Indigenous Peoples

in the Philippines
 Who are
Indigenous
Peoples?
Who
Decides?
 • According to the IPRA Law,
Who are “A group of people or homogeneous
societies identified by
self-ascription and ascription by
Indigenous others, who have continually lived as
organized communities on community

Peoples? bounded and defined territory, and

who have, under claims of ownership
since time immemorial, occupied,
possessed and utilized such
territories, sharing common bonds of
language, customs, traditions, and
other distinctive cultural traits, or
who have, through resistance to
political, social, and cultural
inroads of colonization,
nonindigenous religions and cultures,
become historically differentiated
from the majority of Filipinos. …”
 Who are
Indigenous
Peoples?
Indigenous people, aboriginal people, or native people, are groups
protected in international or national legislation as
having a set of specific rights based on their linguistic
and historical ties to a particular territory, their
cultural and historical distinctiveness from other
populations. (https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/about-us.html)
 Who are
• Indigenous peoples were referred
to as “national minorities” by
Indigenous
the 1973 Philippine
Constitution and as “national Peoples?
cultural minorities” by the
1987 Constitution. With the
passage of the Indigenous
Peoples Rights Act in 1997,
they are now referred to as
indigenous peoples (IPs) or
indigenous cultural
communities (ICCs).
(https:PNFSP/pnfsp-ip-customarylaws)
Indigenous Peoples
in the Philippines
The last census of 2010 included an
ethnic variable for the first time.
However, an official figure for the
indigenous peoples of the
Philippines has yet arrived, and it
is estimated that the country's
indigenous population is between 10%
and 20% of the national population,
which currently stands at around
102.9 million.
Characteristics
of Indigenous
People in the
Philippines
 Indigenous
Peoples in
the
Philippines
• A common characteristic of indigenous peoples is their
close attachment to ancestral land, territory and
resources. The world view that “land is life” is deeply
embedded in their existence.
 Indigenous
Peoples in
the
Philippines
• Indigenous peoples in the Philippines have retained much
of their traditional, pre-colonial culture, social
institutions and living practices.
 Indigenous
Peoples in
the
Philippines
• In general, they live in geographically isolated areas
with lack of access to basic social services and few
opportunities for major economic activities, education
or political participation.
 Indigenous
Peoples in
the
Philippines
• In contrast, commercially valuable natural resources
such as minerals, forests and rivers are found mainly in
their areas, which makes them continuously vulnerable to
aggression against development and land grabbing.
 Indigenous
Peoples in
the
Philippines
• Indigenous peoples communities are generally situated in
areas that are rich repositories of high biodiversity.
This is largely due to their sustainable practices in
natural resource management which have conserved the
natural wealth of the land.
 Ethno-linguistic
Groupings
• The IPRA identifies 8 ethnographic regions in the
country, namely: the Cordillera Administrative Region
(CAR), Region I, Region II, Region III and Rest of
Luzon, Island Group, Southern and Eastern Mindanao,
Central Mindanao, and Northern and Western Mindanao.
• These ethnographic regions were designated by the
Government primarily for administrative purposes and for
representation in its National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP), rather than based on actual
ethno-linguistic groupings. The Philippine indigenous
peoples are made up of widely diverse cultures.
 Ethno-linguistic
• The estimated total number of
distinct indigenous ethnic groups Groupings
ranges from 70 to 140.
• The NCIP website presents a list of
90 entries, while a compilation
from various sources shows 109
indigenous ethno-linguistic groups
and subgroups.
• Each indigenous group has its own
distinct identity, language and
indigenous socio-political and
cultural systems and practices,
with some similarities between and
among others.
 Indigenous Peoples in
the Philippines (Luzon)
Igorot is the generic and
collective term for the indigenous
peoples of the Cordillera mountain
range in northern Luzon.

