SENSE AND SENSIBILITY: THE MANGYAN OF MINDORO
By: Bambi Harper
Philippine Daily Inquirier
January 7, 2006

My dear friend, be welcome here
Where perchance did you come from?
From the seashore ebbing low
From the bubbling water springs?
If the water source up
Let us talk a moment here
In a happy friendly way.
Whoever you are
We like to be at your side.
-- Ambahan No. 8

MANGUIANES, Mangyanes, Mangyan, Malayan-Negrito people of Mindoro. The first written mention of the word "Manguianes" was in 1577 by Fray Martin de Rada. Nothing more appeared until 1630.

MANGUIANES, Mangyanes, Mangyan, Malayan-Negrito people of Mindoro. The first written mention of the word "Manguianes" was in 1577 by Fray Martin de Rada. Nothing more appeared until 1630.
We are told by Augustinian Friar Juan de Medina that the island of Mindoro was accessible through Batangas (as it still is) and that it was very large and very well covered with mountains. It had beautiful rivers and lots of fish and, above all, it had a lot of wax that was mainly gathered by "the ancient inhabitants of the country ... the people called Mangyan (forest people)." Although considered "savages," the friars regarded the Mangyan as "simple, honest, temperate people" who were afraid the Spaniards would capture them in order to have them man their boats. Thus, the wax they gathered was turned over to the "Tagals" who used it to pay their tribute.

The Mangyan were not exclusive to Mindoro but apparently also inhabited the interiors of Romblon and Tablas so that the name was collective and, at the time, referred to other communities. These groups were basically nomadic, did not appear to have any knowledge of agriculture or of money and roamed the forests in batches or by families. The men wore g-strings and the women 30 or 40 yards of rattan ("bejuco") around their hips.

Oddly enough, the friars considered the Mangyan "savages," and there is no mention that these people had a system of writing believed to have originated in India 2,500 years ago. (How it got to the inhabitants of Mindoro is not known, which is probably why researchers believe each Mangyan tribe has a migration history of its own.) It has been established that the Buhid and Hanunoo Mangyan scripts are similar to Indonesian and Indian writing and related to modern day Sanskrit.

With this skill, the Mangyan wrote poetry. (Since these were inscribed in bamboo trees in the forest, they probably escaped the eyes of the friars.) The good news is that these poems are still being created, but the bad news is that only the older Mangyan generation continues the practice. The oldest reference to these poems called "ambahan" comes from a German anthropological publication dated 1895.

At present, there are only four surviving pre-Spanish systems of writing and one of them is that of the Hanunuo and Buhid Mangyan. There were 17 syllabaries existing in the Philippines in the 16th century. Today, four remain. Aside from the Buhid and the Hanunoo Mangyan scripts, there are the Pala'wan and Tagbanua scripts of Palawan Island. In 1999, these scripts were officially inscribed in the "Memory of the World" register of the Unesco.

Another skill is weaving, which is still done by the women of the Hanunoo Mangyan family, a skill they learn from their mothers after they marry. Once they used to plant, harvest, separate and dry, spin and then weave the cotton fibers. Today, the material is purchased and the intricate Hanunoo Mangyan design of "pakudos" is embroidered on it. It takes over a week to complete the embroidery. Only two colors are used to embroider pakudos. For a pakudos on a white shirt, it is predominantly red and highlighted by a fine black outline stitchery. Although the origin of the pakudos is uncertain, it is supposed to ward off evil spirits and also done for decorative purposes.

We are therefore lucky that Dr. Antoon Postma, over a period of more than 40 years, gathered the cultural data about the life and customs of the Mangyan inhabiting the southern portion of Mindoro Island. He collected folklore materials, which have been published in a series of four books as well as documented their poetry.
We are also lucky that Lolita Fansler decided to take with her to Mindoro on her frequent trips there her then young son, Quint, who later became a Jesuit volunteer and lived among the Mangyans. Because of his acquaintance with Dr. Postma and his interest in them, there is now in Calapan the most extensive library anywhere of Mangyan writings and culture.

Now if you wish to purchase Dr. Postma's books and see the rich artifacts of Mangyan culture (their embroidery, baskets, poetry on bamboo), drop by the Ayala Museum any time this month. Keep in mind that they have a distinctive literary heritage of eloquence passed down to them by ancestors long forgotten, written in the Baybayin script and shared with other Southeast Asian cultures.
Even rain will stop some day For rain doesn't own a house.

A storm will not last all the time
For a storm has no home like you.
Are you not a man?
Does not man always go back to his dwelling place, to his home,
To look at the face he wore long, long before he was born.

-- Ambahan No. 117

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