The document provides details about the Agta-Tabangnon people, an indigenous group in Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines. It describes their traditional nomadic lifestyle, moving locations depending on the season for farming, fishing, and gathering. It also discusses their customs such as arranged marriage at a young age, traditional healers, superstitions, and rituals. Additionally, it outlines several tourist destinations in the area where the Agta-Tabangnon reside, including Mount Aguingay, Bulusan Lake, natural springs, and Balay Buhay sa Uma. The document concludes by contrasting modern life for Agta-Tabangnon with their traditional ways, noting changes like adopting modern technology
The document provides details about the Agta-Tabangnon people, an indigenous group in Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines. It describes their traditional nomadic lifestyle, moving locations depending on the season for farming, fishing, and gathering. It also discusses their customs such as arranged marriage at a young age, traditional healers, superstitions, and rituals. Additionally, it outlines several tourist destinations in the area where the Agta-Tabangnon reside, including Mount Aguingay, Bulusan Lake, natural springs, and Balay Buhay sa Uma. The document concludes by contrasting modern life for Agta-Tabangnon with their traditional ways, noting changes like adopting modern technology
The document provides details about the Agta-Tabangnon people, an indigenous group in Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines. It describes their traditional nomadic lifestyle, moving locations depending on the season for farming, fishing, and gathering. It also discusses their customs such as arranged marriage at a young age, traditional healers, superstitions, and rituals. Additionally, it outlines several tourist destinations in the area where the Agta-Tabangnon reside, including Mount Aguingay, Bulusan Lake, natural springs, and Balay Buhay sa Uma. The document concludes by contrasting modern life for Agta-Tabangnon with their traditional ways, noting changes like adopting modern technology
Agta-Tabangnon, a pure blooded Agta married to a low-lander lived in Bulusan,
Sorsogon, Bicol Region. At first, they don’t have permanent house, they move from one place to another, depending on their livelihood like farming, fishing, etc., also depending to a particular season. If the sea level is high, they will go high lands like mountains to plant and farm, raise different animals, harvest coconut, pili, abaka and other kinds of trade. They are naturally industrious, even the newly delivered pregnant mothers are working. Before they called “partira”, the ones who assist pregnant women in giving birth, now they called them “hilot”. Due to arrange marriage, at the very young age of 14, they get into marriage. Folks create bonds through “pagnininong” at “ninang” in marriage, binyag and, kumpir later on called as “intereno” is now the so called witness. Elders were very much respected and were the ones to be mediator during misunderstandings and commotions. Whoever was the eldest in the small community will be considered to be the ruler and judge. Whoever will disobey and disrespect the leader will be cast out with curse. If a person is feeling exhausted, joy, grief and fear with kabatiran called “gatod” which is now known as usog, what or whoever the person got his attention, be it a person, an animal or plant will be affected and experiencec like vomiting and improper bowel movement, if it’s a person or animal, withering of plants and even death may happen, if not “maulian” or recovered through placing of saliva to the stomach portion of the victim. There was also the so-called “anab” in which the victim will have severe wounds on different parts of the victim’s body, it will not heal until applied with “mama”or “nganga” to the victim. Leaves of buyo and apog and fruit of the tree of “bunga” were used in “pagnganganga”. There was also called “tuka”, this happens if one person touches the belongings of another person without consent, the part of the hand mostly the fingers gets wounded and worse, bones are twisted, applying with “nganga” is also the cure for this. The Agta-Tabangnon has a belief that they should not just throw anything anywhere at night because there are creatures unseen called engkanto that might be hit by them. If these happens someone who hit them may feel severe disease, or may lead to blindness or death. They believe that the deity lives in the sun so when they pray they must face to the east, and must kneel down as a practice of surrender. The things used for cooking were leaves of anahaw, kawayan, bao, and “kurun”; formed from mud. When uprooting grasses they uses “timad”, a sharpened metal thick in front and rear. Houses were built with light materials, anahaw,”pawud”- weaved abaka, kawayan, ”kabugawan”, a shiny kind of bamboo. They also uses”nito” for knotting. ”Uway” or rattan were used for tying anahaw for the roof of the houses. They also use ”luknit”, a thick metal that has a sharp edge used for processing abaca. A small hut that stores the things used for processing abaca was called ”garingan”. The stripping of abaca in