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Mangyan Comparison
Mangyan Comparison
I. STATISTICS
A. 370 Million indigenous peoples (IPs) in the world, comprising 4% of total world
population but 96% of its cultural diversity
B. 12 Million IPs in the Philippines, 13% of its 90 million total population
C. 110 IP Groups in the Philippines
D. Mindoro is the 7th largest island in the Philippines
E. 100,000+ Mangyans in Mindoro, 10% of the total population of Oriental and
Occidental Mindoro, 70% animists and 30% Christians
F. 8 distinct Mangyan groups inhabit the central mountainous regions of Mindoro,
from north to south.
A. Hanunuo and Buhid Scripts – Together with the Tagbanwa and Palaw'an
scripts from Palawan, these four pre-Hispanic scripts were declared National
Cultural Treasures in 1997, and inscribed in the Memory of the World Registers
of UNESCO in 1999. Like RP neighbors, these are Indic-derived ancient scripts.
C. Urukay – is another form of Mangyan poetry using mostly 8-syllable lines and
a more recent vocabulary originating from the Bisaya. It has musical
accompaniment and is sung with a distinct melody, the style varying from
individual to individual. The Urukay is often performed during courtship, or to
bring cheer to other occasions such as feasts and litigation meetings.
D. The Mangyans are a peace-loving people who would rather run away than
fight. They don’t have a word for war in their languages. This is PEACE in their
respective tongues.
1. Alangan - kaalenan 5. Iraya - kapiyaan
2. Bangon - kapiyan 6. Ratagnon - kasadyaan
3. Buhid - kafiyaan 7. Tadyawan - mapya
4. Hanunuo - kahusayan 8. Tau-buid - mabayan
III. UNIQUENESS OF EACH MANGYAN GROUP (each has its own language.
Their only mutually intelligible language is therefore Tagalog)
A. Iraya – live in Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro, and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro,
and in Mamburao, Sta. Cruz, and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.
1. Traditionally, Iraya attire was made from dry tree bark, flattened and
softened by pounding. The women wore blouses and skirts, while the men
wore cloth g-strings. Today most women wear white one-piece, off-shoulder
dresses.
2. Skilled in nito-weaving. Known for their nito baskets, woven into jars, trays,
plates, cups and other handicrafts of different sizes and designs.
B. Alangan – live in Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro, and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro,
and in Mamburao, Sta. Cruz, and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.
1. Women wear a skirt made of long strips of woven nito, wound many times
around the lower half of the body. A pounded bark g-string keeps what looks
like a “slinky,” from falling. The upper covering is made from the leaf of the
wild buri palm. For modesty, single girls also wear a red kerchief over this
strapless ulango. Men wear woven cloth g-strings with fringes in front.
2. At the middle part of their houses is a "square-like box" which they call
palangganan, built one foot lower than the floor. This is used as a
fireplace. In an Alangan communal house called balay-lakoy (big house),
where about 8-20 nuclear families live, the number of palangganan shows
the number of families living in the balay-lakoy.
3. Known for their striking female outfit, rattan weaving and house design
G. Hanunuo – the largest and best known of the 8 groups, they live in Mansalay,
Bulalacao, and Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro, and in San Jose, Occidental
Mindoro.
1. Men wear a bahag and jacket-style shirt; women indigo-dyed ramit skirts
which they weave on back strap looms. Their hand-sewn tops are
embroidered on the back with a cross-shaped design called pakudos. Both
sexes wear twilled rattan belts with pockets around their waist. Men wear
their hair long, tied at the back of the head with a cloth band. Women
decorate their long hair with beaded headbands. They are fond of wearing
beaded bracelets and necklaces. The pakudos design is also found in their
jewelry and embroideries, and woven into their baskets and bags made of
buri palm leaf and nito black fern.
2. Skilled weavers of cotton and buri, and in blacksmithing.
3. Best known for carving poetry (ambahan) on bamboo plants and slats, in
their pre-Spanish syllabary script which is Indic in origin. Also known for
their black and beige baskets and their pakudos design.
V. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Your donation (even a copy) will help make the Mangyan Heritage Center library in
Mindoro have all the Mangyan materials in the world!