View source for Tagbanwa

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{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Tagbanwa
| native_name = {{script|Tagb|ᝦᝪᝯ}}
| image = [[Image:Coron Island, Palawan, Philippines.jpg|none|280px]]
| image_caption = The Tagbanwa people in [[Coron, Palawan|Coron]], [[Palawan]]
| population = '''56,661''' (2020 census)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing|title=Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)|publisher=Philippine Statistics Authority|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref>
| popplace = {{PHI}} ([[Palawan]])
| langs = [[Aborlan Tagbanwa language|Aborlan Tagbanwa]], [[Calamian Tagbanwa language|Calamian Tagbanwa]], [[Central Tagbanwa language|Central Tagbanwa]], [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]], [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]
| rels = [[Roman Catholic]], [[paganism]], [[Indigenous religious beliefs of the Tagbanwa people|Indigenous Tagbanwa religion]]
| related = other [[Peoples of Palawan|ethnic groups of Palawan]], other [[Austronesian peoples]]
}}
The '''Tagbanwa people''' ([[Tagbanwa script|Tagbanwa]]: {{script|Tagb|ᝦᝪᝯ}}) are an [[Indigenous peoples of the Philippines|indigenous people]] and one of the oldest ethnic groups in the [[Philippines]], mainly found in central and northern [[Palawan]]. Research has shown that the Tagbanwa are possible descendants of the [[Tabon Man]] {{Citation needed|reason=archived version of following link does not cite scientific journals https://web.archive.org/web/20080129175506/https://pinoycentric.com/2007/07/06/tagbanua-tribe-how-do-we-preserve-tribal-cultures-and-alleviate-poverty-in-the-fourth-world/|date=July 2024}}, thus making them one of the original inhabitants of the Philippines.<ref name="tag">[http://pinoycentric.com/2007/07/06/tagbanua-tribe-how-do-we-preserve-tribal-cultures-and-alleviate-poverty-in-the-fourth-world/ The Tagbanua Tribe]. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref> They are a brown-skinned, slim, and straight-haired ethnic group.<ref name="camperspoint01">[http://www.camperspoint.com/article.php3?id_article=207 Ethnic Minorities in the South: Tagbanua] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829223421/http://www.camperspoint.com/article.php3?id_article=207 |date=2008-08-29 }}. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref>
There are two major classifications based on the geographical location where they can be found. '''''Central Tagbanwas''''' are found in the western and eastern coastal areas of central Palawan. They are concentrated in the municipalities of [[Aborlan, Palawan|Aborlan]], [[Quezon, Palawan|Quezon]], and [[Puerto Princesa City|Puerto Princesa]]. '''''Calamian Tagbanwa''''', on the other hand, are found in Baras coast, [[Busuanga Island]], [[Coron Island]] and in some parts of [[El Nido, Palawan|
El Nido]].<ref name="ptc_tribes">[http://palawan.ws/index.php/About-Palawan/Palawan-Culture.html Palawan Tourism Council: Palawan Culture]. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref> These two Tagbanwa subgroups speak the same languages but different tone and pronunciation and do not exactly have the same customs. The Tagbanwa are believed to have descended from the Tabon Man, making them one of the original inhabitants of the Philippines. They have a long history of resistance against foreign invaders, from the Spanish colonial period to the American era.
They are known for their close relationship with nature, which is reflected in their beliefs and practices. They believe in a variety of spirits that inhabit the natural world, and they perform rituals to appease these spirits.
In terms of livelihood, the Tagbanwa are primarily fishermen, farmers, and gatherers. They are also skilled in weaving and pottery.
In spite of the challenges they face, such as [[land grabbing]] and the encroachment of modernization, the Tagbanwa continue to preserve their culture and traditions. They are a testament to the rich cultural diversity of the Philippines.<ref name="tag"/><ref name="ncip">[http://www.ncip.gov.ph/ethno_groupdetail.php?id=90 National Commission on Indigenous People]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}. Accessed August 30, 2008.</ref>
==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2020}}
According to folk history, the Tagbanwa had an early relationship with [[Brunei]], with the first sultan of '''Brunyu''', from the place called '''Burnay'''.
