MYTHOLOGIES OF THE PALAWAN TRIBES

Palawan, the largest province in the Philippines, is home to several indigenous ethnolinguistic groups namely, the Kagayanen, Tagbanwa, Palawano, Taaw’t Bato, Molbog, and Batak tribes. They live in remote villages in the mountains and coastal areas. In 1962, a team of anthropologists from the National Museum led by Dr. Robert Fox unearthed fossils at Lipuun Point (now known as the Tabon Cave Complex) in Quezon town that were classified as those of Homo sapiens and believed to be 22,000 to 24,000 years old. The recovery of the Tabon Man and other significant findings in the area earned for Palawan the title, “the Cradle of Philippine Civilization.” Research has shown that the Tagbanwa and Palawano are possible descendants of the Tabon Caves’ inhabitants. Their language and alphabet, farming methods, and common belief in soul relatives are some of their cultural similarities. After the death of Ferdinand Magellan, the remnant of his fleet landed in Palawan. Magellan’s chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, in his writings, described the cultivated fields of the native people populating the Palawan Islands. He also mentioned that these people use weapons consisting of blowpipes, spears, and bronze ombard. During his stay in the area, he witnessed for the first time cockfighting and fistfighting. He also discovered that the natives had their own system of writing consisting of 13 consonants and 3 vowels, and they had a dialect of 18 syllables. He further wrote that in Palawan, the local King had 10 scribes who wrote down the King’s dictation on leaves of plants.

Palawan, the largest province in the Philippines, is home to several indigenous ethnolinguistic groups, including the Tagbanua, Palaw’an, Tao’t Bato, Molbog, Batak, Agutaynen, and Cuyonon. These groups live in remote villages throughout the province found in mountains and coastal areas. Palawan’s history shows that these indigents have occupied the area long before Malay settlers arrived in the 12th century. Research indicates that the Tagbanuas and Palaw’ans are descendants of the Tabon Cave’s inhabitants. These tribes share similarities in their language, farming methods, and belief in soul relatives. Although several indigenous groups have moved to Palawan, only seven have been recognized as the true natives of the province by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

Palawan (/pəˈlɑːwən/), officially the Province of Palawan (Cuyonon: Probinsya i’ang Palawan; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of 14,649.73 km² (5,656.29 sq mi). The capital city is Puerto Princesa. Palawan is known as the Philippines’ Last Frontier^[5] and as the Philippines’ Best Island. Palawan is home to several indigenous groups. The oldest inhabitants are the Palaw’an, Batak, Tagbanwa, and Tau’t Bato who are from the interiors and highlands of Palawan, as well as the Calamianes Islands. They traditionally practice animist anito religions. Palawan’s coastlines were also settled by later groups that are now collectively known as “Palaweños”. Prior to Islamization, the islands of Palawan, Calamian, and parts of Luzon were under the jurisdiction of the nation Sandao (In Chinese records at the 1200s). Sandao was a vassal-state to the more powerful Ma-i nation in Mindoro. Thereafter, groups like the Islamized Molbog people of southern Palawan (possibly originally from Sabah), and the Cuyonon and Agutaynon groups (from the nearby islands of Cuyo and Agutaya settled in.

Among the original dwellers in the island is the Palawano tribe, also known as the Pala’wan or Palawan. This indigenous cultural community lives in the southern part of Palawan province and thought to be descendants of the Tabon cavemen, whose culture can be traced back 50,000 years. The Tabon are amongst the earliest people recognized to have inhabited Southeast Asia. In the past, the Palawano tribe are hunters, forest-foragers, and cultivators who prefer to live in far-flung upland areas near the forest where they mostly acquire their everyday necessities. They were animists who regularly performed rituals to appease the good and bad spirits to assist the tribe in both spiritual and material matters. Today, they are mainly agricultural and grow rice, bananas, root crops and a variety of vegetables. The Palawano tribe belongs to the Manobo-based linguistic group of southern Philippines and is divided into four subgroups, namely, the Central Palawano (also known as Quezon Palawano), Brooke’s Point Palawano, Southwest Palawano, and South Palawano (also known as Bugsuk Palawano). The tribe’s language appears to resemble that of the Malay, although different groups may exhibit some distinctions depending on their location.

