Manalo - Filipino Indigenous Religious Practices
Manalo - Filipino Indigenous Religious Practices
Manalo - Filipino Indigenous Religious Practices
LUZON
Mangyan Tribes
Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups (Iraya, Alangan,
Tadyawan, Tawbuid, Buhid, Hanunuo, Ratagnon, and Bangon) found on the Island of
Mindoro, southwest of the Island of Luzon, the Philippine, each with its own tribal name,
language and custom. The total population maybe around 280, 000 but official statistics
are difficult to determine under the condition of remote areas, reclusive tribal groups,
and some having little if any outside world contacts.
Origin
● Mangyan were once the only inhabitants of Mindoro
● Being coastal dwellers at first, they have to move in inland and into the
mountain to avoid the influence of foreign settler’s such as Tagalog, the
Spanish and their conquests and religious conversation, and raids by the
Moro (they raided Spanish settlements for religious purposes, and to
satisfy the demands of slave labor).
● A certain group of Mangyan living in Southern Mindoro calls themselves
Hanunuo Mangyans, meaning “true”, “pure” or “genuine”, a term that they
use to street the facts that they are strict in the sense of ancestral
preservation of tradition and practices
● Before the Spaniard arrived in Mindoro, the people traded with the
Chinese extensively, with thousand of supporting archeological shreds of
evidences found in Puerto Galera and in written Chinese references.
● There were the Iraya Mangyan, who isolated themselves from the cultures
of Spaniards, and the lowland Christian who submitted themselves to new
beliefs systems. These two groups only interacted for economic matter
through trading forest goods from the Mangyan and consumer good and
the lowlanders.
MANGYAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
● They have complex spirituals beliefs systems which include the
following deities:
Igorot Tribe The word “Igorot” is an eponym, derived from the archaic Tagalog term for
“mountain people.” he Spanish adopted this term, but it was generally used in a negative
manner referring to savages and backward people of the mountains. However, the Spanish
themselves were never able to fully penetrate the Cordilleras during their 300-year colonial
period in the Philippines and thus had very little influence on the Igorot people and their way of
life.
Igorot Origin
● The Igorot people are Austronesian
● They were known in the earlier days for their war and practices of bead
bunting.
● The Spaniards forcibly partially subdued them during the colonial
occupation of the Philippines, the process being completed during the
period of U.S
Hegemony.
● Ethnologists distinguish about 10 main ethnic groups, each with has own
dialect and culture
● There is also variation with this group
Igorot Religious Practices
Bontoc tribes
Present-day, the Bontoc tribe had peaceful agricultural people who have by choice
retained most of their traditional culture despite the frequent contact with another group. Music
is also important in Bontoc life and is usually play during ceremonies. Song and Chant are
accompanied by nose flutes (lalaleng), gong (gangsa), bamboo mouth organ (affiliao), and
Jew’s sharps (ab a few). Wealthy families make use pieces of jewelry, which are commonly
made of gold and glass beads, agate beads (appong), or shell to show their status.
IFUGAO
Their great system of irrigated rice terraces -steeply contoured mountain-
terraced walls of stone that lean slightly inward at the top is world-renowned and was
developed with simple technology.
In addition to rice, the prestige crop, large amounts of sweets potatoes are
grown on hillside plots and form the staple diets of the poorer class. Pigs and chicken
are also raised, primarily for the numerous and sacrifice.
Ifugao Origin
★ Ifuago, group of wet-rice agriculturalists occupying the mountainous
area of Nothern Luzon, Philippines.
★ They are of Malay stocks and their language is Austronesian
(Malayo-Polynesian), as is that of their neighbors, but they have
developed a number of cultural characteristic that set them apart
★ They numbered nearly 70,000 in 1939, but World war III reduced
their population to a figure(1948) of 50,000
★ By the late 20th century their population had increased to about
190,000
Balangao Tribe
Balangaos and their neighbor tribes share comparable physical
features and characteristics, distinction lies in their beliefs, rituals,
dances, and song. Despite the fact that Christianity had already
permeated the region, many indigenous customs prevails such as
lifestyle, marriage, and the use of dormitories between genders.
