compass Press,
1993
6. ^ a b c d Thangaraj, Kumarasamy; et al. (21 January 2003), "Genetic Affinities of the
Andaman Islanders, a Vanishing Human Population", Current Biology 13, Number 2:
86–93(8), doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01336-2, PMID 12546781
7. ^ 2 Fig. 2 Morphological Affinities, Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences[dead link]
8. ^ Morphological Afinities, averaging graphs A through D, onedroprule.org
9. ^ David Bulbeck; Pathmanathan Raghavan and Daniel Rayner (2006), "Races of Homo
sapiens: if not in the southwest Pacific, then nowhere", World Archaeology (Taylor &
Francis) 38 (1): 109–132, doi:10.1080/00438240600564987, ISSN 0043-8243,
JSTOR 40023598
10. ^ Catherine Hill1; Pedro Soares, Maru Mormina1, Vincent Macaulay, William Meehan,
James Blackburn, Douglas Clarke, Joseph Maripa Raja, Patimah Ismail, David Bulbeck,
Stephen Oppenheimer, Martin Richards (2006), "Phylogeography and Ethnogenesis of
Aboriginal Southeast Asians", Molecular Biology and Evolution (Oxford University
Press)
11. ^ 走向遠東的兩個現代人種
12. ^ ^ Reich et al., Denisova Admixture and the First Modern Human Dispersals into
Southeast Asia and Oceania, The American Journal of Human Genetics (2011), ,
DOI:10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.09.005, PMC 3188841, PMID 21944045,
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002929711003958
13. ^ a b c Jules Quartly (Sat, 27 Nov 2004). "In honor of the Little Black People". Taipei
Times: p. 16. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
14. ^ Liu, James J.Y. The Chinese Knight Errant. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1967
(ISBN 0-2264-8688-5)
Further reading
 Evans, Ivor Hugh Norman. The Negritos of Malaya. Cambridge [Eng.]: University Press,
1937.
 Garvan, John M., and Hermann Hochegger. The Negritos of the Philippines. Wiener
Beitrage zur Kulturgeschichte und Linguistik, Bd. 14. Horn: F. Berger, 1964.
 Hurst Gallery. Art of the Negritos. Cambridge, Mass: Hurst Gallery, 1987.
 Khadizan bin Abdullah, and Abdul Razak Yaacob. Pasir Lenggi, a Bateq Negrito
Resettlement Area in Ulu Kelantan. Pulau Pinang: Social Anthropology Section, School
of Comparative Social Sciences, Universití Sains Malaysia, 1974.
 Schebesta, P., & Schütze, F. (1970). The Negritos of Asia. Human relations area files, 1-
2. New Haven, Conn: Human Relations Area Files.
 Zell, Reg. About the Negritos - A Bibliography. edition blurb, 2011.
 Zell, Reg. Negritos of the Philippines -The People of the Bamboo - Age - A Socio-
Ecological Model. edition blurb, 2011.
 Zell, Reg. John M. Garvan - An Investigation - On the Negritos of Tayabas. edition blurb,
2011.
External links
Mga Negrito
Mula sa Tagalog na Wikipedia, ang malayang ensiklopedya
Tumalon sa: nabigasyon, hanapin
Isang makabagong larawan ng isang batang babaeng Ita, isang Negrito.
Isang lumang larawan ng isang batang babaeng Negrito. Kuha noong 1901.
Ang mga Negrito sa Pilipinas, ayon kay H. Otley Beyer, ang sinasabing unang pangkat na
