GENERAL INFORMATION

The Agta are a hunter-gatherer people who have lived in the Sierra Madre mountains of the
Philippines for centuries. They are one of the oldest and most indigenous groups in the country.
The Agta have a deep connection to the land and its resources. They live in small, scattered
communities and subsist on wild game, fruits, and vegetables. They are also skilled fishermen
and boatmen.
The Agta have a rich culture and language. They are known for their traditional songs, dances,
and stories. They also have a unique system of beliefs and practices.
In recent years, the Agta have been facing increasing threats from land grabbing, urban
development, and climate change. They are also being discriminated against because of their
race and ethnicity.
Despite these challenges, the Agta are a resilient people. They are working to protect their
traditional lands and culture, and they are demanding that the government respect their rights.
Key Points:

 The Agta are a hunter-gatherer people who have lived in the Sierra Madre mountains of
the Philippines for centuries.
 They are one of the oldest and most indigenous groups in the country.
 The Agta have a deep connection to the land and its resources.
 They live in small, scattered communities and subsist on wild game, fruits, and
vegetables.
 They are also skilled fishermen and boatmen.
 The Agta have a rich culture and language.
 Despite these challenges, the Agta are a resilient people. They are working to protect
their traditional lands and culture, and they are demanding that the government respect
their rights.

CHALLENGES
The Agta tribe of Manide (Kabihug) and Tabangnon in the Philippines are indigenous peoples
who have been living in the Sierra Madre mountains for centuries. They are a hunter-gatherer
people who have a deep connection to the land and its resources. However, in recent years, the
Agta have been facing increasing threats from land grabbing, urban development, education,
deculturation, and discrimination.
Land grabbing is a major problem for the Agta. As the Philippines develops, more and more
land is being cleared for agriculture, mining, and tourism. This is displacing the Agta from their
traditional lands and forcing them to live in more marginal areas. In some cases, the Agta have
been evicted from their lands without any compensation or resettlement.
Deculturation is a process by which the Agta are losing their traditional culture and language.
This is due to a number of factors, including education, urbanization, and the influence of the
majority culture.
Discrimination is another challenge that the Agta face. They are often discriminated against
because of their race and ethnicity. This can make it difficult for them to access jobs, housing,
and other services. They are also facing a number of challenges, including land exclusion,
human rights limitations, and the risk of extinction. One of the challenges that the Agta are
facing is deculturation.
The Agta people of the Philippines have limited access to healthcare. This is due to a number
of factors, including. Geographic isolation: Agta communities are often located in remote areas,
far from health clinics and hospitals. Poverty: The Agta are one of the poorest indigenous
groups in the Philippines, and many cannot afford to pay for healthcare services.
The study, "Hunter-gatherer health and development policy: How the promotion of sedentism
worsens the Agta's health outcomes" (Page et al., 2018), found that Agta people who were
living in more settled communities had worse health outcomes than those who were living in
more traditional hunter-gatherer communities. This suggests that the shift to a more sedentary
lifestyle may be contributing to the Agta's health problems.

References:

Agta (Eye-ta). (n.d.). Www.lakeforest.edu. Retrieved September 25, 2023, from

https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/environmental-studies/agta-

(eye-ta)

Agta Negritos of the Philippines. (2023, July 17). Www.culturalsurvival.org.

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/agta-negritos-

philippines

At the crossroads of change: the Agta of the Sierra Madres. (2012, December 11). Fauna &

Flora International. https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/crossroads-of-change

Headland, T. (2010). Why the Philippine Negrito Languages are Endangered [Review of Why

the Philippine Negrito Languages are Endangered].

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286417917_Why_the_Philippine_Negrito_Lang

uages_are_Endangered

Minter, T. (2010). The Agta of the Northern Sierra Madre.

https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/15549
Page, A. E., Minter, T., Viguier, S., & Migliano, A. B. (2018). Hunter-gatherer health and

development policy: How the promotion of sedentism worsens the Agta’s health

outcomes. Social Science & Medicine, 197, 39–48.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.002