Balangao’s Origin
● They are also known as Boliwons were the early settlers of the
Eastern Mountain Province in central Cordillera. Concentrations of
these ethnologists groups are found in the town of Barlig, Natoninn,
and Paracels.
● According to the tribe’s oral historians, the Gaddangs of Cagayan
field to the mountain in the 17th century, soon after their defeat at
the hands of Spanish colonists.
● Intermarriage and cultural blending between the Gaddang and the
original natives of the slopes and riverbanks eventually produced
the Balangao tribe.
● Speakers converse a Farangao language, which has dominant
“ch”, “r”, and “f” intonation, similar to the Bontocs.
● The balangao dialect is also used by other erby tribes whose own
language re interrelated to Farangao.
● Most of them practice wet terrace farming, planting tree and roor
corps such as taro, yam and sweet potato.
● They are also skilled in bamboo and rattan crafts, as well as
weaving and blacksmithing.
● Their culture reflects the Cordillera, it is more reminiscent of the
Kalinga, such as their architecture
.
Balangao’s Religious Practices
➢ They believe in unique pantheon of deties, of which the supreme
god is the cultural hero.
➢ Lumawig son of Kabunian. They are many sacred site associated
with Lumawig and a variety of Bontoc dities.
➢ Oral traditio tells that lumawig instilled five great lesson to the
Bontoc people namely;
★ A man must not steal
★ One should not gossip
★ Men and women must not commit
adultery
★ One must be temperate in eating and in
drinking alcoholic drinks
★ All people must live in simple and
industrious lives.
➢ Bontoc males had to undergo a rite of passage into manhood,
which may include headhunting, where the males has to journey
(something with companions) and bunt for a human head.
➢ The bontoc also used Jaws of the Hunted head as a handle for
gongs, and as late as the early 1990s, evidence of this practice can
be seen from one of the gongs in Pakistan, Bontoc.
VISAYA
Suludnon Tribe
Due to the sandwich-like location of their territory, the inhabitants earned the
moniker Sulod by their neighbors, which literally means “closet or room”; they're also
called montesses by lowlanders, which means “mountain dwellers”. They speak a
dialect that is a combination of Kiniray-a which is characterized by many archaic
expressions and Hiligaynon; most of the Sulod are monolingual. They are the only
culturally indigenous group of Visayan language-speakers in the Western Visayas.
● The Salud/Tumandok are known for their Binanog Dance which mimics of the
flight of the Philippines Eagle, accompanied by agung ensembles.
● They are also known for their detailed embroidery known as Panubok.
● The heritage of Panubok is celebrated in the Tinubkan Fashion that is shown in
Iloilo City.
● The Salud are also known as for their traditional practices on the mysticism of the
Binukot and nabukot.
● The Sulod are the most populous of the varied cultural-linguistic groups
inhabiting the mountains of Central Panay; Tapaz, Capiz; Lambuano, Iloilo; and
Valderrama, Antique Provinces, who remain relatively unassimilated.
Karay-a People
➔ Samba, aka panet “rite for peace” is the generic ritual held to
appeal for rain, for bountiful harvest, or for abundant fish, as well as
to prevent crop disease and keep pestilence away.
➔ Sagda Ceremony, held in March, is a postclearing-chanting ritual of
apology to the spirit who may have been hurt when the field was
being burned during the clearing process
➔ Panudlak is the pre-planting rite to appeal for rain, held on Good
Friday, usually in April. Another panudlak may be held in August, if
the farmer observes two agricultural cycles in a year
➔ Pangkuyang is pre-harvest rite to keep pestilence away just when
the rice gain is their ripest.