dumating sa kapuluan ng Pilipinas noong mga may 20,000 na taon na ang nakararaan. Diumano,
pinaniniwalaang ring nanggaling sila sa Borneo at naglakad at tumawid sa pamamagitan ng mga
tulay na lupa para marating ang Palawan, Mindoro at ilang bahagi ng Mindanao. Bagaman isa ito
sa mga pinaniniwalaan, may mga pag-aaral na nagsasabing maaaring may iba pang nauna kesa
mga Negrito. Kabilang sa mga pinakamatandang katibayan ang tao sa Tabon, kung kaya't may
mga naniniwalang hindi mga Negrito ang naunang taong namuhay sa Pilipinas. Ngunit hindi pa
rin natitiyak kung kailan talaga dumating ang mga Negrito sa kapuluan. Isa sa mga dating
sapantaha ang naglalahad na nakarating sa Pilipinas ang Negrito noong huling panahon ng tag-
ginaw (mga 30,000 taon hanggang 18,000 taon sa nakaraan), kung kailan bumabaw ang mga
karagatan kaya't nakalakad ang mga tao sa lupang lumitaw mula Biyetnam, Indonesya at
Malaysia. Ito ang sinapantaha sapagkat pinaniniwalaang hindi marunong ang mga Negrito sa
larangan ng pamamangka at paglalakbay sa mga katubigan, partikular na sa mga karagatan,
bagaman may mga ginawang paghahambing sa pagitan ng mga Negrito at ng mga aboriheno ng
Bagong Gineya at Melanesya.[1] Sapagkat marunong gumamit ng palakol at askarol (batong
pinatulis) ang mga tinutukoy na aboriheno, at may kaalaman din sa pamamangka, nagkaroon ng
mga katanungan kung naging marunong din sa ganitong mga gawain ang mga Negrito. Subalit
nagkaroon ng mga suliranin sa paghanap ng mga sinauna nilang kagamitang yari sa mgabato o
mga katulad mula sa mga kasukalan ng mga kagubatan. Nalalaman lamang na may gawi silang
nomadiko o palabuy-laboy, pagala-gala, at palipat-lipat ng mga pook, wala silang permanenteng
tirahan, kahit man mga libingan ng mga namatay na kauri.[1]
Mga nilalaman
 1 Pinagmulan ng salita
 2 Paglalarawan
 3 Kayariang henetika
 4 Mga sanggunian
Pinagmulan ng salita
Hinango ang salitang Negrito mula sa Kastilang negro, at nangangahulugang "maliit na taong
maitim", na tumutukoy sa kanilang maliit na pangangatawan. Ginamit ito ng unang mga
eksplorador na Europeano na sinapantahang nanggagaling ang mga Negrito mula sa Aprika.
Kung minsan, tinataguriang mga pigmi (mula sa salitang pygmy ng Ingles, na nagkukumpolsa
kanila sa mga mamamayang may katulad na kayariang pangkatawan sa Gitnang Aprika. Gayon
din, minsan ding ginagamit ang salitang Negrito sa mga pigming Aprikano.[2] Kung minsan pa
rin, ginagamit din ang salitang Negroid para tukuyin ang mga pangkat na ito, partikular na sa
kanilang panlabas na kaanyuhang pisikal, katulad ng buhok at kulay ng balat. Ayon kay James
J.Y. Liu, isang propesor na panitikang hambingan (literaturang komparatibo), tumutukoy ang
terminong Intsik na Kun-lun (Tsinong tradisyunal: 崑崙) sa mga Negrito.[3]
Tumutukoy din ang katawagang Negrito sa ilang mga pangkat etnikong nasa mga hiwa-hiwalay
na mga bahagi ng Timog-Silangang Asya.[4] Kabilang sa kanilang pangkasalukuyang populasyon
ang mga Aeta, Agta, Ayta, Ati, Dumagat at mga may 25 iba pang mga tribo sa Pilipinas; maging
