Morales, Medwin Miguel M.

ESE150-2/A74
Assignment 3: Indigenous People and the Environment
1. Identify any indigenous people or tribe in the city or municipality of your individual case study. If
there is none, look for the nearest province in your individual case study location where an
indigenous people or tribe is located. Show a picture of this group of people.

- In my case study, the focal point is the location of Abra. Abra is a location in the Philippines that
has many mountains in its location. Within the mountains, there is an indigenous tribe called the
Tingguian. According to Moncado (2019) that the word Tingguians means “mountain dwellers”
which are people that retreated to the valleys of Abra. Currently, there are two Tingguian groups,
the Mountain Tinguian, and the valley Tingguian.

- In the picture above, we can see the picture of Norma Agaid by The-Bern-Traveler(2014). In the
photo, we can see that Norma is wearing authentic Tingguian attire. We can also observe the frog
patterns on her skirt. This attire is traditionally worn when the climate is in the rainy seasons. The
Tingguian believe that the gods and their ancestors will bless them if they wear the attire.

2. Describe their population, language, livelihood, and history

- Since the arrival and the settlement of the Tingguian tribes, Abra’s inhabitants are mostly
comprised of Tingguian tribe and the descendants of the Ilocanos. Based on the 2000 Census
survey, there are a total population of 39,115 Tangguians, which is 18.7% of the population in
Abra. The livelihood of the Tangguians is that they celebrate festivals. The most popular festival
that the Tangguians are celebrating until today is called the Kawayan Festival. This festival is the
largest festival in Abra because of the abundance of bamboos in their location. Other festivals that
are celebrated in Abra and by the Tangguians are the Dapil festival, which is a festival that mainly
 involves sugarcane, and the Arya Abra festival, which is a festival that lasts about a week and is all
about the celebration of the proclamation of Abra as an independent province. The Tangguian’s
language is the dialect of Ilocano.

3. Determine any practice that they have relevant to natural resources and the environment (e.g. use
of plants, animals, minerals, soil, or water for livelihood, rituals, and other cultural rites).

- The practices that the Tangguians or Itneg are mainly planting of sugarcane. The people of Abra
also used rice, corn, sweet potato, and tubers for their trading and in their livelihood. The
sugarcanes that they plant are being celebrated and they use them to create alcohol called Basi.
They also use Bamboo for their Kawayan festivals.

4. What do you think is the role of these indigenous people on our environment?

- I think the Tangguians role in the environment is crucial because of their traditions, which serve a
constant reminder that sugarcanes, bamboos, and other important crops that the Tangguians used
are important. It is also a reminder that not only the crops are important, but also the land that is
used to grow these crops

5. What lessons can you get or learns from the practices of the indigenous people towards the
environment?

- The lessons that learned from researching and knowing this indigenous person are valuable in
terms of preserving the land, and preserving our culture as a Filipino. I should not only know our
culture, but also should teach the younger generation. In this way, the perseverance of our culture
and the importance of the environment would not be forgotten.
References

The-Bern-Traveler. (2014, December 4). Abra, The Philippines: The Tingguians, Bamboos, and the Art of
Dyeing. Www.Wesaidgotravel.Com. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from
https://www.wesaidgotravel.com/abra-philippines-tingguians-bamboos-art-dyeing/

MAKIBA’S Foundation. (2019, July 30). Appreciating Abra’s Land, People and History | MABIKAs
Foundation. Mabikas-Foundation.Org. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://mabikas-
foundation.org/abra-land-people-and-
history/#:%7E:text=Abra%20was%20first%20inhabited%20by,and%20Balbalan%20(in%20Kalinga)%5D