Mythologies of the Taw’buid Tribe

The Taubuid Mangyans (sometimes known as Batangan Mangyans), the pipe-smoking group that calls the mountains of Sabang, and beyond, the cordillera of my town of Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro home. So I was glad to find studies done by American anthropologist F. Douglas Pennoyer, Dean of Cook School of Intercultural Studies at Biola University, who documented their fascinating lifestyle in Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society and Anthropos. My mother, a schoolteacher, supported a promising Taubuid kid named Celso Yayag from the village to the elementary school in town until he graduated, but was recalled thereafter by his parents to help with the farm work, and the last time we heard, he also became a teacher. Maybe one day he can also contribute to the knowledge about his people. For a pictorial tour of the present Taubuid Mangyans with their solar lamps and cell phones and their role in wildlife conservation, read World Wildlife Fund's article. The tamaraw skulls, I presume, came from specimens that died natural deaths, and are kept more as venerated relics than as trophies. To visit the Taubuid community in Pinamalayan, follow these MHC guidelines or contact Job Lusnawan, President, Tagfasadi Fagayu Taubuid, Barangay Safa, Sabang, Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro. But make sure to bear in mind Pennoyer's words, which I only know too well: "Fear is a pervasive force among the Taubuid and is greatly intensified during confrontation with strangers, spirits, and even members of the same hamlet. The biggest obstacle to an in-depth study of fear in interior Taubuid society is the fear itself, which virtually precludes prolonged contact with the outside world."

The Tawbuid or Tau-buid Mangyans are part of the eight tribes of the umbrella term Mangyan. They are known as pipe smokers who start smoking at an early age, even when they are still children. Interestingly, they prefer to smoke tobacco instead of chewing betel nuts, which is a habit that their Mangyan brothers and sisters share. The seven other Mangyan groups are the Alangan, Bangon, Buhid, Hanunoo, Iraya, Ratagnon and Tadyawan. The Bangon Mangyans used to be a subgroup of the Tawbuid Mangyans, until March 28, 1996, when Bangon officially became a separate Mangyan group. All the eight Mangyan tribes can be found in Mindoro Island, which is divided into two provinces: Occidental and Oriental Mindoro. The Tawbuid people are also known as the Batangan Taubuid (by the lowlanders residing on the west of the island) and Fanawbuid. They can be found in Sablaya and Calintaan in Occidental Mindoro, and Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro. Specifically, they inhabit the boroughs of Gloria, Pinamalayan, and Socorro but they are most dominant in Occidental Mindoro.

The Tawbuid are the most numerous of the Mangyan group of indigenous peoples and live in the isolated interior central highlands on the island of Mindoro, Philippines. Mountains in this region tower over 6,000 feet high. About a two-day hike from the coast, the Tawbuid villages are much further inland than those of the Alangan. The Tawbuid are called “batangan” by the lowlanders, which means “trunk of a felled tree” and a “place,” referring to a place where felled tree trunks may be found, probably a swidden field. The main economic activity of the Tawbuid is slash-and-burn farming. Other names used to refer to them are Bukid, Bu’id, Buhid, and Buhil, even though there is a separately identifiable group to the south, the Buhid. Local subgroups include the Bayanan and Saragan. A few of the less traditional of the Tawbuid live near the coast, have been converted to Christianity, and send their children to school. However, this is more the exception than the rule. Outsiders are generally forbidden, though an occasional visit to an outside Tawbuid village is not unheard of. The Tawbuid are very shy and will usually run away if they see you coming, as they have been taught that foreigners might eat them. Any trade done with the outside world is generally through the neighboring Alangan villages. Their diet consists only of fruits, plants and vegetables, as well as any animals they can kill by hunting. The Tawbuid are terrified of outsiders for several reasons. Originally, they lived on the coasts but were driven inland hundreds of years ago when the Spanish first invaded their territory. Later, Filipino immigrants drove them away to secure more farmland. Today, mining operations and occasional incursions by rebels continue to threaten this group’s existence. Added to this is the animistic view of nature and the fear of spirits who will punish them for even slight infractions of their rules.

The eight indigenous tribes of Mindoro have known no other home since prehistory, although their ancestors probably migrated from Indonesia. (The seventh-largest island in the Philippines, Mindoro is part of the MIMAROPA Region and is divided into two provinces, Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.) The tribes, which are referred to by the general term "Mangyan," comprise the Alangan, Bangon, Buhid, Hanunoo, Iraya, Ratagnon, Tadyawan, and Tawbuid. The Mangyan population in the Philippines is over 100,000, and the great majority have grown roots in Mindoro. Tawbuids are pipe smokers, and children start smoking at an early age. A loincloth is standard wear for both men and women. In some areas, women wrap a knee-length cloth around their back bra-string while men are dressed in cloth. Also known as Batangan Taubuid and Fanawbuid, the Western Tawbuid are found in Sablayan and Calintaan in Occidental Mindoro, and Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro. Western Tawbuid is believed to be the only Philippine language without glottal phonemes, having neither /h/ or /?/. It is also spoken by the Bangon Mangyans. A recent survey placed the number of Western Tawbuid speakers at more than 6,000.

The Taw’buid is the largest of the eight Mangyan tribes of Mindoro. Once occupying Mindoro’s lowlands, they were pushed deep into the mountains by both Spanish colonizers and Filipino immigrants. Many still sport loincloths called amakan, hunt game with spears called tulag, bows called gadun and spike traps called silo. Unlike other Mangyan who chew betel-nut, nearly all Taw'buid men smoke tobacco – children included. A collaboration between WWF, Far Eastern University, National Geographic Channel, Primer Group of Companies, Banco de Oro and the Philippine government aims to improve the lives of Mindoro’s secretive tribesmen, while conserving the Tamaraw, Earth’s rarest buffalo species.

The Taw’buid is the largest of the eight Mangyan tribes of Mindoro. Once occupying Mindoro’s lowlands, they were pushed deep into the mountains by both Spanish colonizers and Filipino immigrants. Many still sport loincloths called amakan, hunt game with spears called tulag, bows called gadun and spike traps called silo. Unlike other Mangyan who chew betel-nut, nearly all Taw’buid men smoke tobacco – children included. A collaboration between WWF, Far Eastern University, National Geographic Channel, Primer Group of Companies, Banco de Oro and the Philippine government aims to improve the lives of Mindoro’s secretive tribesmen, while conserving the Tamaraw, Earth’s rarest buffalo species.

The Tawbuid language is a language spoken by Tawbuid Mangyans in the province of Mindoro in the Philippines. It is divided into eastern and western dialects. The Bangon Mangyans also speak the western dialect of Tawbuid. The Tau-buid (or Tawbuid) Mangyans live in central Mindoro. In Oriental Mindoro, Eastern Tawbuid (also known as Bangon) is spoken by 1,130 people in the municipalities of Socorro, Pinamalayan, and Gloria. In Occidental Mindoro, Western Tawbuid (also known as Batangan) is spoken by 6,810 people in the municipalities of Sablayan and Calintaan.