sa mga Semang tangway ng Malay, sa mamamayang Mani ng Taylandiya at 12 mga tribong
Andamanes ng Kapuluang Andaman ng Indiya.
Paglalarawan
Bagaman may duda kung marunong mamangka ang mga sinaunang Negrito, narito ang isang
larawang nagpapakita ng mga Negritong nasakay sa isang bangka. Lumabas ang larawang ito sa
aklat ni Alden March noong 1899.[5]
Isa pang larawan ng pangkat ng mga Negrito mula sa aklat ni Alden March.
Maliliit lamang ang mga Negrito sa Pilipinas. May mga Negritong umaabot lamang ang taas sa
apat na talampakan. Maitim ang kanilang balat, pango ang mga ilong, makakapal ang mga labi at
kulot na kulot ang maiitim na mga buhok. Bagaman walang katibayan kung ano ang mga
pinakasinaunang kagamitan at kasangkapan ng mga sinaunang mga Negrito sa Pilipinas,
kabilang sa mga kamakailang gamit ng mga pangkasulukuyang Negrito ang mga sumpit, busog,
pana, at mga kagamitang gawa sa bato.[1]
Sa Pilipinas, iilan na lamang ang natitirang kapangkatan ng mga Negrito. Nilalarawang wala
silang tunay na tribo, kundi mayroon silang mga pagsasama-samang kaangkanan lamang.
Kabilang sa mga ito ang mga Aeta ng Sambales, Kagayan at Isabela, ang mga Agta, Arya, Ata at
Ati ng Panay at Negros, ang mga Baluga, ang mga Batak ng Palawan at ang Mamanuwa ng
Mindanaw. Tinawag na Negros ang pook na Negros sapagkat napakarami ng bilang ng mga
Negrito doon noong kapanahunan ng pagsapit ng mga Kastila sa Pilipinas. Tinawag namang
Panay ang pook na Panay dahil sa katawagan ng mga Negrito sa isang halaman, ang aninipay.[1]
Bagaman pagalagala ang karamihan sa mga Negrito, mayroon ding tumigil sa mga yungib at sa
gilid ng mga bundok, ang dahilan kung bakit tinawag din silang mga taong-bundok. Mayroon
namang mga gumamit ng mga pansamantalang tahanang yari sa mga sanga at dahon ng mga
punongkahoy. Palipat-lipat sila ng tirahan upang humanap ng mga makakain. Nangangalap sila
ng mga prutas, halamang-ugat, at anumang halamang maaaring kainin. Umasa rin sila sa
kanilang kapaligiran kung kaya't nangisda at nangaso sila.[1]
Sa sari-saring mga pook sa Pilipinas, iba't iba ang naging mga katawagan para sa mg Negrito.
Kabilang na nga rito ang mga katagurian sa Luzon na Aeta, Ita, Dumagat, Agta, Abian, Baluga,
Remontado, at Pugot sa Luzon. Partikular sa Gitnang Luzon, ang pagtawag sa kanila bilang mga
Aeta, Ita, at Baluga. Sa Siyera Madre kilala sila bilang Dumagat, Agta, Remontado, at Pugot. Sa
pulo ng Panay, mas kilala sila bilang mga Ati, ang pinagmulan ng pagdiriwang na Ati-Atihan. Sa
Gitnang Kabisayaan, kilala sila sa katawagang Ata, samantalang Mamanwa naman sa Samar at
Leyte. Mayroon ding mga Negrito sa Mindanaw, partikular na sa mga lalawigan ng Surigaw at
Hilagang Dabaw. Sa Surigao, kilala sila bilang ang mga Mamanwa, at Ata naman sa Hilagang
Dabaw. Magkakaiba ang mga gawi ng bawat pangkatin ng mga Negrito: nilalarawang
mapupusok ang mga Aeta ng Kagayan at Isabela; "kimi, maraming mga bulaklak sa katawan, at
patagu-tago" ang mga Batak sa Palawan. Tinatayang maaaring magkakahiwalay at magkakaiba