Formal history of the Tagbanwa tribe began in 1521 when Magellan's ships docked in Palawan for provisions. [[Antonio Pigafetta]], Magellan's chronicler, recorded that the Tagbanwa practiced the ritual of [[blood compact]], cultivated their fields, hunted with blowpipes and thick wooden arrows, valued brass rings and chains, bells, knives, and copper wire for binding fish hooks, raised large and very tame cocks for fighting, and distilled rice wine.
{{Demographics of the Philippines}}
Until the latter part of the 17th century, southern Palawan was under the jurisdiction of the [[Sultan of Brunei]], leading to friction between [[Spaniards]] and the Sultan. During this time, and for almost three hundred years, the Spaniards and the [[Muslims]] of Sulu, Mindanao, Palawan, and north Borneo were at war.
In the 19th century, the Tagbanwa continued to believe in their native gods. Each year, a big feast is celebrated after each harvest to honor their deities.
When the Spanish regime ended and the Americans occupied the Philippines, some changes came to the island of Palawan, and to the Tagbanwa. In 1904, [[Iwahig]] became the site of a [[penal colony]], which displaced the Tagbanwa as it expanded. In 1910, the Americans put up a reservation for the Tagbanwa. In succeeding years, internal migration from the Visayan islands and from Luzon, the dominance of the [[Christianity|Christian religion]], and the absorption of the island into economic and political mainstream marginalized the Tagbanwa people.
== Ancestral domain ==
In 1998, the Tagbanwa of [[Coron Island]] were awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) over more than 22,000 hectares of land and sea. CADT is the title to the land and the sea that have sustained the community for centuries. It gives the Tagbanwa the right to manage the area and preserve its rich marine and land resources.<ref>[http://pcij.org/stories/1998/coron.html PCIJ: Tagbanua Win First Ever Ancestral Waters Claim] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184244/http://pcij.org/stories/1998/coron.html |date=2016-03-03 }}. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref>
The Coron Island Ancestral Domain of the Tagbanwa people covers the two villages of Banuang Daan and Cabugao, and the neighboring Delian Island. The ancestral domain is currently ruled by HM Tribal Chieftain Rodolfo Aguilar I, assisted by his Council of Elders.
The Calamian Tagbanwa of Coron filed the first formal legal claim in the Philippines for their "ancestral waters".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zingapan|first=Kail|last2=De Vera|first2=Dave|date=1999-03-10|title=Mapping the Ancestral Lands and Waters of the Calamian Tagbanwa of Coron, Northern Palawan|url=http://www.iapad.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/coron_best_practice_paper.pdf|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Participatory Avenues}}</ref> The initiative also became the first ancestral waters claim to be recognized by a government.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://www.angoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/case-coron-fisheries-final.pdf|title=The Ancestral Lands and Waters of the Indigenous Tagbanwa Communities of Northern Palawan|publisher=Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development|year=2017}}</ref> In March 2010, Tabganwas previously driven away from Calauit island were issued a CADT covering over 55,000 hectares in recognition of the communities' ancestral land and waters.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2010-03-10|title=Tagbanuas banished by Marcos reclaim Calauit, their ancestral domain|url=https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/philippine-daily-inquirer-1109/20100306/281633891402947|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Press Reader}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The title covers the entire island and includes 50,000 hectares of ancestral waters surrounding the island.<ref name=":1" />
==Culture==
===Language===
{{Further|Tagbanwa script}}
[[File:Guhit kalingking.jpg|thumb|right|A sample of the Tagbanwa script at the [[:bcl:Museo Palawan|Museo Palawan]] (Museum of Palawan).]]
