WHO ARE THE BATAK PEOPLE?

• The batak are one of about 140 indigenous peoples of the Philippines.

• The smallest tribe in Palawan, live up in the mountains

• “Batak” in Cuyonon means “mountain people”

• 49 families left- that’s more on less than 300 families

• The Batak are considered by Anthropologists to be closely related to

the Aeta of Central Luzon
What do they look like?
• The batak are small in stature

• Dark skin

• Short curly or “kinky” hair

Batak Women & Men
What is their traditional
Occupation?
• Their occupation was agriculture, hunting &
farming
• They relied heavily in rice farming, horticulture
and other plants and commercial crops.
Source of Income
WHAT DO THEY EAT?
• Usually batak people eat rice that
they harvested (or sometimes the
ones brought from town),
Kamoteng Kahoy (Cassava) &
native plants, baboy damo (wild
pig)
LANGUAGE OF BATAK PEOPLE

• They speak a language called batak/

binatak majority bilingual.

• As they can speak both batak and

tagbanua
SURAT BATAK
• The batak posses their own script as the Surat Batak
the writing has chiefly ceremonial importance within
traditional religious ceremonies and was subject to
little change. Batak people originally received their
writing system from southern Sumatra.
 “TAREK FESTIVAL”
Every 3rd week of January in Palawan to show
case their bataks traditional dances. It is also
displays the tribes women clothing and handmade
accessories.
Some of their problems:
1. Lack of steady source of income
2. Health- LBM & malnutrition
3. Education- Poor literacy rate
4. Lack of permanent teacher or schooling &
farming
Babaylan
(Quack Doctor)
Batak tribe’s a 75
years old Rogelio
Sibido
 BELIEF SYSTEM
• Animism- which is belief in spirits that reside in nature
• They classify spirits into the “PANYA’EN” –who are
malevolent and the “DIWATA” –are generally
benevolent but are also capricious.

• Batak make regular offerings to these spirits and

shamans undergo spiritual possesion in order to
communicate with the spirits and heal the sick
The batak people believe in a
unique array of deities, namely:
• Maguimba- supplied all the necessities of Batak life, as well
as the cures for illness. He even had the power to bring the
dead back to life.

• Diwata- provided for the needs of men and women and

gives out rewards for good deeds. Sanbay is a ritual in
honor of Diwata, who is asked by the people to bless them
with generous harvest of palay and honey

• Balungbunganin- spirit of the almaciga trees.

• Angoro- Lives in basad, a place beyond this world
where the souls of the dead go. And it is there where
they come to know if thwy are to proceed to Lampanag
(heaven) or be cast into depths of the Basad where fure
and boiling water await these hapless ones.
• Siabuanan- A lesser deity with great strength
• Batungbayin- Spirit of the mountains
• Paglimusan- Spirit of the small stones