ang panahon ng pagdating nila sa Pilipias, at "daan-daan o libu-libong taon ang pagitan" ang
pagitan ng mga kapanahunang ito.[1]
Kayariang henetika
May pinasasuhang pangkaraniwang katangiang pangkatawan ang mga Negrito at ang mga
populasyon ng pigming Aprikano, kasama ang pagkakaroon ng mababang taas at maitim na
balat, subalit hindi pa rin natitiyak ang pinagmulan at ruta ng kanilang migrasyon patungong
Asya. Malayo ang kanilang mga katangiang panghenetika mula sa mga Aprikano at
nagpapakitang nagsangan ng maaga mula sa mga Asyano, isang pagpapahiwatig na maaaring
mga kamag-anak sila ng mga mamamayang naglakbay palabas ng Aprika, o kaya sila ang mga
supling na inapo o hinlog ng isa sa mga populasyong tagapagtatag ng mga makabagong tao.[6]
Bagaman, noong 1899, nilarawan sila ni Alden March na "walang dudang nagmula sila sa mga
liping Aprikano" at bilang mga aborihen ng Pilipinas na may higit sa 600,000 ang bilang noong
mga panahong iyon.[7] Bagaman pagalagala ang karamihan sa mga Negrito, mayroon ding
tumigil sa mga yungib at sa gilid ng mga bundok, ang dahilan kung bakit tinawag din silang mga
taong-bundok. Mayroon namang mga gumamit ng mga pansamantalang tahanang yari sa mga
sanga at dahon ng mga punongkahoy. Palipat-lipat sila ng tirahan upang humanap ng mga
makakain. Nangangalap sila ng mga prutas, halamang-ugat, at anumang halamang maaaring
kainin. Umasa rin sila sa kanilang kapaligiran kung kaya't nangisda at nangaso sila.
Mga sanggunian
1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Negrito", Hindi ba Negrito ang unang tao sa Pilipinas?, Ang Unang
Tao, Elaput.org
2. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, ika-11 edisyon, 1910–1911: "Second are the large Negrito
family, represented in Africa by the dwarf-races of the equatorial forests, the Akkas,
Batwa, Wochua and others..." (p. 851)
3. ↑ Liu, James J.Y. The Chinese Knight Errant. London: Routledge at Kegan Paul, 1967
(ISBN 0-226-48688-5)
4. ↑ Snow, Philip. The Star Raft: China's Encounter With Africa. Palimbagan ng
Pamantasang Cornell, 1989 (ISBN 0-8014-9583-0)
5. ↑ March, Alden. The history and conquest of the Philippines and our other island
possessions; embracing our war with the Filipinos in 1899], nilimbag noong 1899.
6. ↑ Kashyap VK, Sitalaximi T, Sarkar BN, Trivedi R 2003. Molecular relatedness of the
aboriginal groups of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with similar ethnic populations. The
International Journal of Human Genetics, 3: 5-11.
7. ↑ March, Alden. The history and conquest of the Philippines and our other island
possessions; embracing our war with the Filipinos in 1899, nilimbag noong 1899, (...)
Throughout the Philippine Islands are found mountain tribes known as Negritos. They
are the aborigines, and are doubtless of African descent. They are black with kinky hair.
About forty or fifty families of them usually live together. Their weapons are of bamboo,
and they poison their arrows and spears. There are over 600,000 of them in the islands.
(...), sa pahina 29.
Kategorya:
 Mga pangkat etniko ng Pilipinas