The study on “Indigenous Games of Palawan Tribes: Enhancing Cultural Diversity was conducted at the selected barangays of the Municipality of Quezon, Rizal and Aborlan and Puerto Princesa City. This study was only focused on Indigenous games of Palawan tribes. The respondents of the study were the selected tribe members who are knowledgeable in their indigenous games. Data were collected from respondents through informal interview from the older members of the tribe, believed to possess the hands on knowledge and skills. Results shows that there a lot of indigenous games of Palawan tribes. The Tagbanua games were Angad Dado, Hodyon Kadang-Kadang, Kardang Kaskas, Limpako Liyad, Luwas-Luwas. Pasil, Pusod-Pusod Simban, Supok, Trumpo. The Palaw’an games were classified into individual-dual and team game. The Age-Aged, Babel Tankilay, Baka-Bakaan, Basil, Kardang, Kardang-Kardang, Magdaramdam,Mamayu, and Pasil were Individual-Dual Games. The Hitting ball is only the team game. The Tau’t Batu used games as form of recreation for fun, relaxation and companionship. These games were presented and classified as follows: Individual game- Pating, Talubid-Talubid. Dual game- Banis and Kosti. The Batak games were Bugsak Busog-Ugyong Langko Pangturan Pasil and Supok.

Palawan, named the best island in the world by several travel magazines, draws travelers with its breathtaking natural scenery and wonders. Apart from sharing picturesque photos on social media, there are unique souvenirs to take home from Palawan. From handcrafted items to local delicacies, the island has plenty of options for souvenir hunters. The indigenous tribes of Palawan create beautiful handicrafts, which are sold in the city to earn a living. These handmade items are often made of wood harvested from Palawan’s forests and mountains and represent the tribes’ art and culture. Palawan is also known for its wide variety of local food that can be taken home as souvenirs. These local delicacies are considered as the pride of their respective municipalities where they originated. The pearls in Palawan are cultivated on the island and are available in various colors and sizes. They can be found in jewelry stores. However, it’s important to note that not all pearls sold by street vendors or in markets and souvenir shops are genuine. It’s best to buy authentic pearls from reputable jewelry shops like the South Sea Pearl Museum in SM Mall. Therefore, for those searching for top-quality pearls and pearl jewelry, it’s recommended to shop at well-known and trustworthy establishments.

The Palawan tribal people, also known as the Palawano or the Palaw’an, are an indigenous ethnic group of the Palawan group of islands in the Philippines. Palawanos are more popularly known as Palawans, which is pronounced faster than the name of the province. The Palawans were originally a tribe in Southern Palawan until agrarian settlers started to occupy their once vast domain. The tribe would exploit the most fertile piece of land and move on to next. Their family units were very small, possibly due to high mortality rates. They built their houses usually on a hillside but close to the river or stream using four skinny trunks of trees. The floor is roughly 15 to 20 feet from the ground. Families used a slanted log to climb or to enter their houses, except for single or bachelor’s shanties where a suspended rope is preferred. They hunt wild animals using spears with a lethal poison at the tip. They catch fish by using a special root sap that is diluted in a shallow stream or river. The tribe hardly domesticate chicken nor hogs although dogs were their favorite pet because they can also be used in hunting. The Palawans do not usually use sea salt on their food. Their usual diet is made up of rice, banana, cassave, vegetables, rimas or breadfruit, fruits, wild pigs from hunting, birds such as wild quails and tikling, wild chicken/labuyo, and freshwater fish. They prepare a delicious festival dish called pinyaram. A kind of cassava or rice cake placed on top of banana leaves that is quite similar to the Tagalog’s bibingka.

The Palawan Biosphere Reserve is a cluster of islands composed of one long main island and smaller groups of islands around it. The 1,150,800 hectares of the biosphere reserve include the entire Province of Palawan Island, which is the westernmost province of the Philippines. The total population in 2000 is 755,412 with an annual population growth rate of 3.6%. The Palawan BR is also home to approximately 57 ethnolinguistic groups with 3 indigenous peoples: the Tagbanua, Palaw’an, and the Bataks. The province of Palawan is known as the Philippine’s “last ecological frontier”. The Palawan BR is an archipelago composed of main island and more than 1,700 islands. It is endowed with rich natural resources and highly diverse flora and fauna found in both land and sea.