The Tagbanwa people have their own native languages ([[Aborlan Tagbanwa language|Aborlan Tagbanwa]], [[Calamian Tagbanwa language|Calamian Tagbanwa]], and [[Central Tagbanwa language|Central Tagbanwa]]) and [[Tagbanwa script|writing system]], however, they are also proficient in speaking the [[Palawano language]] and several other dialects like Tandulanon, Silanganon, and Baras in each locality, while a significant number of them can comprehend [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], Batak, [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]], and Calawian languages.<ref name="ncip"/>
===Indigenous Tagbanwa religion===
{{Further|Tagbanwa mythology|List of Philippine mythological figures}}
[[File:Kayangan Lake.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Kayangan Lake]] is considered a sacred place by the Tagbanwa people.]]
===Immortals===
{{div col|}}
*Mangindusa:  Also referred as Nagabacaban, the highest-ranking deity who lives in Awan-awan, the region beyond the Langit; the god of the heavens and the punisher of crime;<ref name="Philippine Art 1994">CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art: Peoples of the Philippines (1994). Cultural Center of the Philippines.</ref> also referred as Magindusa, the deity who gives humans their true souls called the kyaraluwa at birth, through the nose of the baby emerging from the vulva; never descends from Awan awan; he is depicted as sitting and swinging back and forth in a bintayawan<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982">Fox, R. B. (1982). Religion and Society Among the Tagbanuas of Palawan Island, Philippines. Manila: National Museum.</ref>
*Bugawasin: Wife of Mangindusa<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Dibuwatanin: The messengers of Mangindusa<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Tungkuyanin: Deity who sits on the edge of this sky-cover with his feet dangling into the universe; also sits looking down at the earth; if he were to raise his head and look up, he would fall into the nothingness<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Magrakad: A god found at exactly noontime on the other side of the sun; gives the warmth which sustains life and, when the people are ill, carries away sickness<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Bangkay: Spirits of the cloud region called Dibuwat; spirits of the people who have been killed by violence, poison, or those who died in giving birth<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Bulalakaw: Also called Diwata kat Dibuwat; they fly-travel throughout the cloud regions to help the people<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Polo: The benevolent god of the sea whose help is invoked during times of illness<ref name="Philippine Art 1994"/>
*Sedumunadoc: The god of the earth, whose favor is sought in order to have a good harvest<ref name="Philippine Art 1994"/>
*Tabiacoud: The god of the underworld in the deep bowels of the earth<ref name="Philippine Art 1994"/>
*Diwata Kat Sidpan: A deity who lives in the western region called Sidpan;<ref name="Filipino Heritage 1977">Filipino Heritage: The metal age in the Philippines (1977). Manila: Lahing Pilipino Pub.</ref> controls the rains<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Diwata Kat Libatan: A deity who lives in the eastern region called Babatan;<ref name="Filipino Heritage 1977"/> controls the rain<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Tumangkuyun: Wash and keep clean the trunks of the two sacred cardinal trees in Sidpan and Babatan by using the blood of those who have died in epidemics; the blood he uses causes the colors of the sunrise and sunset<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Amyan: The hot, dry northeast winds<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Diwata katamyan: Invoked when the wet period lasts too long and these Amyan hot-dry winds are needed<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Salakap: The spirits of epidemic sickness which arrive on earth through the northwest winds<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
*Taliyakud: Chief god of the underworld who tends a fire between two tree trunks; asks the souls of the dead questions, where the soul's louse acts as the conscience that answers the questions truthfully; if the soul is wicked, it is pitched and burned, but if it is good, it passes on to a happier place with abundant food<ref>Fox, R. B. (1977). Tagbanua Heaven. Filipino Heritage, II.</ref>
*Diwata: General term for deities; they created the first man made from earth and gave him the elements of fire, the flint-like stones, iron, and tinder, as well as rice and most importantly, rice-wine, which humans could use to call the deities and the spirits of their dead<ref name="Fox, R. B. 1982"/>
