Katutubong Filipino Project

The Philippine archipelago is home to a diverse number of ethnic groups. These different ethnic groups have populated the islands since the first people arrived over 30,000 years ago. Many of the larger indigenous ethnic groups, such as the Tagalogs, Visayas and Moros adopted the ways of the Western and Islamic world through years of trade and colonization. There were, however, other indigenous ethnic groups that were never heavily influenced by the outside world and managed to keep their traditions, customs and in some cases their writing systems intact. Today, there are 110 recognized indigenous groups remaining in the Philippines making up ten percent of the total population.

Despite having held onto their way of life for many generations, the last decade has brought about a myriad of changes, both socially and economically for these indigenous groups. This rapidly changing environment as lead to the gradual loss of centuries old customs and culture. Witnessing these changes first hand and knowing that very little visual documentation has been done with these groups an idea was born to create this project, the Katutubong Filipino Project. Katutubo is the Tagalog word for “native” or “indigenous,” combined with Filipino to collectively mean the “Indigenous Filipino Project.” The aim of this project is to bring about awareness by collecting stories and images of these disappearing cultural heritages before their way of life is lost forever. The Katutubong Filipino Project will focus on the nine main regional indigenous subgroups including the Ati, Badjao, Igorot, Ilongots, Lumad, Mangyan, Tumandok, Negritos of Luzon and the Palawan tribes.

The Katutubong Filipino Project aims to bring about awareness of the Philippine archipelago’s indigenous peoples’ by visually documenting their slowly disappearing cultural heritages.

Indigenous Subgroups

Ati – A Negrito ethnic group in Panay, which is located in the Visayas (Islands of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Leyte, Samar, Panay, Masbate, Negros and Guimaras), the central portion of the Philippine archipelago.
Badjao – The Badjao (sea gypsies) are found in the Sulu Archipelago.
Igorot – The Igorot (Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankana-ey, Kalanguya), live in the highlands of Luzon.
Ilongots – The Ilongots are a tribe who inhabit the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains, on the east side of Luzon Island in the Philippines, primarily in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija and along the mountain border between the provinces of Quirino and Aurora. Presently, there are about 2,500 Ilongots.
Lumad – The Lumad of Mindanao includes several tribes such as the Manobo, the Tasaday, the Mamanwa, the Mandaya, and the Kalagan. They primarily inhabit the eastern parts of Mindanao such as the Caraga, and Davao Regions.
Mangyan – Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found in the Philippine island of Mindoro, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs.
Negritos of Luzon – The Negrito, Aeta, and Batak live in remote areas throughout the island.
Palawan Tribes – Palawan is home to many indigenous peoples whose origins date back thousands of centuries. Pre-historic discoveries reveal how abundant cultural life in Palawan survived before foreign occupiers and colonizers reached the Philippine archipelago.
Tumandok – The Tumandok people are an indigenous group who live between Capiz and Lambunao on Panay island. They are the only Visayan group to have fully retained their pre-Hispanic way of life and customs into the modern day.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_in_the_Philippines)

Timeline

The project will focus on two phases. Documentation and Outreach.

Documentation: During 2012 we plan to visit all nine regional subgroups collecting stories and images. This will be a time intensive project involving a lot of coordination and field time.

Outreach: Outreach with exhibits, books and media. Emphasis on outreach will start after the visual documentation phase has been complete. More details will be announced as the project continues.

External Links of Interest
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA)
Archive Images by Dean C Worcester - (search for “Dean C Worcester” once on site)