The Many Aspects Of Philippine Culture
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The Melting Pot
Talking about & trying to describe the Filipino people is remarkably difficult due to the fact that it is almost impossible to generalize due to the nature of the country & also to their colonised past.
As an example just take a look at the Negritos Woman below, although one of the oldest tribes known to have inhabited the Philippine Islands, you would not say that this woman was a typical example of a modern day Filipina.
The principal tribes of the Philippines are;
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Igorots
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Aeta
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Manobo
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Mandaya
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Mangan
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Dabawenyo
The term “Negrito” is the Spanish or Portuguese diminutive of negro, i.e. “little black person”, referring to their small stature, and was coined by early European explorers who assumed that the Negritos were recent arrivals from Africa.
Negritos share some common physical features with African pygmy populations, including short stature, natural afro-hair texture, and dark skin. Being among the least-known of all living human groups, the origins of the Negrito people is a much debated topic. They are likely descendants of the indigenous populations of the Sunda landmass and New Guinea, predating the Mongoloid peoples who later entered Southeast Asia. The Malay term for them is “orang asli”, meaning “original people”.
Alternatively, some scientists claim they are merely a group of Australo-Melanesians & are possible ancestors of the Aboriginal Australians and Papuans of New Guinea, who have undergone island dwarfing over thousands of years, reducing their food intake in order to cope with an islands limited resources and adapt to a tropical rainforest environment.
Indigenous Tribal Groups
There are about ten groups in the Cordillera Mountains on the island of Luzon. These tribes were referred to in general by Tagalog speakers as Igorot, meaning “of the mountains.”
LUZON
Ifugao - built the rice terraces; Ifugao Province
Kalinga - Kalinga-Apayao Province
Bontoc - Mountain Province and Kalinga-Apayao Province
Kankanay - Benguet Province
Ibaloi - Benguet Province
Tinguian (Itneg) - Abra Province
Isneg (related to Itneg but distinct) - Kalinga-Apayao Province
Gaddang - Kalinga-Apayao Province and Isabela Province
Ilongot - Nueva Vizcaya Province
Negritos - scattered in the mountains of Luzon
VISAYAS
Mangyan - on Mindoro Island
Mangyan is a general term that refers to eight ethnic groups of proto-malay origin that occupies the mountainous region of Mindoro island. The Mangyans are the original inhabitants of Mindoro, the seventh largest island in the Philippines.
The Mangyan settled along the shores of Mindoro island approximately 600-700 years ago. It is believed that they had come from the southern regions of the archipelago. They were gradually forced to leave their coastal settlements by more aggressive groups. It appears that the Mangyan have traditionally been an unwarlike people, choosing to give up an area uncontested rather than fight for it.
Before Spain conquered the Philippines, the Mangyans were already practicing the “barter trade” to the Chinese, who traveled to the shores of Mindoro using their ancient boats. The Mangyans traded their local products of cotton, root crops, medicinal plants and bees-wax for beads, gongs, plates and jars.
MINDANAO
Manobo - Bukidnon Province and Agusan del Sur Province
Bukidon - Bukidnon Province
Tboli - Cotabato Province
In total there are over 100 recognised tribes in the Philippines, add to this the frequent colonization of the country over the last 500 years & it soon becomes apparent that there has been an extensive diluting & mixing of the original Filipino people.
A typical modern day Filipino rarely possesses the afro style hair of the Negrito or indeed the typical slanted eyes of the Asian people. Spanish colonization of the Philippines, governed from Spain, and Mexico, lasted for more than three centuries & with a typically olive skin tone, dark brown rounded eyes & the jet black, sometimes wavy hair, one could be forgiven for thinking there were strong Mediterranean influences.