 NEGRITO
 AETA
The Aetas were the earliest inhabitants in the Philippines. They are nomadic and build
only temporary lean-to-shelters made of two forked sticks driven to the ground and
covered with the palm of the banana leaves. The more prosperous and modernized Aetas
have learned to live in the villages on tablelands and mountain clearings. They live in
houses made of bamboo and cogon grass. The Aetas are located in Zambales, Tarlac,
Bataan and Nueva Ecija. Due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo they were resettled in
various resettlement areas in Region 3 like Porac Pampanga and in Dueg, San Clemente,
Tarlac.
The Aeta is distinguished by his small structure, kinky hair, flat nose, thick lips, and black
skin distinguish the Aeta. His arms are abnormally long and his feet are too large in
proportion to his body. Aetas have peculiar characteristic, which is his large toe that
extended inward, a feature that might have evolved as consequence of his constant
grasping of a tree branch between the large toe and the other toes.
The Aetas senses are highly developed. Their senses of direction and senses of smell is
extraordinary. They can track down a snake by its smell and can identify more than five
hundred plants and its flowering patterns.
The entertainment fare of the Aetas consists of songs and dances. Their musical
instruments are highly developed.
ABIAN
Abians are the Philippine aborigines often called Negritoes. They live in Barrio Igang of
Batobalani. Camarines Norte and in Camarines Sur. In 1987 they numbered 12, 407.
They are short and dark with kinky hair.
When their homes were bulldozed for forest concessions, they again experienced being
driven away from the place by lowlanders. As a result, they have become nomadic and
do not possess any material property for fear of losing it whenever they suffer further
confiscation.
The Abian house is a semi-permanent lean to called butukan. They get their food by
means of the kaingin system, clearing portions of the forest and planting root crops and
rice on the cleared area. They also work for landlords by the weeding the fields or
helping during harvest time.
Many old customs have been retained by the Abians. The old women of village still
assisst mothers in giving birth.
They have no marriage rites, or formal religion. They practice polygamy and do not
believe in the Christian God but they believe that there is a life after death. Some are
known to put scars on their arms to take away the bad blood.
When an Abian dies, neighbors across the hills are called by shouts to announce
patapusan, the death rites that take place three months afterward. At patapusan there is
dancing, chanting of the lidong', and weeping and wailing over the passing of a love one.
AGTA
The Agtas are found in the Bicol Peninsula and on the slopes of Mt. Asog, Iriga City. The
group population was 11, 078 in 1987.
Like any other Aeta group, they call themselves and their language Agta. They are
darkskinned, kinky-haired, pug nosed and think lipped people with a height less than five
feet tall.
They generally go bear footed. Men wore G-strings without shorts, but now wear shorts,
the women wear clothes similar to lowlanders. They can speak varied languages such as
Bicolano, Tagalog, and Agta language. Indigenous materials such as wood, bamboo,
cogon or talahib, abaca barks and coconut leaves are used in the house. Houses are built
in clusters ranging from two to five families for economic and security purposes.
They get their food by means of the kaingin system. They also work for landlords but
receive a very minimal daily wage, not even enough for subsistence.
They marry at an early age of fourteen to their chosen partner but since they have no
marriage rites, the couples simply live together as husband and wife. They practiced
polygamy and at the present, the Agtas do not subscribe to family planning, believing
that marriage is to produce offspring and that only God determines the number of
children a couple will have.
The Agta believes in the Anitos and the Spirits of the ancestors to whom they offer
dances during rituals. Some dances depict the movements of animals, insects, and
hunting movements.
There is no organized political leadership. However the older and more experienced
males in the community are consulted for arbitration purposes.
ATI
The dark-skinned Ati group of Panay Island are probably the best known of the Filipino
Negritos (Spanish Term of Ati) being the indigenous tribe credited with welcoming
history's first Malay datus from Borneo in the fourteenth century. The Ati have retained
their dialect with traces of ancient times of "Kiniraya" and dialects of the present time
"Iligaynon".
Ati is the local term for their "dark brown" to "scooty black" skin color. They have wavy
to kinky hair, pug nose, and thick lips. They are short in stature and generally below five
feet tall. Their physical appearance is genetically carried up to the third or fourth
generation even with mixed marriages. When the Spanish colonizers came they called
the indigenous people of the island Negritoes because of their skin color and also named
the Island Negros.
The Atis are scattered in the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros
Occidental and Negros Oriental. The biggest population is settled in Negpana, barangay
Lipata, Darotac Viejo (Iloilo). Other bigger groups are found in Hanti (Antique), Malay
(Aklan) and Lambunao (Iloilo). The total popultion is 63, 654 (OSCC, 1987)
For economic survival, they are adept at hunting, fishing, and food gathering. Nowadays,
they have become less sedentary and constantly move in panung (band). They become
the "mountain people" in escaping the civilizing process of the colonists. They are
perennially dependent on the yields of the forest, since they practice no permanent
agriculture.
