“Tribe Ratagnon” Mangyan of Mindoro a. General Info i. Location one of the eight Mangyan tribes, who can be found in the southern tip of Occidental Mindoro, which is close to the Sulu Sea. are near both the aquatic route going to Busuanga Island in northernmost Palawan, as well as in Cuyo Islands, which are the two places where the Cayunon language is spoken. ii. Description also called Datagnons and Latagnons. This is due largely to their language of the same name, Ratagnon, being closely similar to the language in Palawan Cuyonon. while their custom of wearing traditional clothing is very much alive, one big hurdle that the Ratagnon tribesmen need to overcome is the looming extinction of their native language. are engaged in swidden agriculture. Their villages are not formally developed and settlements of four to five houses per settlements are located apart from each other. A typical Ratagnon house is made of indigenous materials – mostly of wood, bamboo, and nipa. b. Ways of Life i. Political Structure ii. Socio-cultural iii. iv. No specific data No specific data Religion Animism (at first) Christianity - 55% (Evangelical 3.5%) Ethnic Religion - 45% Education/Language now opt to use Tagalog instead of their own to communicate due to modernization. there are only two to five speakers of their native language out of the 2,000 total Ratagnon ethnic population. part of the Bisayan language family that closely resembles Cuyonon, spoken by residents of Cuyo Islands in the northern part of Palawan. This similarity is due mainly to the migration of people from Cuyo Islands to Mindoro around the mid19th century. The differences between the two languages lie in the dropped schwa /ə/ sound by the Ratagnons, where they instead opt to use the “u/o” sound, as well as lexical terminologies in the Ratagnon language that are shared with the other Mangyan tribes and to some extents have been borrowed from Spanish. the language’s Tagalization, meaning how the language is now adapting mostly Tagalog words and phrases, can be observed through the words puso in Ratagnon (tagiposon in Cuyonon) and bakit and basi in Ratagnon (ayamo in Cuyonon). v. Food vi. they grow root crops, vegetables, and fruit trees Clothing Women: Presently, Ratagnons maintain their traditional clothes of a knee-length wraparound skirt and woven breast coverings made of nito Men: G-string or traditional loincloth for men. Aside from their g-strings, Ratagnon men also wear jackets featuring simple embroidery during gala festivals. Additionally, some would carry flint, tinder, and other materials that can be used for making a fire during these festivities. One way to distinguish Ratagnons from the seven other Mangyan tribes is through their rattan coils that are dyed red. These coils are worn by both men and women around their waistlines. Aside from these coils, the Ratagnon also wear accessories made of beads and copper wire. would also be seen carrying betel chew and the ingredients in bamboo containers, as members of other Mangyan tribes would. c. Economic i. Income opportunities The Ratagnons just like other Mangyans are engaged in “kaingin” (slash-and-burn farming) and charcoal making. The “kaingin” where they grow root crops, vegetables, and fruit trees is their primary source of food and income. Their monthly family income fell below the poverty threshold. The women were reluctant charcoal makers pushed to the limits due to lack of economic options. In terms of estimated monthly family income derived mainly from kaingin and charcoal making, the women earn a mean income of PhP 2,744.57 for an average family size of 6.4. This amount is below the poverty threshold of PhP8,778.00and food threshold of Php6,125 for a family fiveduring the first semester of 2014 (PSA, 2014). This infers that IP women are poor. The women expressed sadness on how their economic activities injure the environment (Kaingin causes climate change). But they have no choice as farming is no longer viable. What they generate from their kaingin could no longer suffice the urgent needs of the family especially food References: Ratagnon Mangyan of Mindoro: http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/ethnic-groups-in-the-philippines/ratagnon/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratagnon_language’ https://download.garuda.kemdikbud.go.id/article.php?article=964015&val=14827&title=ENDURING%20C LIMATE%20CHANGE%20AND%20FOOD%20INSECURITY%20THROUGH%20CHARCOAL%20PROD UCTION%20A%20POVERTY%20COPING%20STRATEGY%20OF%20RELUCTANTINDIGENOUS%20 WOMEN%20IN%20THE%20PHILIPPINES#:~:text=Twenty%2Dfour%20women%20belonging%20to,burn %20farming%20and%20charcoal%20making. “Tribe Palawani” Palawan Hill Tribes a. General Info iii. Location belong to the large Manobo-based linguistic groups of the southern Philippines. Their original homes were located in the interior regions of South Apuruan on the West Coast and south of Abo- Abo