Katutubong Filipino ProjectA visual journey documenting the last remaining indigenous peoples' of the Philippine archipelago. |
Author Archive
People of the Mountains – Igorots of the Cordilleras
Three weeks in the Cordilleras of Luzon and I feel like I have only scratched the surface of experiencing the rich cultures that make up the Igorot people. This is a common trend I have experienced while working on the Katutubong Filipino Project and one reason I hope to extended the project longer term, perhaps [...]The Mangyan of Mindoro
Last month I made a long awaited trip to the island of Mindoro to visit some of the different Mangyan groups there. This trip took a few months to arrange and I was very excited our journey happened as I have been wanting to visit Mindoro for a long time. Although, we knew it would [...]On Mindanao’s Lumads and Horse Fighting
Over the past month I have made two separate trips to Mindanao in the hopes to document the ethnic sport of horse fighting that is still occasionally practiced by the areas Lumads (indigenous peoples). My first trip was during Davao’s Kadayawan Festival, which is an annual week long celebration featuring the different tribes from Davao. [...]Back in the Sierra Madres with our Agta Friends
Things often do not turn out the way you might expect them to. Such was the case during my recent trip back to the Sierra Madres. I returned to a part of Isabela and Cagayan provinces to visit some old Agta friends from last year. Upon returning this time I had a plan to go [...]Publication in Discovery Channel Magazine
Discovery Channel Magazine is running a 12 page photo story about Jacob’s trip to Isabela last year in this August 2012 issue. This trip is where the start of the Katutubong Filipino Project happened. The article also mentions the Katutubo Project which we are very excited about. If you are in Asia, New Zealand, or [...]Agta Community Looking at Their Photos
A year after our first visit to this Agta community in a remote part of the Sierra Madres, we returned with photos. The community was so excited to see their photos and it certainly was a highlight of this visit. It’s moments like this that make this project more fulfilling, seeing the different communities react [...]The Palawan Tau’t Bato of Singnapan Valley
The Tau’t Bato (Tao’t Bato, Taaw’t Bato) are really just a subgroup of the larger Pala’wan indigenous group. They speak the native Pala’wan language and practice many of the same beliefs of the Pala’wan. The only difference being this particular community, those living in the area of Singnapan valley, take shelter in the large nearby [...]Staying Motivated While On The Road
by: Nahoma Maentz I consider myself fortunate to have done a bit of traveling around the Philippines when I was younger. While others may have their sights set on going overseas, I was more hooked locally. I wanted to see my own. Get to know it first before “conquering the world”. I was always intrigued [...]Coron and the Calamian Tagbanua
The Tagbanua people are descendents of some of the oldest people in the Philippines likely coming from Borneo and historically had strong relations with Brunei. Today there are various subgroups of the Tagbanua throughout the province of Palawan. In Coron, the Tagbanua are distinct from the Tagbanua on mainland Palawan, not only in their language [...]The Tigwahanon Manobo
The Bukidnon plateau is home to seven of the 18 different indigenous groups found in Mindanao. After doing some research I decided it would be a great place to visit for starting the Katutubong Filipino Project. Although our travel to Bukidnon was fairly short we learned a lot about the Lumad people (the Visayan word [...]Project Mission
To bring about awareness of the Philippine archipelago’s indigenous peoples’ by visually documenting their slowly disappearing cultural heritages.
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About The Photographer
Jacob Maentz is a freelance travel, culture and documentary photographer based in the Philippines. His passion lies in creating images that communicate a strong sense of place and cultural awareness in unique, challenging situations. You can read more about Jacob on his website.