Until the modern times, the Atis have used the forest for indigenous medicines as it
yields medicinal roots, woodchips, shavings, gums, wines, leaves, seeds, barks and herbs
for curing kinds of sickness. They apply such herbs with the corresponding rituals.
Because they are nomadic, the Ati put up their dwellings in the form of a lean-to or
shack. During the olden times, most of the Atis went about naked. The Menfolk were
ubad to cover their private part, while the women wrapped their lower torso with the
sahat leaving their breasts exposed. In recent times, their few clothing are frequently
laundered in the stream without use of soap.
The Atis have an animistic religion. They believe in the existence of Kalosonin (spirit of
the forest) and the aswang (witch). They will possess a unique wedding rite held on top
of a hill. The bride was made to run fast one hundred meters away from the groom.
Drums were sounded when the groom started to pursue the woman
 NEGRITO
 CIMMARON
Cimmarons are found in Buhi, Isarog, Iriga and Caranwan, all of Camarines Sur, Bicol
Region numbering to 9,187 (OSCC, 1987). They are dark brown in skin color being the
offspring of intermarriages between Aeta and the Malays (Bikolanos), but only a few of
them have curly hairs (Jagor, Reisin, p. 106) They are multi-lingual, being able to speak
their Cimaaaron language, Bicol and Tagalog.
Their houses are provided with items such as coconut shells, bamboo implements, clay
pots, and weapons. Their houses are protected from enemies by means of mantraps or
sharpened stakes, which are carefully camouflaged, and hidden in the parts leading to
their homes. They cultivate potatoes, gabi, corn, sugarcane, tobacco, etc.
The men's attire is limited to the G-string while the women wear a type of skirt which
covers the hips up to a portion just above the knees.
Their weapons are bows and arrows, spears, round wooden shields and a broad sword.
They have friendly relations with the Bicolanos with whom they trade agricultural
product.
Polygamy is an accepted practice. The woman is sold or purchased with an average price
of ten bushknives to ten dollars in cash. (Jagor, Reisin, p. 171) During the marriage, the
father of the bride gives a banquet during which much coconut palm wine is drunk.
They believe in the existence of the spirits, which they keep from doing harm by giving
offering them food and betel chew. Sometimes a ritual practitioner goes into a trance to
communicate with the spirits.
ISAROG
Isarog is the type of Bicol Agta found in the vicinity of the Isarog volcano located in the
Iriga around Buhi, near Mazaraga in the Cordillera of the Caramuan, Camarines Sur and
in the neighborhood of Libon and Tobaco, Albay. There are 7, 711 (OSCC, 1987) of them
scattered in those areas.
Many do not have settlements but they wander around like the Aetas of Negros. Others
have houses that are scattered in the jungles. (Cavada, I. p. 213, 221) Those who live in
the vicinity of Mazaraga volcano are very friendly and live in peace with Christians,
allowing them to have some of their children baptized.
Their physical appearance is like the other Agta groups due to intermarriage of Agta and
lowlanders. They have deep-seated eyes, brown skin color, curly hair and a height of a
barely five feet tall.
They have an ancient practice like that of the Dayaks of Borneo, which is killing the first
stranger that one meets upon the death of one of their relatives. (Jagor, Reisin, p. 164)
They can speak other language like Bikolano and Tagalog aside from their Isarog
language.
TABANGNON The Tabangnons are group of wild mountain people living in the
mountain fastness of Guinayongan in the province of Tayabas down to
Paracale, Camarines Norte. (Cavad, I, p. 230) Their population is numbering to
10, 463 (OSCC, 1987)
They are described in such a manner that one sees no difference in their way
of life with that of the Agtas. They can speak their Tabangnon language, Bikol
and Tagalog, being a multi-lingual speaker. They are reported to raid the
Christian Filipino settlements in order to obtain cattle and food.
They are believed to be the offsprings of the Remontado and Agta marriages.
Like other Agta tribes, they genetically inherited the curly hair and dark skin
of their ancestors, although they are taller compared to other Agtas, since
height is attributed to the Remontado physical build.
They are nomadic by nature and because of this they come to know the ways
of life of the lowlanders, thus they bacome acculturated and adopted some
practices of the Christians without totally losing their own identity by
retaining some of their traditional practices.
TABOY
Another dub-tribe of the Agta in Bicol is the so-called Taboy. They inhabit the
island of Rapurapu, Albay, both the coastal sea and the inland. Their
population is estimated to be 1, 500 (OSCC, 1987)
Their physical structure is somewhat similar to that of Cimarron and
Tabangnons of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte who have dark brown
skin, trimmed nose, yellowish brown hair lean mascular ody and average
height often less than five feet tall.
The Taboys freely choose their life-partners without the intervention of the
parents. Since marriage rites are not practiced, they just live as common
husband and wife. They also practice polygamy but for those who converted
Catholic, they instituted marriage and monogamy.
Taboys living along the coastal area go fishing for food and sell some for
purchase of rice and other household needs. They gather nipa (palm) leaves
and make it into Nipa shingles for additional income. They also gather
mangroove trees for firewood and charcoal for sale. Others go to mainland
Albay and work as laborers.
They respect their elders whom they consultfor whatever problems they have.
Recently when OSCC came in to organize they started calling their elected
leader a chieftain.

