Indigenous People Overview
-Six percent of the world's population practices indigenous religions, including African traditional, Chinese folk, Native American, and Australian aboriginal religions, witchcraft, healing rituals, shamanism, ancestor worship, and spirit possession, according to Pew Research Center 2012.
-Indigenous communities often view folk religions as simple, primitive, or less complex compared to established "World Religions" in religious studies textbooks. It's crucial to consider indigenous beliefs to challenge stereotypes, as they are often associated with specific ethnic groups.
These are typically the indigenous people whose identities have been kept preserved against foreigners.2 There are many definitions of indigenous people but a common denominator is that they are persons and their descendants "who lived on their lands before settlers came from elsewhere. The new arrivals later became dominant through means that may have included conquest, occupation, and settlement" (Bahr 2005, 3).
The Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 is a crucial law in the Philippines that protects and promotes the rights of indigenous communities. It defines indigenous people as groups of people or societies who have lived on communally defined territories, shared common cultural traits, and have historically been differentiated from the majority of Filipinos due to resistance to colonization and nonindigenous religions and cultures.
Indigenous communities (ICCs/IPs) include people who are considered indigenous due to their descent from the original population, colonization, or the introduction of non-indigenous religions or cultures. They retain their own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions but may have been displaced or resettled. Cultural Survival estimates that there are 370 million indigenous people, making up 5% of the world's population. They speak 4,000 languages and form 5,000 different groups in 90 countries, with 70% in Asia. In the Philippines, there are 14-17 million indigenous people, forming 110 ethnolinguistic groups. |
Indigenous Worldview
The Ifugao worldview is characterized by the presence of malevolent deities called Pulay, which can extract an individual's soul while asleep or prevent it from returning to the same body. These deities are approached through rituals known as baki, where the officiating mombaki chants the prayer and offers sacrifices to the deities. The items used during these rituals include betel nut, rice, a bolo, a hunting spear, and tobacco.
Indigenous communities have been marginalized globally due to colonial enterprises and modernization projects. They are often impoverished, less educated, and vulnerable to military conflict and evictions. This marginalization is reinforced by stereotypes that they are uneducated, unemployed, and backward with their lifestyles. Some activists fear that the Bangsamoro government, led by a Muslim-led government, will exacerbate the already marginalized condition of indigenous people in Mindanao.
Rites are carried out based on the needs of a family or community, such as pahang for pregnant women, bubun for weddings, kate rites for deaths, and bogwa for cleansing rites. Rice rites are conducted throughout the year to seek protection for produce and blessing for a bountiful harvest
The mombaki officiates lukya at the start of the agricultural calendar, where chickens are sacrificed to ensure rice consumption or sale. Panal is performed when seeds are sown to seek blessings for growth. During harvest, the mombaki performs ani, which includes the recitation of harvest narratives. Pigs are often offered, as Remme (2014) argues that the offering of pigs embodies the transaction humans make with the deities. |
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Indigenous People
Igorot |
Based in the Cordillera, the Igorot refers to various ethnic groups such as the Kankanaey, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, Ibaloi, Isneg, and Tingguian. Igorot means "people from mountains" (Cariño 2012, 4). |
Lumad |
Paredes (2015, 168) defines Lumad as a residual category reflecting indigenous communities' secondary status in Mindanao, who did not convert to Islam and became Moros. Lumad, meaning "born from the earth" in Visayan, acknowledges the similarities and shared histories of different ethnic groups in Mindanao before contact with Spaniards, including 18 major Lumad groups which include the Subanen, B'laan, T'boli, Manobo, Talaandig, Mamanwa, and Manguangan (Cariño 2012). . |
Mangyan |
These are the indigenous people in Mindoro, Sibuyan, and some islands of Palawan. Some ethnic groups include the Tadyawan, Hanunuo, Tabanua, and Palaw-an. |
Negrito |
They are found in different parts of the Philippines but are distinguishable because of their physical features such as dark skin and curly hair. Some Negrito groups include the Agta in Cagayan, the Dumagat in the Sierra Madre, the Aeta in Zambales, and the Ati in the Visayas. |
Indigenous Worldview
The Ifugao, an indigenous community in the Cordillera Administrative Region, are known for their Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two epics, Hudhud and Alim. Hudhud tells the creation narrative and the journey of Aliguyan, while Alim is about the god Makanungan and other Ifugao deities. The Ifugao are divided into three subgroups based on dialects: Tuwali, Ayangan, and Henanga. The term "Ifugao" means people from the earth, with Pugaw referring to the earthworld. The Ifugao trace their ancestry to divine entities Bugan and Wigan, who moved to Pugaw due to its fertile soil and wild deer. They settled along the Ibulao River in Kiyangan, where they are descendants of the Kabunyan deities. The Ifugao are known for their elaborate rituals dedicated to deities, with classifications possible. |
Anito -The anito refers to the essence of the individual, typically understood as the soul. These are ancestral deities to whom sacrifices are mainly offered because of their ongoing involvement in the life of the community. |
Namadjang -Namadjang is believed to be the creator of the physical world. Although he is no longer involved in its affairs, sacrifices are also offered to him as a sign of respect and not for supplication. |
Mapatal -Mapatal is the sun deity in charge of the weather |
Pwulan - A feminine entity, Pwulan is the moon deity concerned with fertility. |
Mihtalapi - These are deities that govern celestial bodies such as stars, clouds, and comets. Bunbuni. These are deities of the earth, which can affect natural geological catastrophes such as landslides and earthquakes. |
Bunbuni - These are deities of the earth, which can affect natural geological catastrophes such as landslides and earthquakes. |
Aba’t and Umichaw - Abat and Umichaw are deities of war, vengeance, and hostility. |
Penaching - These are commonly described as demons but not all are evil in nature. They are seen as inflicting trouble especially on children as they can cause pain and illnesses |
Pulay - These deities can be malevolent as they can extract the soul of an individual from his body while he is asleep. They can also prevent the soul from returning to the same body. It is believed, too, that mental disorders are caused by Pulay, entering one's body. |
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