➔ Sanggi is the post-harvest thanksgiving rite, held in October, and
the second in February
➔ Various types of Samba have following elements in common: an
officitators who is usually the ma-aram, a kuyung “food-offering”,
incense burning, chanting dancing and sa-ob “spirit possession”
Waray Tribe
The word Waray means “none” or “nothing” or “not.” In Samar the Waray are known as
Samarenos. In Leyte they are called Leytenos. In Biliran they are referred to as Biliranon and on
the island of Ticao in the Masbate province they are described as Ticaonon. In the Philippines
the Waray are often depicted as brave warriors and there is a popular phrase, “basta ang
Waray, hindi uurong sa away” (Waray never back down from a fight.)
WARAY TRIBES’ ORIGIN
● The Waray are said to be some of the most religious people in the Philippines,
but the paradox is that even though they were some of the first to be
Christianized, they are also one of the last ethnic groups of the Philippines to
continue their animistic traditions alongside their practice of Roman Catholicism.
This religious syncretism is evident in the Mayaw-Mayaw, a stylized dance that
incorporates aspects of western Christianity introduced by the Spanish and the
preexisting animism of the indigenous Waray. Their religious devotion is very
evident in their celebrations like feasts honoring their patron saints. Fiestas are
celebrated with prayer, food/drinking dance and music.
● Mayaw
There is at least five different rituals involved in the mayaw. In each
of these rituals the tambalan offers a sacrifice of an animal, usually a
slaughtered pig or chicken along with some type of food offering. The
ritual sacrifice is believed to ward off evil spirits and is accompanied by
incantations that help good spirits come to the aid of the client, someone
in need of body healing, or desiring a bountiful rice harvest. Another
common ritual is the blessing of a house where sacrificial blood is
sprinkled or used to make the sign of the cross on each post.
Eskaya People
NEGRITOS TRIBE
Mindanao
Tboli Tribe
The T'boli (Tagabili to lowlanders) are an animist ethnic group inhabiting highland
areas in southwestern Mindanao, centering on Lake Sebu (TauSebu is another of the
people's names). The T'boli rely on Muslim traders for contacts with the lowlands and
maritime trade.
Tasaday People
Many anthropologies believe the Tasaday as a stone-age tribe was a
hoax, but they concede that the people as an indigenous tribe are authentic.
Anthropologist Thomas Headland believes the truth is mixture of both.
⮚ Small group of people living in the highland rain forest of Mindanao in the
Philippine.
⮚ First reported by anthropologist investigators in 1971, the Tasaday,
numbering about 25 individuals, apparently had been living a virtually
isolated primitive (incorrectly labeled “Stone Age”) existence until they
were discovered by nearby settled tribes in 1966.
⮚ Visiting anthropologists found cave-dwelling food-gatherers whose
subsistence was based on the wild yam; other food included tad poles,
frogs, small fish, crabs, grubs, plum fruits and wild bananas.
⮚ They were dressed only in loincloths and skirt made of orchid, used only
stone stools (axes and scrapers) and wooden implements (fire drills and
digging sticks), and had no weapons for hunting or war.
B’laan tribe
The blaan also sew plastic beads or shell sequins to create intricate
design on women blouse and trousers, called the takmon. Geometric and other design
depicting the environment, or the solar system are sewn using cotton yarns onto men’s
pants and shirts, called the msif.
Mandaya Tribe
Aesthetics and arts rank high among the Mandaya. They are excellent
metalsmith, who can fashion beautiful silver ornaments and brass items and weapons.
Music is lso important part of Mandaya culture, as they use various musical instrument
and dance for celebrations and rituals.
● They believe a round nature spirit (diwata), both good and bad.
● In contrast to the Christian believes that set evil as absolute archenemy to
one faith and morality
● Mandaya believe that evil spirit can be appeased and made amicable.
● Mandaya do through rituals, offering and sacrifies.
● The Mandaya embrace evil if it is making good
● Mandaya worldview and tradition, God is the source of both good and evil.
● This god the Mandaya called by the name Magbabaya, literally meaning
the “governanor”