Mangyan

Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro,
southwest of the island of Luzon, the Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and
customs. The total population may be around 100,000, but official statistics are difficult to determine
under the conditions of remote areas, reclusive tribal groups and some having little if any outside
world contact.

The ethnic groups of the island, from north to south, are: Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid
(called Batangan by lowlanders on the west of the island), Buhid, and Hanunoo. An additional group
on the south coast is labelled Ratagnon. They appear to be intermarried with lowlanders. The group
known on the east of Mindoro as Bangon may be a subgroup of Tawbuid, as they speak the
'western' dialect of that language. They also have a kind of poetry which is called the Ambahan.
Origins
The Mangyans were once the only inhabitants of Mindoro. Being coastal dwellers at first, they have
moved inland and into the mountains to avoid the influx and influence of foreign settlers such as the
Tagalogs, the Spanish and their conquests and religious conversion, and raids by the Moro (they
raided Spanish settlements for religious purposes, and to satisfy the demand for slave labor). Today,
the Mangyans live secludedly in remote parts of Mindoro but eventually comes down to the lowlands
in order to make usual trades. Their sustenance are farming for their own crops, fruits, and hunting.
A certain group of Mangyans living in Southern Mindoro call themselves Hanunuo Mangyans,
meaning true, pure or genuine, a term that they use to stress the fact that they are strict in the
sense of ancestral preservation of tradition and practices.

Before the Spaniards arrived in Mindoro, the people traded with the Chinese extensively, with
thousands of supporting archaeological evidences found in Puerto Galera and in written Chinese
references. A division was created among the people of Mindoro when the Spaniards came. There
were the Iraya Mangyans, who isolated themselves from the culture of the Spaniards, and the
lowland Christians who submitted themselves to a new belief system. These two groups only
interacted for economic matters through trading forest goods from the Mangyan and consumer
goods for the lowlanders.

Despite being grouped as one tribe, Mangyans differ in many ways. In comparison to the
technological advance between the two geographical divisions, the Southern tribes are more
advanced as seen in their use of weaving, pottery and system of writing. The Northern tribes, on the
other hand, are simpler in their way of living. Their language, as in the rest of the Philippines, came
from the Austronesian language family. However, even if they are defined as one ethnic group, the
tribes used different languages. On the average, they only share 40% of their vocabulary. The tribes
have also varied physical and ethnogenetic appearances: Iraya has Veddoid features; Tadyawan are
mainly Mongoloid; and the Hanunuo looks like a Proto-Malayan.

Another difference between tribes is the date of their arrival in the Philippines. A theory suggests that
the Southern tribes were already present by 900 AD while the Northern tribes are believed to have
arrived hundreds of years ahead of their Southern peers. The Spanish authorities had documented
their existence since their arrival in the 16th century. However, historians suggest that the Mangyans
may have been the first Filipinos to trade with the Chinese. Examples of this relationship are seen in
the burial caves, as porcelains and other potteries abound. However, not much ethnographic
research has been made except for the tribal and linguistic differences that may lead to the
indication that the tribes can be treated separately.