ETHNIC GROUP VS.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

I. INTRODUCTION

During the colonial period of the Philippines, Indigenous People

partially isolate themselves mostly in remote places, so they can live
independently. Throughout the colonial era, they have retained much of
their traditional pre-colonial culture and practices. Indigenous People
are group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-
ascription and ascription by others. They have continuously lived as
organized community on communally bounded and defined territory,
and have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied,
possessed customs, tradition and other distinctive cultural traits.
Indigenous people are often called IPs ,they have, through resistance
to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous
religions and culture, become historically differentiated from the
majority of Filipinos (PSA- Philippine Statistics Authority 2017).

II. ABSTRACT

LESSON 1: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous refers to people or objects native to a certain region

or environment. They may grow there, live there, produced there, or
occur naturally there. The term indigenous, primarily used to refer to
plants or peoples. Indigenous plants are naturally occurring in a region
or ecosystem without human introduction. Plants brought to a place by
humans from other habitats, or plants humans have cultivated into new
forms, are not considered indigenous. Indigenous plants are suited to
the habitats in which they are traditionally found, as they are adapted to
the soil and climate of a particular region. They may not thrive in other
regions; if they can, they may require additional cultivation to make
their new habitat closer to their native habitat. Unlike plants, humans
emerged first in a single location in Africa. About 70,000 to 80,000
years ago, some groups of humans left Africa and migrated around the
world. They then established settlements in these new locations.
People began to settle more permanently. Most people were born,
raised, and died in the same location. We commonly refer to an
indigenous person as an individual from a group that has lived in a
particular location for thousands of years. Indigenous Peoples are also
known as First Peoples, Aboriginal Peoples or Native Peoples.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Indigenous People in the Philippines continued to live in their

relatively isolated, self-sufficient communities, at the time when most
lowland communities had already been integrated into a single colony
under Spain in the 1700s and 1800s.

They were able to preserve the culture and traditions of their

“ethnos” or “tribe” as reflected in their communal views on land, their
cooperative work exchanges, their communal rituals, their songs,
dances, and folklore. Instead of hierarchical governments, each of
these communities had its own council of elders who customarily
settled clan or tribal wars to restore peace and unity. But in the long
years of colonial rule in the Philippines, from the 1700s to the early
1900s, and the influx of migrants into indigenous people’s territories,
many influences have been introduced that gradually changed the
indigenous way of life.

Indigenous communities at present are still characterized by these

Phenomena but are definitely no longer in their pure and Natural state,
showing varying degrees of influence from outside culture.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous Peoples Are Everywhere.

There are more than 476 million Indigenous people in the world,
spread across 90 countries and representing 5,000 different cultures.
They make up 6.2 percent of the global population and live in all
geographic regions. In the Philippines it is estimated with 14- 17 million
Indigenous Peoples (IPs) belonging to 187 ethno-linguistic groups.
They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon (Cordillera
Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups
in the Visayas area as of 2013. Indigenous peoples make up
approximately 10-15% of the population or around 16.5 million people.
Indigenous people live in remote places.

Indigenous People’s Language

Indigenous languages are extensive, complex systems of knowledge.

They are central to the identity of Indigenous peoples, the preservation
of their cultures, worldviews and visions, as well as expressions of self-
determination, (trivia: It is estimated that one Indigenous language dies
every two weeks worldwide). There are up to 187 languages spoken by
the people of the Philippines. Most of the languages spoken are
indigenous languages that have survived through the centuries despite
Spanish and American rule and 120 of it are languages spoken by our

native people with estimated 12 million speakers as of April 2022.

Indigenous People Are More Likely To Be Poor and Vulnerable

and Discriminated.

More than 86 percent of Indigenous peoples work in the informal

economy and are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme
poverty. They are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, and often lack
adequate social protection and economic resources (UNDP2021).

The life expectancy of Indigenous peoples is as much as 20

years lower than that of their non-Indigenous counterparts. Often
lacking adequate healthcare and information, they are more likely to
get diseases such as malaria, and tuberculosis. Forty seven percent of
all Indigenous peoples in employment have no formal education. This
number is even wider for women. Although some Indigenous peoples
are self-governing many still come under the ultimate authority of
central governments who control their lands and resources.

Indigenous Communities Lead On Protecting the Environment

Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique

cultures and ways of living. Nearly 70 million depend on forests for their
livelihoods, and many more are farmers, hunter-gatherers. These
communities thrive by living in harmony with their surroundings.
Research shows that where Indigenous groups have control of the
land, forests and biodiversity flourish.

