One of a number of different indigenous group that can be
found in Coron, Palawan is the Calamian Tagbanua people,
also known as Tagbanwa. The Tagbanua people are
descendants of some of the oldest people in the Philippines,
most likely coming from Borneo and historically had strong
relations with Brunei. Research has found that the Tagbanua
people may be descendants of the Tabon Man, remains
were found in the Philippines dating from more than 16,500
years ago which means that they may be one of the original
inhabitants of the country. The Tagbanuas inhabit mostly in
the northern areas and the central part of Palawan. IN 1987
they had 129,691 total amount of tribe members, but
nowadays there are only about 10,000 left and one fifth of
them lives in the Calamian archipelago.
In the dawn of the Spanish period, Magellan’s historian, Antonio Pigafetta, described the
Tagbanua in one of his book. It described that the Tagbanuas were hunters who hunted by
means of a blowpipe and thick arrows on different animals. They cultivated the land and grew
crops and they used copper wire to attach fishhooks to. They were adept at making bronze
jewelry, including rings and necklaces. He describes that closed friendships and agreements
have been made through a blood treaty. This involved a cut in the two person’s wrist and the
wounds were pressed against each other. Cockfights were also held and there was alcohol
made from rice (rice wine).
The Tagbanuas are divided in two subgroups based on geographical location. The
Central Tagbanua live in the eastern and western coastal areas of Palawan. Especially in the
areas around Puerto Princesa, Quezon and Aborlan. The Calamian Tagbanua live in the
Calamian archipelago. Especially on Coron island and Busuanga island you will find a lot of
Tagbanua, but also in the municipality of El Nido. Because of the settling on different places,
these two subgroups have different cultures as well. The main reason for this is that the
Tagbanua from the Calamian archipelago are dependent on the sea.
In terms of appearance, The Tagbanua people have brownish skin, a slim build and
straight dark hair. In the past, both men and women had long hair and would give their teeth a
black coloring. The Tagbanuas made various ornaments from wood such as ear plugs, combs
and bracelets. Furthermore, the women made necklaces of beads and wore anklets of brass
and copper. The traditional costume or clothing of the Tagbanua was made from the bark of a
tree. The men wore only a loin cloth, often in combination with a waistband made of rattan.
Women’s skirts made of bark and
wrapped it around their body. Then there
was more contact with other cultures, the
traditional clothing was supplemented
with garments from other cultures. The
women now wear clothes and jewelry
with many colors.
The Tagbanua community has
three social classes. The first social class is the upper class. Leaders are chosen from this class
and is inherited, second is the middle class, the ordinary people and from the middle class, local
leaders are chosen. The third social class consists of people who are in debt and can not pay
those debts off. They also have their own language. Within the language there are three
dialects: Aborian Tagbanua, Calamian Tagbanua, and Central Tagbanua. Besides the Tagbanua
language they speak Palawan and several other dialects. Also, a large part of the community
understands Tagalog, Batak and Cuyonon. In addition the Tagbanuas also use an alphabet
based on the Kawi script originating from Bali, Java and Sumatra.
The Tagbanua hang follow an animistic religion with a complex mythology related to
gods and other divine beings. They believe in communication between the world of the living
and the world of the dead. Using different rituals and ceremonies they communicate between
the worlds. It is headed by the Babaylan, the shaman who is also the shaman of the village.
Today there are more and more Tagbanuas who are converting to the Christian faith.
The Tagbanua people love music and they have a wide range of musical instruments
they developed by themselves. These instruments are used for religious ends and during social
meetings. A couple of instruments they used are the aruding (a mouth harp), babarak (a nose
flute), tipanu (a mouth flute), kudlung (a boat flute), and gimbal (a drum made of the skin of a
lizard). Besides music, dancing is also very popular. A few examples are the aballado (a
traditional dance, performed by men), andardi (a festival dance that is danced during the
Pagdiwata), Bugas-Bugasan (danced by everyone attending the pagdiwata ritual), kalindapan
(danced by a female Babaylan), runsay (a traditional dance performed by the people living near
the coast. This ritual dance is held once a year on the fourth day after the full moon in
December and lasts from sunset until the sun rises again. This ritual takes place at the Aborlan
River and aims to seek protection against epidemics), sarungkay (a healing dance performed by
the Babaylan), tugatak (danced by villagers during a pagdiwata), and tamigan (danced by male
warriors with a homemade shield). Besides these traditional dances there are also different
dances which imitate animals and dances to show your skill.
The majority of Tagbanua in Coron live in two communities on Coron Island, which is a
different island than mainland Coron. In recent years Coron Island has had an influx of visitors,
both foreign and local, because of it’s natural stunning beauty. The main attraction would be the
lakes on the island which are the Kayangan and the Twin Lagoons, as these two lakes are the
only ones open for the public. Majority of Coron Island is still off limits to guest unless they
posses permits to visit these areas. It was in 2003 that Coron Island and its surrounding waters
were declared as an ancestral domain for the Tagbanua, there were more than 22,000 hectares
of both land and sea given this title. Many of the lakes in the island are sacred burial grounds for
the Tagbanua and only those Tagbanua who own land/s in the island can visit them. There are
also organized trips to the Tagbanua community in order to take a look at the daily lives of these
people.
For the Tagbanua group growing rice plays an important part in everyday life. In addition
to rice there is also sweet potato, cassava and corn. The sea is also an important source of food
for the Tagbanua who live near the sea.
Also, there are several forest products,
including rats and honey. These
products can then be mutually
exchanged or sold for regular currency.
An important source of income are the
different handmade products such as
mats, baskets and other wood
products. These people follow certain
distinct customs which make them
different from all other tribes residing
on the Palawan island. What makes
them different is the aura of superiority that surrounds them as well as their boosting pride that
proves to everyone that their old ways of living were the greatest. They stay isolated from the
outer political activities and artificial living and stay connected to their ancient ceremonies and
traditions, make them deeply endemic and devoid of damaging modernization.
References:
Maentz, Jacob. Coron and the Calamian Tagbanua. 2012
De Jesus, Sofia. The Five Facts about the Tagbanua Tribe. 2017
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