the “garingan” is called “hag-ot”, a usual livelihood of the Agta-tabangnon, and the product is being exported to foreign traders. They also practice “tuba” wine making from the coconut tree through “kanggot” wherein the “sap” of coconut is extracted. The extraction of coconut juice is called “takras”. An Agta-tabangnon can extract tuba wine of up to 3,000 litres in 12hours. To prevent the wine from becoming a vinegar, tuba was added with “barok”, a powdered leaves that can be bought in the mercado. Rituals are norms of Agta-tabangnon and are intrinsic within them. The most popular are the “suob” and “aya”. In “suob”, if a person is sick, they will roast a rock with herbals, a sick person will cover with blanket or a large piece of cloth, the water that is sunned will be poured to the flamed rock with herbals, he will inhale the smoke until the heat inside his body will come out through perspiration. Another kind of “suob” is the smoking of kamangyan placed in “bagul” or coconut shell all over the house while uttering a spell to cast out the bad luck and evil spirit. There is also a ritual called pag-aaya”. They call an albularyo to do the “pag-aaya”. The ritual is being done using a stainless plate, dropped with blessed candle, it will show who caused the disease or fever. The albularyo will tell what the evil wants in order the person to feel better. Others use one day old native egg, if the sick stands with his own he is possessed. He will offer and undergo panata to the spirit for him to get well. The tourist destinations in Bulusan wherein the Agta-tabangnon resides particulary in San Roque are the following. Mount Aguingay, that is in the middle of Mt. Bulusan in the lower part, there is a big hole that if there is a continuous heavy rain, it can form as an Aguingay Lake. It is very cold in there, there are lots of insects and the most known is the limatok that can suck all of the blood of one person without knowing. It can be reached through mountain hike for about six (6) hours of travel. If one has to travel to and from the area, he would take almost 10 hours of travel. Bulusan Lake has a 5 kilometres wide, very good for kayaking while fishing tilapia. It is also placed in San Roque. It has floating house and hanging bridge, about 2km. away from the national road, and can be reached using kabayo de karetila, on a concreted way. Tourists may hike but should be guided by the personnel or tourist guide assigned in the lake. It also has massage and spa. San Roque is very known for its different springs and resorts such as Masacrot Spring, Fulo Resort, Creekside at Palogtoc Falls,Crystal Spring. These are the different kinds of natural water found in the barangay. The water is cold and clean and abundant. Masacrot spring is unique due to its water enriched with pure natural minerals and is very accessible due to its proximity to the national road. There is also the very astounding and refreshing Balay Buhay sa Uma. It is a wide area where there are different floras, bees producing honey, water body that has tilapia, and a chilly pool, they also host and cater events in wherein they prepare indigenous delicacies like ginataan especially with suso, suman, pinoso, tamal, binamban, hinagom and many more. The area is about 200 meters away from the national road. In barangay San Rafael is where Nasipit Spring located. The area is remote, hence, there are lots of monkeys that live in huge trees that can be found. Located on the upper portion is a flowing water coming from the nearby falls in the area. The water is clean and cold, and accordingly, the area was discovered 300 years ago by the residents. The area is about 1km. away from the national road, and can be reached by riding a motorcycle or four wheels or even by walking. As a student, born from the tribe of Agta-Tabangnon in the contemporary world, I can say that it is beautiful to revive the lives lived by my ancestors, Agta-Tabangnon, one of these is “kumbinyo” or bayanihan done by men in the community as an alternate in days where in they will altogether work like planting, harvesting, and more. They will work all they long for free. For women it is called “hurunglon”, it is usually doing handicrafts. They will also work together and the finished products belong to the person who is in slot. The lives of Agta-Tabangnon way back then were simple and happy compared to the lives of Agta-Tabangnon nowadays wherein we go with the flow of trends in the modern outside world. Before, they were shy and afraid to socialize with lowlands, but today we can assimilate to the different environment. We learned to wear modern clothes, we use make ups and more. We also accepted the idea of birth control or family planning, before, 12 children and above, 7 could be the minimum. Because, before, mothers are just in home taking care for their kids, but today both parents are out for work in order to supply the family needs, due to adapting the new discoveries like electricity at home, cellphones,, washing machines, gas stove and more. Even mothers become OFWs in order to survive fitting in. Before, Agta-Tabangnon doesn’t give more emphasis and importance in education. What’s more important is every family member being together every day.