on the East Coast. This group is divided into four ethnolinguistic subgroups: Quezon Palawan (Central Palawano), Bugsuk Palawano (South Palawano), Brooke’s Point Palawano, and Southwest Palawano. iv. Description also known as the Palawano or the Palaw’an, is an indigenous Ethnic Group of the Palawan Group of Islands in the Philippines. The Palawanos are more popularly known as Palawans, which is pronounced faster than the name of the Province. Used to be nomadic, but agrarian settlers began occupying their vast domain, leading them to exploit the most fertile piece of land and move on to the next one. are most likely to be tanned, short, and have curly hair. were originally a tribe in the Southern part of Palawan until agrarian settlers started to occupy their once vast domain. It is believed that the Palaw’ans have the shortest lifespan, but there is no statistical data to back up this claim. Their houses are built on a hillside near a river or stream, and the floor is about 15 to 20 feet above the ground. b. Ways of Life i. Political Structure Their family units were very small, probably due to high mortality rates. It is believed that the Palaw’ans have the shortest lifespan, but there is no statistical data to back up this claim. ii. Socio-cultural Due to their fear of falling ill, the Palaw’ans are cautious in socializing with outsiders and may be seen as naive. They take great precautions and may even leave their area if they feel there is a risk of contracting any illness, even a common cold. iii. Religion were animists who regularly performed rituals to appease the good and bad spirits to assist the tribe in both spiritual and material matters. Beliefs It is believed that they have the shortest life span of all people, but no statistical data are however available to support this claim. They do not have a concept of year or years. The Palawanos would reference their ages through a standing tree, explaining that they were born when a particular tree was about a certain height. Bees are also believed to have their own master who can only be seen by the Beljan (shaman) during trance. The Palaw’ans grow most of their food on small plots of land in the forest. Before clearing an area for planting, they consult and appease various spirits and interpret omens in their dreams. Their ceremonies, prayers, chanting, and healing dances are all part of what they call the adat et kegurangurangan, or the “ customs of the ancestors” Palaw’ans worship thru their Ritual Dances. This is used to communicate to their TILADMANIN to bless and protect them. There are dances in which the performers and even the spectators work themselves into trance to transcend their ordinary selves and receive the power of the Gods or as in the case of Indian Temple Dancers, in which the performer enact the stories of the Gods as a way of worshipping them. (If a person dies of natural death, the soul travel to basad, the underworld, and becomes the tiladmanin). iv. Education/Language Language There are many linguistic variations among Palawan Family Groups with words changing from one valley to the next. Tagalog is frequently used to supply words lacking in the local dialect for modern objects and actions which can cause confusion, especially among the younger generation, between Tagalog and Palawan. The more familiar a family or a village is with the Tagalog Lowland Culture, the more common the language overlap. Musical Instruments Pagang this is played like a harp. It is only played by the adult members of the tribe. Suling Usually (banded flute) bamboo, a long bamboo which made of ’tamiang has a very thin surface. The head of suling, near a small hole is circled with a thin-band made of rattan or rotan to produce air vibration. Basal (gong) Is a gong ensemble consisting of a set of one or two big gongs. Aruding (jaw’s harp) a type of Philippine jaw harp made from bamboo v. Food do not usually use salt and consume rice, banana, cassava, vegetables, rimas, fruits, wild pigs, birds, and freshwater fish. They prepare a delicious delicacy called pinyaram, like the bibingka of the Tagalogs. grow most of their food on small plots of land in the forest. vi. Clothing The men wear g-strings while the women wear patadyong, a native wrap similar to the malong. c. Economic ii. Income opportunities the Palaw’ans hunt wild animals using spears with lethal poison at the tip and catch fish by using a special root sap that is diluted in a shallow river or stream. They prefer dogs for hunting rather than domesticating chickens or hogs. Wild pig is the Palaw’ans favorite meat, and they must make a request to the pig animal master before catching it. References: Palawani Palawan Hill Tribes: https://www.travel-palawan.com/cultural-heritage/indigenous-peoples/#:~:text=are%20not%20accepted.,Palaw'an,Point%20Palawano%2C%20and%20Southwest%20Palawano. https://www.scribd.com/presentation/514044041/PALAW-AN-TRIBE
