Agta/Aeta Tribe: Culture, Location & Lifestyle

Agta/Aeta (Negrito) Tribe

• Aetas and Agtas are found in Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Angeles, Olongapo, Panay, Bataan and Nueva Ecija.
• Dark skin tones, short statures, and curly to kinky hair are physical characteristics, and a high amount of lighter hair color.
• The Aeta are thought to be one of the Philippines' first inhabitants.
• They live a hunter-gatherer existence.
• The term 'Aeta Magbukún' refers to both the Indigenous language and people of the Bataan peninsula, specifically the Aeta groups from Morong, Mariveles, and Limay.
• Each gender is expected to fulfill distinct responsibilities, demonstrating equality in the tribe.
• They have traditionally lived in small mobile groups of 1 to 5 families and practice slash-and-burn agriculture locally called kaingin.
• The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 resulted in the relocation of thousands of Aeta people who moved to settlement villages in surrounding regions.
• Aeta religion is characterized by animism and a monotheistic belief in a supreme being who rules over lesser spirits or deities, with the Aeta of Mt. Pinatubo worshipping "Apo Na".
• The Pinatubo Aeta believe in environmental spirits such as anito and kamana.
• A large percentage of Agtas/Aetas of Zambales and Pampanga are Evangelicals today.
• Animistic beliefs and practices lack systematization, exerting less control over people's daily lives compared to other animistic societies in the Philippines.
• Clothing typically consists of breechcloths.
• Trousers are usually worn only by the chief man or "capitán" of the tribe.
• Women wear a strip of cloth fastened around the waist and extending to the knees and unmarried girls may wind a strip under the arms to cover the breast.
• Sharpening teeth is an entire "Negrito" territory custom, usually on upper teeth, though some sharpen both or none at all.
• This sharpening is not performed at any age, and it is apparently not compulsory, serving as a form of adornment.
• Teeth sharpening involves placing the blade of a bolo against the tooth and striking it with wood.
• Philippine "Negrito" groups speak languages related to the Austronesian languages spoken by non-Negrito ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines.
• The Aeta people in the Philippines are Australo-Melanesians and one branch of the Eastern division of the pygmy race.
• Aetas resisted change, reacting negatively to Spanish objectives to settle them in reducciones or reservations, leading to failure.
• They are the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian migrations.
• Aetas are nomadic, building temporary shelters from sticks and banana leaves, while modernized Aetas live in bamboo and cogon grass houses in villages.
• "Negrito" is the term given by Spaniards, meaning "little black person".
• Names of Aetas such as Ayta, Agta, Atta, Ati, and Ita are based on geographical location, history, or relationship with other people.
• In the 16th century, the Aetas and Agtas moved from the lowlands into the mountains due to the Spanish conquest.
• Aetas in Nabuclod avoid places believed to be the dwelling place of the anito, such as specific trees or mountains.
• They avoid disharmony with anitos to prevent illness and disruption.
• They hold séances with chanting, dancing, mediumship, and ritual objects to heal the sick.
• "Negritos" of Zambales believe in the constant presence of spirits of the dead and attribute adverse circumstances to them.
• The "Negrito" daughter symbolizes significant wealth and parental pressure impacts her freedom to choose a husband.
• Aetas rely on natural resources for economic activity, such as foraging, hunting, farming, and fishing.
• Aetas depend on the forest for timber and timber resources.
• They deal with non-Aeta communities during the dry season, selling gathered food or working as temporary farmers.
• They are skillful in weaving and plaiting, and the women weave winnows, mats, and baskets out of bamboo while the men make armlets.
• They produce raincoats made of palm leaves.
• Staple foods are leaf and root vegetables, wild tubers, fruits, flowers, palm heart, and wild mushrooms.
• Staple foods include: rice, sweet potato, root crops, taro, ginger, cassava, yam, cardiz, patani, black beans, ampalaya, eggplant, tomatoes, squash, bananas, coconuts, mangoes, watermelons,.
• Vitamin A absorption and storage are common among Aetas, but their diet lacks regular fat sources.
• Pregnant/lactating women or ill children may develop vitamin A deficiency.
• Aeta women are the village healers, sometimes using a Manganito medium (communicator of good spirits) when a plant is not enough, and the spirit of the surrounding is part of the healing process.
• Aeta and Agta (Negritos) of the Philippines are similar with belief in Anitos.
• Local Healers are often women in the tribe.
• They do agriculture (slash and burn) for source of livelihood and are hunter-gatherers.
• Dark skin tone, curly or wavy hair, and short stature are physical characteristics.
• Aetas prefer peace instead of confronting foreigners.
• Tools are bow and arrow, knives, and traps.
• Staple food comes from the forest or the nearest body of water.
• Aetas and Agtas move as one group in accomplishing community tasks like building structures, planting and discuss shared problems.
• The Aeta Magbukun community in the Biaan barangay is almost entirely made up of a single family grouping, the Maingat clan.

Learn about the Agta/Aeta people of the Philippines, their physical characteristics, traditional lifestyle as hunter-gatherers, and the impact of events like the Mount Pinatubo eruption on their communities. Discover their unique cultural practices, social structures, and the significance of the 'Aeta Magbukún' identity.