Lesson 2: Philippine Indigenous Peoples PDF

CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 LESSON 2 Enumerating the different major Philippine Indigenous people’s group and their Geographic Locations I. Introduction In this session, you will be introduced to the different major Philippin...

CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 LESSON 2 Enumerating the different major Philippine Indigenous people’s group and their Geographic Locations I. Introduction In this session, you will be introduced to the different major Philippine indigenous people’s groups and their geographic locations. Indigenous Peoples The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA), or Republic Act No. 8371 of the Philippines, defines Indigenous Peoples as follows: “Indigenous Peoples/Indigenous Cultural Communities (IP/ICC) refer to a group of people sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized a territory. These terms shall likewise or in alternative refer to homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as a community on community-bounded and defined territory, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, and who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, become historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of descent from the populations which inhabited the country at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries and who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains.” The U.N. Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1971) relies on the following definition: Indigenous communities, peoples, and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed in their territories, considered themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis for their continued existence as peoples in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems. A. General Profile of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines 1|Page CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands and islets spanning 1,854 kilometers from north to south and stretches from China in the north to the Indonesian archipelago in the south. It is an archipelago endowed with abundant natural resources, a rich history, diverse cultures, and many ethno-linguistic groups. The Philippines is the only country in Asia that has officially used the term “indigenous peoples.” Of the more than 75 million Filipinos, about 12 to 15 million are indigenous peoples, or about 17-22% of the total population in 1995. Indigenous peoples’ communities can be found in the interiors of Luzon, Mindanao, and some islands of Visayas. They either withdrew to the hinterlands in the face of colonization or they stood their ground successfully and have maintained a close link to their ancestral past. These communities comprise a diverse collection of more than forty ethno-linguistic groups, each with a distinct language and culture. The indigenous peoples 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 with the long years of colonial rule in the Philippines, from the 1700s to the early 1900s, and the influx of migrants into indigenous peoples’ 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. During the American colonial rule from the 1890s to the early 1900s, the forces of market economy and central government slowly but steadily caught up with most indigenous communities. Lowlanders, backed by government legislation, seized communal lands, and eroded local self-sufficiency in the process. Lowlanders also brought in a barrage of Western cultural influences that undermined tribal ways of life to varying degrees. In the 1970s pressure upon indigenous communities’ land base intensified as the national economy became increasingly foreign-dominated and export-oriented. Because they occupy areas rich in natural resources, indigenous communities have been besieged by a growing number of foreign and local corporations engaged in mining, logging, plantations, and other export industries. To support these industries, past and present governments have constructed massive dams and other foreign-funded infrastructure projects that have continually diminished the extent of indigenous peoples’ ancestral domain. The military has also participated in this onslaught against indigenous communities. It has forcibly relocated tens of thousands of indigenous peoples, comprising entire indigenous 2|Page CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 communities, in an attempt to counteract the growing resistance in the upland areas. These attacks on indigenous peoples are directed against their ancestral lands. B. Major Groups of Indigenous Peoples According to Tunay na Alyansa ng Bayan Alay sa Katutubo TABAK,there are more than forty ethnic groups that comprise the Philippine indigenous population, and these can be classified into six groupings excluding the Islamic groups. The NCIP, on the other hand, identifies ninety- five distinct tribes of indigenous peoples in fourteen regions of the country and includes the Islamic groups. The data of KAMP include forty ethno-linguistic groups and three major groups of Islamic or Muslim Filipinos, and these tribes may be roughly classified into seven groupings: (1) Mindanao Lumad: This is a generic term embracing all non-Muslim hill tribes of Mindanao. Lumad is a Visayan term that means “born and grown in the place”. The Lumad peoples are composed of some eighteen ethnic groups and they form the largest grouping of indigenous peoples 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, T’boli, Mandaya, Mansaka, Tiruray, Higaonon, Bagobo, Bukidnon, Tagkaolo, Banwaon, Dibabawon, Talaandig, Mamanua, and Manguangan. (2) Cordillera Peoples: This is the indigenous population of the Cordillera mountain range, which covers six provinces in the middle of Northern Luzon – Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. They are collectively called Igorots, meaning “mountain people” although some groups like the Kalingas and Ifugaos refuse to be called Igorots except by their own tribes. There are eight ethno-linguistic groups in the Cordillera, namely, Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Tingguian, and Yapayao, numbering a total of 988,000.12 (3) Caraballo Tribes: These are the five ethno-linguistic groups – Ibanag, Ilongot, Gaddang, Ikalahan and Isinai – who together with the Agta peoples inhabit the Caraballo mountain range in Eastern Central Luzon. This range connects the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Nueva Ecija. The Caraballo tribes number roughly 500,000. (4) Agta and Aeta/Negrito: These short, dark-skinned and kinky-haired peoples are considered the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines. Aside from having been perpetually pushed into the hinterlands of Central Luzon, mainly in the provinces of Zambales, Bataan and Pampanga, and in other parts of the country, they also suffer from racial discrimination. With a population of about 160,000, they are the most widely distributed among indigenous peoples. (5) Mangyan of Mindoro: This is a generic name for the six ethno-linguistic groups spread over the mountains and foothills of Mindoro, an island southwest of Luzon, namely, Batangan, Iraya, Hanunoo, Alangan, Ratagnon, Buhid, and Tadyawan. They are described as the first 3|Page CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 inhabitants of the island, and until today, they are one of the few groups that still practice a pre- Spanish form of writing. Their present population is about 150,000. (6) Palawan hill tribes: These are the non-Muslim tribal people of Palawan island located further west of Mindoro. This group is composed of four ethnic groups –Tagbanua, Batak, Kalamianes,Cuyonin, and Ken-uy, and they number at least 120,000. (7) Muslim Groups: These are the Muslims in Mindanao composed of fourteen groups, namely, Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausug, Samal, Yakan, Sangil, Palawani, Badjao, Kalibugan, Jama-Mapun, Ipanun, Kalagan, Molbog, and Muslim. 4|Page CREATIVE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS GE 15 5|Page