INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF

MINDORO

English Output MANGYAN

( SLIDES )
WHAT IS MANGYAN?

What is the meaning of Mangyan?

Mangyan is a generic term that comprises the indigenous
peoples of Mindoro Island. The people live in settlements of
from five to twelve single-family houses perched on slopes
overlooking mountain streams. The term “Mangyan” is an
umbrella term that refers to several indigenous communities on
the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. There are eight
recognized groups: Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid,
Bangon, Buhid, Hanunuo, and Ratagnon.
 WHY IS MANGYAN CONSIDERED
AN INDIGENOUS PEOPLE?
The lraya Mangyans are the Indigenous peoples In the uplands of
Northern Mindoro, Southern Luzon, Philippines. They have a distinct
culture, such as language, farming practices, spiritual beliefs,
customary laws and a social organization apart from the
lowlandpolitical organization and hierarchy .
HISTORY OF MANGYAN
The Mangyan tribe has been included in the history of Mindoro. Spaniards
have long documented the life of the Mangyan people. However, much is
still to be learned from the culture of one of the Philippines’ richest ethnic
group.
Mangyan refers to the Philippine ethnic group living in Mindoro Island but
some can be found in the island of Tablas and Sibuyan in the province of
Romblon as well as in Albay, Negros and Palawan. The word Mangyan
generally means man, woman or person without any reference to any
nationality. Social scientists have documented Mangyan tribes into several
major tribes. One of the ways to categorize them is through their
geographical location. The Northern tribes include the Iraya, Alangan and
Tadyawan tribes while the Buhid, Bangon Batangon and Hanunuo
Mangyan comprise the tribes in the South.
HISTORY OF MANGYAN

Despite being grouped as one tribe, Mangyans differ in many ways.

In comparison to the technological advance between the two
geographical divisions, the Southern tribes are more advanced as
seen in their use of weaving, pottery and system of writing. The
Northern tribes, on the other hand, are simpler in their way of living.
Their language just like the whole Philippines came from the
Austronesian language family. However, even if they are defined as
one ethnic group the tribes used different languages. On the average,
they only share 40% of their vocabulary words on their mutual
languages. The tribes have also varied physical and ethnogenetic
appearances: Iraya has Veddoid features; Tadyawan are mainly
Mongoloid; and the Hanunuo looks like a Proto-Malayan.
LIVELIHOOD OF MANGYAN
Mangyan are mainly subsistence agriculturalists, planting a
variety of sweet potato, upland (dry cultivation) rice, and taro.
They also trap small animals and wild pig. Many who live in
close contact with lowland Filipinos sell cash crops such as
bananas and ginger. Mangyans practice animism and are
superstitious. Most of them rely on planting rice, corn,
vegetables and hunting wild animals to support their every day
living. A male at age 16 can become a family man if he can
build his own house. A house made up of coconut leaves,
bamboo, tree for its pillar, and other materials.
ARTS AND CRAFTS OF MANGYAN
In Mindoro, Mangyan craftsmen produce a traditional fabric called
ramit. Ramit is a textile made by the Hanunuo Mangyans. It is
made by the women of the community and was traditionally
handwoven by their process “habilan” from indigenous cotton
seed materials. It is woven on a “harablon” (backstrap loom) and
often features intricate geometric patterns. Mangyans offers a
rich artistic heritage to the history of pre-colonial Philippines.
Like any other indigenous tribes in the country their art is an
expression of social relations in their community hence the
adage, “Art for art’s sake” does not apply to them. One of their
arts is the Ambahan, a rhythmic poetic expression with a meter
of seven syllables presented through recitation and chanting. A
variation of this is the Urukay, wherein it uses eight syllables
instead. There are no authors of the poetry and if one will ask a
Mangyan where he learned the lines of the poem, he’d say it
came from his parents or read and copied it from the bamboo
shoots where they originally write their scripts.
REFERENCES: GOOGLE

Howell, S./R. Willis (eds.). Societies at Peace. London: Routledge. 1989

Postma, Antoon. Mangyan History. November 1999

Postma, Antoon. The Ambahan: Mangyan Verbal Art. Manyan Mission

Reyes, Lynda Angelica. The Pakudos as Motif of Mangyan Art. Pandiwa Journal,
1992.

Service, E. Primitive Social Organization. New York: Random House. 1971

WE SHOULD RESPECT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A
RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE AND DEEP CONNECTION TO THE LAND.
THEIR TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES CONTRIBUTE TO
THE DIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR WORLD. RESPECTING
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE MEANS ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR RIGHTS,
PRESERVING THEIR TRADITIONS, AND PROMOTING EQUALITY AND
JUSTICE FOR ALL.

ENGLISH 7

Submitted by : PATRICIA KIRSTAN J. UY

7 TESLA