Ethnolinguistic Groups of Palawan: Batak

ETHNOLINGUISTIC GROUPS OF PALAWAN
Batak
The Batak is a group of indigenous Filipino people that resides in the northeast portion of
Palawan.
Molbog
The Molbog, which is also referred to as Molebugan or Molebuganon are concentrated
in Island of Balabac near Palawan. Some of their people are also found in other nearby
islands and as far north as Panakan. The tribe's name came from the word Malubog which
means "murky or turbid water".
The Molbogs probably migrated from North Borneo. They might be related to the Orang
Tidung pr Tirum, an Islamized indigenous group found in the northeastcoast of Sabah since
they have similar dialect and socio-cultural practices. However, some Sama
and Tausug words are incorporated in the Molbog dialect. There are also differences in their
socio-cultural life that separates them from the Orang Tidung.
The Molbog's livelihood is composed of farming and fishing. They also barter with the
nearby Sulu Bangsamoro and Sabah.
Palawanon
The Palawanons (also known as Palawan or Pinalawan) are recently being converted to
Islam. Half of their estimated number are animists. They are found in the southern interior of
Palawan like the Apu Rauan on the west coast and south of Abu-abu on the east coast.
Others are found with other Bangsamoro groups in the Balabac-Bugsuk island group.
The Palawanons resemble the Tagbanuas are was of the same people in the past.
The Palawanons closely resemble the Tagbanua (literally "people of the village") and in the
past they were doubtless the same people. SomeTausug people in Palawan call them
Traan or "people in scattered places".
Tagbanwa
The Tagbanwas are found in the western and eastern coastal areas of central Palawan.
Their name means "people of the world". They are concentrated in the municipalities of
Aborlan, Quezon and the City of Puerto Princesa.
Two other ethinics groups called "Tagbanwa" (i.e. the Central Tagbanwa and the
Calamian Tagbanwa) are from a different family of languages and should not be
confused the the Tagbanwas discussed here. These are found Coron Island, Northern
Palawan, Busuanga Island and the Baras coast. The Central Tagbanwa language is
dying out as the younger generations are learning Cuyonon and Tagalog.
The Tagbanwas speak the Tagbanwa language and has several sub-dialects. They are
able to comprehend Tagalog, and, depending on their proximity to neighboring groups,
Batak, Cuyonen and Calamian languages.
They usually dress like the non-tribal lowlanders. However, elder men prefer to wear Gstring while tilling or fishing.
Houses are built from available forest materials. Bamboo and wood are used for the
house's frame anahaw leaves are used to create walls and the roof and bamboo slats
are used as flooring.
Their basic social unit is the nuclear family which is composed of a married couple and
their children.
Taaw't-Bato
The Taaw't Batos' (also called Ken-uy) name means "people of the rock". They are not
actually a separate language or ethnic group, but rather a small community of traditional
S.W. Palawanos who happen to reside in the crater of an extinct volcano during certain
seasons of the year, in houses built on raised floors inside caves though others have set
their homes on the open slopes. They are found in the Singnapan Basin, a valley
bounded by Mt. Matalingajan on the east and the coast on the west. North of them is the
municipality of Quezon and to the South are the still unexplored regions of Palawan. As
of 1987, their population was about 198.
Note that the common-seen spelling "Tau't Bato" or "Tau't Batu" is a misspelling based
on the Tagalog word for "human" (tao). The Palawano word is "taaw."
The men of the tribe wear G-strings while the women cover their lower bodies with bark
or cloth that is made into a skirt. The upper half is left exposed although some now
wear BLOUSES that are bought from the market.
The people practice agriculture with cassava as the major source of carbohydrates.
They also plant sweet potatoes, sugarcane, malunggay (Moringa oleifera), garlic,
pepper, string beans, squash, tomatoes and pineapples. Others practice fishing, hunting
and industrial arts.
Their social organizations are based on family (kin ties), band (type of substinence
activity) and settlement (geographic location).
ARTS OF PALAWAN
HISTORY
The earliest settlements in the Visayan islands were from valley-dwelling Austronesians and
highland-dwelling Negrito dated around 30,000 BC. These early settlers were mostly
Animist tribes. In the 12th century, Hindu-Buddhist descendants from the late empire of
the Sri Vijaya, Majapahit and Brunei,[5] settled the islands. By the 14th century, Arab traders
and their followers who ventured into Maritime Southeast Asia, converted some of these
tribal groups to Islam. These groups practiced a mixture of
Islam, Hinduism and Buddhistbeliefs, although there were also groups that were varied:
some groups exclusively practiced Islam or Hinduism or Buddhism. There is also evidence
of trade and immigration between other Asian peoples in the area as early as the 9th
century. The Tumandok people of the mountainous region of Panay island are the only
Visayan group to maintain pre-Hispanic Visayan culture and beliefs, due to their geographic
isolation from lowland Visayan groups.
Left to right: [1] Images from the Boxer Codex illustrating an ancient kadatuan ortumao (noble class)
Visayan couple of Panay, [2] the Pintados ("The Tattooed"), another name for Visayans of Cebu and its
surrounding islands according to the early Spanish explorers, [3] possibly a tumao (noble class)
or timawa (warrior class) couple of the Pintados, and [4] a royal couple of the Visayans of Panay.
Although thought to be a hoax due to some content modifications, [6] a compilation of

transcriptions by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro known as the Maragtas attempts to retell the
origins of the present-day Visayan people based on folklore revolving around
ten datus of Borneo.[7] It was said that they originated from an area occupied by
the thalassocratic empire of Sri Vijaya during the early 13th century. In an attempt to escape
the despotic rule of a Rajah Makatunaw and the subsequent fall of the empire, the
chieftains, led by Datu Puti, fled eastwards to what is now the island of Panay. The island at
that time was ruled by an Ati chief Marikudo who was later given a golden sadok and a
necklace for his wife, Maniwantiwan, in purchase of the Borneans of Panay for new
settlement.[8] It was said that the name for the inhabitants, Bisaya, was derived from their
original land, Sri Vijaya.[9]
The Visayans first encountered Western Civilization when Portuguese explorer Ferdinand
Magellanreached the island of Cebu in 1521.[10] The Visayas became part of the Spanish
colony of the Philippines and the history of the Visayans became intertwined with the history
the Philippines. With the four centuries of contact with the Spanish Empire via Mexico and
the United States, the islands today share a culture[11] tied to the sea[12] later developed from
an admixture of indigenous lowland Visayan, India, Chinese, Hispanic-Christian and
American influences.

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ETHNOLINGUISTIC GROUPS OF PALAWAN

Although thought to be a hoax due to some content modifications, [6] a compilation of

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