Worldwide, Indigenous communities’ contribution to fighting climate

change are far greater than previously thought. Their forestlands store
at least one quarter of all aboveground tropical forest carbon – about
55 trillion metric tonnes. This is equivalent to four times the total global
carbon emissions in 2014.

VARIOUS INDIGENOUS GROUPS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Cordillera (Northern Luzon)

The Cordillera peoples, also collectively known as Igorot, refer to

the assemblage of indigenous groups living in the highlands, foothills
and river valleys of the Cordillera mountain ranges of Northern Luzon.
Tingguian, Isneg and Northern Kalinga are found in the watershed
areas of the Abulag, Tineg, and Chico rivers. These groups are largely
cultivators who depend on farming rice, root crops, and vegetables.
Along the slopes of Mount Data and nearby areas are the Bontoc,
Sagada, Ifugao, and Southern Kalinga. They are mainly wet-rice
cultivators who grow their crops both on irrigated terraces and fields.
The Ibaloi and Kankanaey inhabit the southern region of the Cordillera
and their subsistence economy is based on wet and dry agriculture. In
more recent years, these groups have been integrated into the outside
market economy with the growth of commercial gardening of temperate
vegetables. The following groups are found in the mountains, foothills
and lowlands of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino: Itawes
(Itawit), Malaweg, Yogad, Gaddang/Gad'ang, Kalinga-Isabela, Isinay,
and Bugkalot (Ilongot). All of them, with the exception of Ilongot, Ivatan
and Ga'dang, are in an advanced state of assimilation into the national
mainstream with substantial erosion of indigenous identity except
language.

North, Central and Southern Luzon

The main indigenous groups in these predominantly Tagalog and

Bikol territories belong to the Negrito groups whose economies have
depended on agriculture, hunting and gathering, fishing, wage labor
and trade. Their Australoid physical features mostly distinguish the
Negrito, of which up to 25 major groups have been identified. They live
in dispersed groups throughout the major islands, usually in the less
accessible forested areas. Pre-historians suggest that one migration
stream (with groups now called Alta, Arta, Agta) settled the northern
part of Luzon and moved down the eastern part, along the Sierra
Madre and Pacific coast down to the Bondoc and Bicol mountains.

Aete, Ayta, Atta, Ita, Ati, Dumagat, Sinauna settled in western and
southern Luzon, with larger populations now found in the Zambales-
Bataan mountains and Southern Tagalog foothills.
The Aetas (or Agta or Ayta) are one of the earliest known inhabitants
of the Philippines who are now living in scattered mountainous areas of
the country. They were called by the Spanish colonizers as the
‘Negritos’ because of their dark to dark-brown skin. They are nomadic
but are very skilled in weaving and plaiting, and Aeta women are
considered experts in herbal medicine, while others settled on Palawan
(Batak).

Caraballo Tribes: these are the five-ethnolinguistic groups - Ibanag,

Ilongot, Gaddang, Ikalahan and Isinai, who together with Agta
peoples inhabit the Caraballo mountain range in Eastern Central
Luzon. This range connects the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya,
Quirino and Nueva Ecija

"Mangyan" is the collective term for indigenous groups in Mindoro,

which are usually clustered into the Northern Mangyan (Tadyawan,
Alangan and Iraya) and the Southern Mangyan (Buhid, Taobuid and
Hanunuo). A small group called Bangon is considered a branch of the
Taobuid. Another small group, Ratagnon on Mindoro's southernmost
tip, is closely related to the Cuyonin of Palawan. Generally, the
Mangyans of Mindoro practise agriculture combined with hunting,
fishing, gathering and trade.

Several groups in Palawan may be considered as indigenous: the

Agutaynen, Tagbanwa (Kalamianen), Palaw'an, Molbog, Batak and
Tau't batu. The Cuyonin no longer consider themselves an indigenous
group, because they have long been assimilated into the mainstream
culture. In some reports, the Agutaynen, Tagbanwa and Kagayanen
are deemed already fully assimilated, although clearly some
indigenous ways of life remain.

