THE TRIBES HAVE SPOKEN
Above: Ifugao Tribe
A huge number of diverse tribes can be found in the Philippines. The indigenous people make-up 3% of the population – this estimation was taken note of in 1990 wherein there were approximately 100 upland tribal groups.
The Christians and Muslims, both considered as lowland Filipinos increased in numbers and migrated to Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Others lived in Mindoro and in other islands while these tribal communities kept to themselves and stayed in isolation in the highlands. In time, these indigenous people had created their own distinct characteristics and trait; had their own customs, traditions and beliefs. It is therefore conceived that their folk art are the final remains of a native practice that thrived throughout the country before the Spanish and Islamic conquest.
Industrially, the groups that are considered to be extremely developed and sophisticated are the “Bontocs” and “Ifugaos”. They engineered the astonishing rice terraces. Other ethnic groups such as the “Bukidnons” of Mindanao, had taken in partners coming from the lowlands for more than a century now, whereas groups such as the “Kalingas” in Luzon were pretty much isolated from the influences of those from the lowlands.
In 1990, there were ten (10) main ethnic groups residing in the Cordillera Central of Luzon. “Igorot” was the Tagalog name for mountaineer. Amongst the ten cultural groups, the “Ifugaos” of the Ifugao Province, the “Bontocs” of Mountain and Kalinga-Apayao provinces and the “Kankanays” and “Ibalois” of the Benguet province were wet-rice farmers whose labor consists of developing the rice terraces they had conceptualized and created many, many years ago. The groups “Kankanays” and “Ibalois” were predominantly influenced by the colonialism of the American and Spanish invasion. They were also influenced by the lowland Filipino customs for the simple reason that there were widespread gold mines in Benguet.
Other mountain groups who engaged in both the wet-rice and dry-rice growing system were the “Kalingas” of Kalinga-Apayao Province and the “Tinguians” of Abra Province. Other indigenous tribes that adapted to the shifting crop growing techniques are the “Isnegs” of northern Kalinga-Apayao Province, the “Gaddangs” of the border between Kalinga-Apayao and the Isabela provinces, as well as the “Ilongots” of Nueva Vizcaya Province. In previous years, the “Negritos” had the highest population in the highlands. It was in the early part of the 80’s wherein this group found itself widely spread in different areas mainly on the eastern ranges of the mountains.I
In South of Luzon, the groups in Mindanao were generically known as “Mangyans” living in Mindoro. The most essential tribes in Mindanao were the “Manobos”; the “Bukidnons” of Bukidnon Province; the “Bagobos”, “Mandayas”, “Atas”, and “Mansakas”, who occupied the mountains neighboring the Davao Gulf; the “Subanuns” of upland places in the Zamboanga provinces; the “Mamanuas” of the Agusan-Surigao adjoining province; and the “Bila-ans”, “Tirurays”, and “Tbolis” found in the Cotabato provinces. These groups were famous for their engraved and carved figures made of wood, weaved baskets as well as their decorative needle and bead work.
To date, the communication that transpires between the modern and the primitive groups affects the outcome of the latter, annihilating the indigenous culture without incorporating these cultural groups into the contemporary society. With the aid of the government and other various private institutions, their goal is to assist and help the tribes to modify modern society without sacrificing their ethnic identity.