Igorot is derived from the prefix

i- (people from) and golot
(mountain) to literally mean
“people from the mountains.”
 Indigenous Peoples in
the Philippines (Luzon)
The Igorot make up 99 per cent
of the population in the
Cordillera region and live in
the highlands, foothills,
plateaus and river valleys of
the Cordillera mountain range.
They currently total about 1.5
million in population and are
composed of various ethnic
groups and subgroups or
tribes.
 Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon
Cordillera people: This is the indigenous
population of the Cordillera mountain ranges,
which covers six (6) provinces in the middle
of Northern Luzon – Abra, Apayao, Benguet,
Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province.
• There are eight (8) main ethno-linguistic
groups in the Cordillera namely: Aeta,
Bontoc, Isnag, Kalinga, Kankanaey,
Tingguian, Yapayao, Ibaloi and Ifugao.
 Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon
The Negrito also come from Luzon.
• The term “Negrito” is a Spanish word, a
diminutive of the word Negro. Negritos refers to
a large group of indigenous tribes in
Philippines.
• It includes the subgroups called the Agta,
Aeta, Ati, Ayta, Dumagat and 25 more tribes
from the Philippines.
• Although the Negritos of the Philippines possess some
physical similarities with the pygmies of Africa, they are
completely unrelated in terms of genetics.
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Cordillera)

Bontoc Ibaloi
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Cordillera)

Ifugao Isnag
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Cordillera)

Kalinga Kankanaey
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Cordillera)

Tingguian
 Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon
Caraballo people: These are the five (5)
ethnolinguistic groups – Ibanag, Ilongot,
Gaddang, Ikalahan, and Isinai who together with
the Aeta people inhabit the Caraballo mountain
range in Eastern Central Luzon. This range
connects the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Nueva
Vizcaya and Quirino.
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Caraballo)

Ibanag Ilongot
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Caraballo)

Gaddang Ikalahan
Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon (Caraballo)

Isinai Aeta
 Indigenous Peoples in
Mindoro
The indigenous groups near the Visayan region – mostly
in Mindoro are called Mangyan.
• Mangyan of Mindoro: This is a generic name for the
six ethno-linguistic groups spread over the mountains
and foothills of Mindoro namely Batangan, Iraya,
Hanunoo, Alangan, Ratagnon, Buhid and Tadyawan.
• They are described as the first inhabitants of the
island and until today, they are one of the few
groups that still practice a pre-Spanish form of
writing.
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindoro (Mangyans)

Batangan Iraya
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindoro (Mangyans)

Hanunoo Alangan
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindoro (Mangyans)

Buhid Tadyawan
 Indigenous Peoples in
Luzon
Palawan Hill tribes: These are the non-Muslim
tribal people of Palawan island located further
west of Mindoro. This group is composed of four
(4) ethnic groups such as: Tagbanua, Batak,
Calamianes, Cuyonon and Ken-uy. They are at
least 120,000 in population.
Indigenous Peoples in
Palawan

Tagbanua Batak
Indigenous Peoples in
Palawan

Calamianes Cuyonon
 Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
There is some difference between the
indigenous people in Mindanao – the Moro and
the Lumad. The Moro practice Islam and the
Lumad do not.
• Moro is a Spanish term for the word
“Moor” which means Muslims in general.
• Lumad is a Visayan term meaning native,
indigenous, “of the land”.
 Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
• Many do not recognize the
Moro people as indigenous,
although some of the Moro
ethnic groups are listed by
the NCIP in its list of
indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
• There are seven (7)
major ethnic groups
among the Muslims in
the Mindanao-Sulu area.
• These are the Maranaw,
Maguindanao, Tausug,
Yakan, Samal, Iranun
and Kalagan.
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Moro)

Maranaw Maguindanao
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Moro)

Tausug Yakan
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Moro)

Samal-Badjao Iranun
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Moro)

Kalagan
 Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
• Lumad is a generic
term used by others
to refer to the
indigenous peoples of
Mindanao, who make up
the largest number of
indigenous peoples in
the country.
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
There are eighteen (18)
major Lumad groups namely:
Subanen, B’laan, T’boli,
Mandaya, Mansaka, Tiruray,
Higaonon, Manobo, Bagobo,
Bukidnon, Tagkaolo, Ubo,
Banwaon, Kalagan,
Dibabawon, Talaandig,
Mamanwa and Manguangan.
 Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao
To simplify, the Lumad may be clustered as
follows: the Manobo cluster, the
Blaan-T’Boli-Tiduray cluster, the Mandaya-Mansaka
cluster, the Subanen who live largely in the
hinterlands and coastal areas of the Zamboanga
Peninsula; the Higaonon or “mountain dwellers” in
the plateaus of Bukidnon; and the Mamanwa in
Surigao del Norte (Erni 2008).
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Lumad)

Subanen Manobo
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Lumad)

B’laan T’boli
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Lumad)

Mandaya Mansaka
Indigenous Peoples in
Mindanao (Lumad)

Tiduray Higaonon