{{Div col end}}
===Family structure===
[[Image:Tagbanua hut.jpg|thumb|250px|A typical Tagbanwa hut]]
The basic [[Social group|social unit]] of the Tagbanwas is their [[nuclear family]] composed of a married couple and their children. They are monogamous.<ref name="ncip"/><ref name="thinkquest"/> They live in houses that are made up of bamboo and wood for a strong frame, anahaw leaves for roof and walls, and bamboo slats for the flooring. Tagbanwa live in compact villages of 45 to 500 individuals.<ref name="thinkquest">[http://library.thinkquest.org/C003235/palawan.html Thinkquest: Palawan Islands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207125309/http://library.thinkquest.org/C003235/palawan.html |date=2008-12-07 }}. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref>
Families can either be free men or nobles, which, in the Southern tribes are known as Usba.<ref name="ncip"/>
===Visual arts and crafts===
The traditional costumes of the Tagbanwa were fashioned from the bark of trees, particularly the salugin. The preparation of this bark was unique. After being felled, the tree would be cut around the trunk, the outer bark stripped off to expose the inner layer. A mallet would beat the layer, until it is soft enough to hang loose from the bole. This is washed and dried under the sun. In the past, menfolk wore simple loincloths, supported by a woven rattan waistband called ambalad, while women wore only brief wraparound skirts made from bark. The Tagbanua later adopt some articles of Muslim clothing. At present, while many Tagbanwa still wear their traditional apparel, western-type clothing has found its way among the people.<ref name="tagbanua">[http://litera1no4.tripod.com/tagbanua_frame.html Tagabanua by Mark Joel Velasquez] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517114640/http://litera1no4.tripod.com/tagbanua_frame.html |date=2008-05-17 }}. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref>
[[File:Tagbanua weaver.jpg|thumb|left|175px|A Tagbanwa elder weaving a pandan mat.]]
In the past, when both men and women wore their hair long, they filed and blackened their teeth, and carved earplugs from the hardwood bantilinaw. The Tagbanwa also carved wooden combs and bracelets. They strung bead necklaces to be used in covering women's necks. Anklets of copper and brass wire were also crafted and worn by women.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
Tagbanwa women wear bright body ornament and brightly colored clothes.<ref name="camperspoint01"/> They dress just like the non-tribe lowlanders but some elder men prefer to use G-strings for comfort while tilling the field or going fishing.<ref name="thinkquest"/>
Baskets and woodcarvings are the more notable products of Tagbanwa artistic crafts today. They excel in the number of designs they apply to their tingkop (harvest basket). These baskets are made of blackened and natural bamboo, which makes the designs stand out. The cone-shaped type of basket is another fine example of Tagbanwa skilled artistry. Using black and natural color designs outside, the center of the cone has the bamboo strip skived slightly smaller, creating even holes for the screen. The funnel effect is accomplished through a close weaving of the bamboo strips towards the top.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
The soft rice baskets, called bayong-bayong, are made with different unusual shapes. These have square bases and round tops. To produce interesting block and V-shapes, the plain buri sides superimposed with colored buri. Color is woven into the Tagbanwa basket with the used of dyed palm leaves.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
Blackened woodcarvings of animals, with simple etched or incised features exposing the original white grain of the wood, are the most well known examples of Tagbanwa woodcarvings or sculpture.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
Some of the objects carved are mammanuk (rooster), a ritual bowl, kiruman (turtle), kararaga (a native bird), dugyan (a small ground animal), lizards, and wild pigs. Carved animals are used with rice, betel nut, and other offerings to attract the deities and spirit relatives in the pagdiwata rituals. The turtles, for instance, floats on grains of palay in an ancient Ming trade bowl. Others that are not used in rituals become toys for children.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
===Performing arts===
====Music====
{{Main|Music of the Philippines|Agung}}
[[File:Tagbanua musical instrument with inscription of Tagbanua characters.jpg|thumb|right|A Tagbanwa musical instrument ([[tube zither]]) made of bamboo inscribed with Tagbanwa script.]]