Visayas

Ati and Tumandok, clans in Visayas, the Ati and Tumandok tribes of

Panay Island are the first to call the island their home. Genetically
related to other indigenous groups in the country, they mostly resemble
the Aetas or Negritos who are characterised by their dark skin. While
some adopted Western religions, they still carry some animistic beliefs
and rituals passed down by their ancestors. The Atis reside in the
Capiz mountains of Panay. They often refer to themselves as the
Tumandok or Suludnon, but are also also known as the Panay
Bukidnon tribe. They are the only indigenous group to traditionally
speak a Visayan language.

Mindanao

The spread of Islam in Mindanao-Sulu created a differentiation

among its native peoples between those who became Muslim (also
called Moro) and those who did not (now called Lumad).

Lumad peoples are composed of some eighteen ethnic groups and

they form the largest grouping of indigenous people in the country.
They have a total population today of 2.1 million and are concentrated
in varying degrees in the hilly portions of the provinces of Davao,
Bukidnon, Agusan, Surigao, Zamboanga, Misamis, and Cotabato. They
can be found in almost all provinces of Mindanao and they include the
Subanen, Manobo, B’laan, Mandaya, Mansaka, Tiruray, Higaonon,
Bagobo, Bukidnon, Tagkaolo, Banwaon, Dibabawon, Talaandig,
Mamanua, and Manguangan.

The Moro or Muslim Group: These are the Muslims in Mindanao

composed of fourtheen groups, namely, Maranao, Maguindanao,
Tausug, Samal, Yakan, Sangil, Palawani, Badjao, Kalibugan, Jama-
Mapun, Ipanun, Molbog and Muslim.

There is much inter-penetration among the groups, especially

between the Manobo, Bagobo and Mandaya. For the most part, the
indigenous peoples in Mindanao basically subsist through and wet rice
cultivation, hunting, fishing, gathering and the trade in locally
manufactured items.

Major Indigenous Tribe in Mindanao

 Apart from the two main indigenous groups mentioned, Badjaos,
Originally from the islands of Sulu in Mindanao, they’re known as the
sea tribes living on houseboats. They try to make ends meet by
depending on the sea as divers, fishermen, and navigators. Because of
conflicts in the region, the majority of them has migrated to neighboring
countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, whereas those who stayed
in the Philippines moved to some areas in Luzon.

LESSON 2: ETHNIC GROUP VS. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Thousand years ago there existed a land mass called Sunda

and it connected mainland Southeast Asia to the Philippines. Sunda
Land allowed the first wave of human migration to left Africa for more
than 70 thousand years ago to enter into the Archipelago. Basal
Austronesian have the core DNA found in more than 30 ethnic group in
the Philippines including Igorot in Luzon, Ati in the Visayas and the
Magbanwa in Mindanao.

ARE WE CONSIDERED AS PART OF ETHNIC GROUP?

During the pre-colonial time when the Austronesians came,

People of the Philippines were divided with different ethnic groups.
Ethnic group is a grouping of people who identify with each other on
the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other
groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions,
ancestry, language, history, society, nation, religion, or social treatment
within their residing area. It is a group of people having common racial,
national, religious or cultural origins.

Many are confused what is the difference between Ethnic group and
Indigenous Community, some thinks that it is the same thing. But on
the other hand it has differences and similarities. It is similar in a way
that it is a description of who are the Filipinos but, It is mentioned that
ethnics groups are those people who have a common heritage that is
real such as common culture, language, behavior and biological traits.
Every Filipinos belongs to their own different ethnic groups, some
example of ethnic groups are  Ilocano, the Pangasinense, the
Kapampangan, the Tagalog, the Bicolano, and the Visayans.
Conversely, Indigenous Community are composed of the so called
Indigenous People. Indigenous people are unique individual and  Born
or engendered in, native to a land or region, especially before an
intrusion. They have the earliest historical connection.

Indigenous peoples are those existed naturally in a particular

regions or environment or live in it for thousands of years before the
colonization, which is why IPs have unique biological traits. Each
Indigenous people belongs to the different kinds of ethnic group in the
Philippines. The ethnics groups answers the question, what is the
classification of group of people do you belong as a Filipino? While,
Indigenous People are the so called Native People of the Philippines
which they lived in a specific place for thousands of years. An example
of it are the People of Mindoro. Majority of the Mindorenoes belongs to
the Tagalog ethnic group while the ethnic group Mangyans are the
ones who belong to the Indigenous People, they are the Mangyan
tribes, and they were divided into 8 types of Mangyan.

Submitted by:

JAMILLA, PATRICIA

EVANGELISTA, LAIREN

GREGORIO, LEONEL

(BSED MT 1-1)