About Maranaos

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About Maranaos

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About

LANAO DEL SUR

Municipality Land No. of Barangays

OVERVIEW OF THE PROVINCE

Topographical and hydrological features

TRADE AND TOURISM

A. Aga Khan Museum

Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle

Location : It is located at Moncado, Cadingilan, Marawi City.

Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle

Location : It is located at Amilo and Dayawan, Marawi City.

Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle

B. Ancestral Homes at Bacolod Chico

Location : Bacolod Chico

A. Beautiful rolling Hills and Mountains

Location : Angolo Hill - Sagod, Marawi City

Signal Hill - Matampay, Marawi City

Arumpac Hill - Saduc, Marawi City

Mt. Mupo - Guimba, Marawi City

Means of Transportation : Jeepney and hiking

Location : It is within the city proper.

Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle and trekking

Location : It is within the city.

Means of Transportation : All types of vehicle

Location : Caloocan Gulf, Marawi City

Location : In between Saduc and Lilod, Marawi City

Sarimanokis a legendary bird of the Maranao that has become a ubiquitous

Regions with significant populations

Bukidnon, Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur,

Maranao in Saudi Arabia[1]

Maranao, Chabacano, Cebuano, Tagalog, English

Related ethnic groups

Illanun, Maguindanao, Tiruray

Culture and Customs

Main articles: Music of the Philippines and Kulintang

The Legend of Maranao Food

The common law enjoins that one must not:

Religious Beliefs and Practices

Visual Arts and Crafts

Rock - A Boy (Yapugo-Sita Ulissi, Bua River Dialect)

That is the origin of the monkey.

Otoyo nappalindo walaan canman

A small boy who plays with flowers-

Love Song of a Girl (Cagayan River Dialect)

Wait for me, wait for me,

Henry, Robert S. Map. Manila: Philippine-Asean Publishers Inc., 1959.

National Geographic Magazine. (Sept 1912).

Philippine Journal of Science. Plate XIX, (Apr 1913).

Regions with significant populations

Related ethnic groups

Australoid race, including Melanesians

Negrito group photo (Malaysia, 1905).

Negritos in a fishing boat (Philippines, 1899).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Negrito

 Mga pangkat etniko ng Pilipinas

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