Complementing the rich Tagbanwa rituals and social gatherings in the past was an assortment of musical instruments. These included the aruding or jaw harp; the babarak or nose flute; the tipanu or mouth flute; the pagang and tibuldu, two variations of the bamboo [[tube zither]]s; the kudlung or boat lute; the gimbal or drum, whose top was made from the skin of the bayawak or monitor lizard; and the tiring, composed of lengths of bamboo with openings of various sizes producing different notes when struck with a stick. In addition, there were two generic types of gongs obtained from the shallow babandil. The mouth flute is still in use, and the gongs and drums are still played during rituals. Modern acoustic type guitar and the ukulele, which is fashioned from a half coconut shell, supplant the other instruments.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
====Dance====
The known dances associated with the rituals are the following: abellano, also called soriano, a traditional dance performed by males; bugas-bugasan, a dance for all participants of a pagdiwata, after they have drunk the ceremonial tabad (rice wine); kalindapan, [[solo dance]] by the female babaylan and her attendants; runsay, ritual dances performed by the villagers on the seashore, where bamboo rafts laden with food offering are floated for the gods; sarungkay, a healing dance by the main babaylan as she balances a sword on her head and waves ugsang or palm leaf strip; tugatak and tarindak, dances perform by the villagers who attend an inim or pagdiwata; tamigan, performed by male combatants using round winnowers or bilao to represent shields.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
The dancing accompanying the runsay, performed about midnight and lasting until daybreak, is possibly the most moving of all Tagbanwa dances, since it is a part of a sacred ritual that takes place only once a year, and is performed on the beach from where the ritual raft has been launched towards the sea world.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
Guests who attend the albarka ritual watch dances such as the busak-busak, the spider dance; batak ribid, a dance simulating the gathering of camote; bungalon, a showing off dance; bugsay-bugsay, a paddle dance using fans; segutset, a courtship dance; and tarek, a traditional dance. The andardi is a festival dance of the Tagbanwa in and around Aborlan, perform at social gatherings. When dancing during a festival, the performers are dressed in their costumes, and hold in each hand a dried palm leaf called palaspas. The music of the andardi is composed of one part of twelve measures, played or sung continuously throughout the dance. Drum or gongs accompanies the music and the song.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
====Drama====
Drama in Tagbanwa society is expressed in the mimetic dances imitating animals, such as busak-busak, and those showing occupations, such as batak ribid and bugsay-bugsay. But the most important mimetic forms are the rituals where the priestess is possessed by and plays the role of the deity to whom the offerings are being made.<ref name="tagbanua"/>
==Economic activity==
They cultivate rice in swidden or kaingin field that is intercropped with sweet potato, corn, and cassava. Those in the coastal areas indulge in fishing and exchange it with agricultural products for consumption. They also gather forest products such as gum, rattan, and honey for cash.
The highest potential source of income for the Tagbanwa are handicrafts particularly woodworking, mat making and basketry, the raw materials for which are readily available to them.<ref name="thinkquest"/><ref name="pal_home">[http://home.comcast.net/~maesteban/island_groups/luzon/region4b/palawan/palawanprofile.htm Palawan Profile at Home.comcast.net]. Accessed August 28, 2008.</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*http://www.thetagbanua.blogspot.com
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060924124818/http://www.pioneerexpeditions.com/palawan.htm Pioneer Expeditions website]
*[http://pinoycentric.com/2007/07/06/tagbanua-tribe-how-do-we-preserve-tribal-cultures-and-alleviate-poverty-in-the-fourth-world/ Adventure writer Antonio Graceffo writes about the Tagbanua Tribe in Puerto Princesa]
*[http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=antonio+graceffo+tagbanua&fr=yfp-t-501&u=www.asiasentinel.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D580%26Itemid%3D31&w=antonio+graceffo+tagbanua&d=A0z1j-ljPKcO&icp=1&.intl=us/ Antonio Graceffo compares treatment of Tagbanua tribe to other tribes in Asia]{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{PalawanTribesmall}}
{{PHTribesmall}}
{{Ethnic groups in the Philippines}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Tagbanwa| ]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Palawan]]