26 images Created 25 Feb 2013
Palawan - Indigenous People
Palawan is home to several indigenous groups, namely Batak in the northeast, Tagbanwa in the central and northern parts, and Pala’wan in the south, both in the mountainous interior and the lowlands. The Batak are a shy peaceful mountain people living close to nature with traditional belief in spirits of nature. They live as hunter-gatherers collecting honey, resin and rattan from the forest, which they can sell to lowland traders for cash or exchange for useful items, and hunting for bearded pigs. During the past three decades they have been severely impacted by the influx of settlers and logging operations, such that their numbers have diminished to about 300, and undernourishment has made them more vulnerable to disease. The Bataks are now considered as one of the vanishing cultural minorities in the Philippines.
The Tagbanwa are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines. They practice shifting cultivation of upland rice. Rice is considered a divine gift and is fermented to make rice wine, which they use in Pagdiwata, or rice wine ritual. They believe in several deities found in the natural world and maintain a strong connection with the spirit world in their rituals. They are excellent in basketry and woodcarving, and famous for beautifully crafted body accessories such as combs, bracelets, necklaces and anklets. The current population is estimated at over 10,000.
The Pala’wan or Palawano tribe in the south closely resemble the Tagbanwa, and probably share the same origins. Most of them are now settled in the highlands of Palawan and practice subsistence farming, hunt wild animals with poisoned spears and catch fish using a root sap in shallow streams and rivers. They practice a religion, which is a mix of traditional animism, with elements of Hinduism and Islam. Their traditional land is currently under severe threat from nickel mining in the south, and they are working with anti-mining activists and environmental groups to oppose this.
The Tagbanwa are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines. They practice shifting cultivation of upland rice. Rice is considered a divine gift and is fermented to make rice wine, which they use in Pagdiwata, or rice wine ritual. They believe in several deities found in the natural world and maintain a strong connection with the spirit world in their rituals. They are excellent in basketry and woodcarving, and famous for beautifully crafted body accessories such as combs, bracelets, necklaces and anklets. The current population is estimated at over 10,000.
The Pala’wan or Palawano tribe in the south closely resemble the Tagbanwa, and probably share the same origins. Most of them are now settled in the highlands of Palawan and practice subsistence farming, hunt wild animals with poisoned spears and catch fish using a root sap in shallow streams and rivers. They practice a religion, which is a mix of traditional animism, with elements of Hinduism and Islam. Their traditional land is currently under severe threat from nickel mining in the south, and they are working with anti-mining activists and environmental groups to oppose this.
