Ursal, Edgardo Y.
BSE-ENG
Mangyan
(Mindoro)
● The word “ Mangyan” generally means man, woman, or person without any
reference to nationality.
● Mangyan refers to the Philippines ethnic group living in Mindoro Island but some
can be found in the islands of Tablas and Sibuyan in the province of Romblon as
well as in Albay, Negros, Palawan.
● There are 8 different Mangyan indegenous groups.
❖ Iraya
❖ Alangan
❖ Tadyawan
❖ Tau- Buid
❖ Bangon
❖ Buhid
❖ Hanunoo
❖ Ratagnon
Mangyan Language
● Each tribes has their own/unique differences including language.
● One of the language is known as Hanunoo-Mangyan, It has a script that
considered as one of the three indegenousscripts that still being used today in
the Philippines.
● Hanunuos use a bolo-shaped knife for inscribing on bamboo.
● The Mangyans used to inscribe on bamboo tubes their poems called Ambahan
● They only share 40% of their vocabulary words on their mutual languages.
● Their language, just like the whole Philippines, came from the Austronesian
Language Family
Southern and Northern Tribes of Mangyan
● There are two geographical divisions:
❖ Northern Tribes include Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan.
❖ Southern Tribes include Buhid, Bangon, Ratagnon,
Hanunuo, and Tau-Buid.
● Southern Tribes are more advanced as seen in their
use of weaving, pottery, and system of writing. The
process of weaving is called “habilan”
● Northern Tribes are simpler in their way of living.
● Tribes have also varied physical and ethnogenetic appearance.
❖ Iraya has Veddoid features
❖ Tadyawan are mainly Mongoloid
❖ Hanunuo looks like a Proto-Malayan
● They also differ in the date of their arrival in the Philippines
❖ Theory suggests that Southern tribes were already present by 900 AD
❖ Northern Tribes are believed to have arrived hundred of years ahead of
their Southern peers.
● Historians suggest that Mangyans may have been the First Filipino to trade with
the Chinese.
❖ Examples of these are seen in burial cave as porcelains and other
potteries abound.
Way of Living
● What they do have in common is their way of life,
which depends on agriculture.
● Collecting crops is a daily activity for most of all
Mangyan families. Children help gather whatever
vegetables or root crops are available for the day.
● Planting and harvesting crops consumes a large time
during the day.
● Majority of Bangon diet consisted of cooked bananas
together with their root crops.
● Kaingin or swidden farming is also part of Mangyan’s lives. They are hauling
charcoal into town to sold.
● They are using floating tube or large tire tubes to transport their goods down the
river.
Mangyan Politics
● Mangyans lived in peaceful societies as compared to the head hunting tribes of
the North and the brave defiant warrior of the South.
● Mangyan of Mindoro is unique in terms of how well organized their groups are.
● Each group has formal bylaws with penalties for different crimes that are
committed.
❖ In cases of divorce, for example, a friend or kin may offer to slaughter a
pig or prepare a good meal to bring the two parties back into good terms,
and to continue living together as man and wife.
❖ In the Bangon culture if a married man wants to leave his wife for another
woman he simply has pay his current wife a set amount of money. The
man and woman will agree on a price, which isn’t generally too much, and
then the man can leave.
❖ In serious cases of theft or adultery, the offenders or suspects may be
subjected to trial by ordeal. They are asked to immerse their hands in
boiling water to pick up an object; scalding is evidence of guilt. Society
puts credence in this process; the guilty person is fined, sometimes asked
to give a feast, which is the way to put an end to ill feelings (Iturralde
1973:185-186).
● Leadership most often resides in the community elders (kuyay or gurangan) who
are knowledgeable in customary laws (talaghusay, tahinan or tanungan), the
shaman (balyanan or fanlahi) and the ritual performer who leads the celebration
of an agricultural rite.To enter the different communities of Mangyan, there is a
need of clearance from the tribal leaders, the tribal councils and the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples with formal letters and documentation about
the project.
●
❖ If the community was under a curse that was leading to people getting sick
and crops not growing good produce, their leader will make a ritual
together with all the people. The ritual consisted of 3 different colored pigs
to which the curse would be transferred to. The leader is holding up a
metal ring which all the people would have to touch.
Religion
● Traditionally, the Mangyan are animists and are known to be superstitious.
● Animism, belief in innumerable spiritual beings concerned with human affairs
and capable of helping or harming human interests.
Superstitions
● An example of this superstition is when you are going out, even if you are all
dressed and ready to go, if you hear the bird “kulo-kulo” (Mindoro Bleeding
Heart) tweet or sing, you should not leave your house and wait 1-2 hours before
you do because something bad will happen to you on the way.
● The same goes if you hear a tuko (gecko) or butiki (lizard) before you leave your
house. You have to let an hour or so pass before you leave.
Conclusions
● We should be able to study, learn and know other people’s culture in order to
formulate an effective change intervention or programs that would best benefit
them. Knowing their characteristics, their way of life, the specifics of their group
would help us in our decisions and our actions.
