A map showing the traditional homelands of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines by province
The indigenous peoples of the Philippines are ethnolinguistic groups or subgroups that maintain partial isolation or independence throughout the colonial era, and have retained much of their traditional pre-colonial culture and practices.[1]
The Philippines has 110 enthnolinguistic groups comprising the Philippines' indigenous peoples; as of 2010, these groups numbered at around 14–17 million persons.[2]Austronesians make up the overwhelming majority, while full or partial Negritos scattered throughout the archipelago. The highland Austronesians and Negrito have co-existed with their lowland Austronesian kin and neighbor groups for thousands of years in the Philippine archipelago.
Culturally-indigenous peoples of northern Philippine highlands can be grouped into the Igorot (comprising many different groups) and singular Bugkalot groups, while the non-Muslim culturally-indigenous groups of mainland Mindanao are collectively called Lumad. Australo-Melanesian groups throughout the archipelago are termed Aeta, Ita, Ati, Dumagat, among others. Numerous culturally-indigenous groups also live outside these two indigenous corridors.[3] In addition to these labels, groups and individuals sometimes identify with the Tagalog term katutubo, which denotes any person of indigenous origin.[4][5][6]
Chapter II, Section 3h of the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997 defines "indigenous peoples" (IPs) and "indigenous cultural communities" (ICCs) as:
A group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos.
ICCs/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains;
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In the 1990s, there were more than 100 highland tribal groups constituting approximately 3% of the population. The upland tribal groups were a blend in ethnic origin, like those in lowland areas of the country, although the upland tribal groups do not interact nor intermingle with the latter.
Because they displayed a variety of social organization, cultural expression and artistic skills. They showed a high degree of creativity, usually employed to embellish utilitarian objects, such as bowls, baskets, clothing, weapons and spoons. The tribal groups of the Philippines are known for their carved wooden figures, baskets, weaving, pottery and weapons.
There were several upland groups living in the Cordillera Central of Luzon in 1990. At one time it was employed by lowland Filipinos in a pejorative sense, but in recent years it came to be used with pride by native groups in the mountain region as a positive expression of their ethnic identity. The Ifugao of Ifugao province, the Bontoc, Kalinga, Tinguian, Kankanaey and Ibaloi were all farmers who constructed the rice terraces for many centuries.
Other mountain peoples of Luzon such as the Isnag of Apayao, the Gaddang of the border between Kalinga and Isabela provinces, and the Ilongot Nueva Vizcaya and Caraballo Mountains all developed hunting and gathering, farming cultivation and headhunting. Other groups such as the Negritos formerly dominated the highlands throughout the islands for thousands of years, but have been reduced to a small population, living in widely scattered locations, primarily along the eastern ranges of the mountains.
Upland and lowland indigenous groups are concentrated on western Visayas, although there are several upland groups such as the Mangyan living in Mindoro.
In the Philippines, the term ancestral domain refers to indigenous peoples' land rights in law.[12] Ancestral lands are referred to in the Philippines Constitution. Article XII, Section 5 says: "The State, subject to the provisions of this Constitution and national development policies and programs, shall protect the rights of indigenous cultural communities to their ancestral lands to ensure their economic, social, and cultural well-being."[13]
The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997 recognizes the right of Indigenous peoples to manage their ancestral domains.[14] The law defines ancestral domain to include lands, inland waters, coastal areas, and natural resources owned or occupied by Indigenous peoples, by themselves or through their ancestors.[15]
The Food and Agriculture Organization's research on forest land ownership in the Philippines found conflicts in institutional mandates among the Local Government Code, mining law and the National Integrated Protected Areas Act, and recommended exclusive resource use rights to community-based forest management communities.[16]
In the 2022 State of the Indigenous Peoples Address Report, the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center states that 1.25 million hectares of indigenous lands are threatened by destructive projects that will cause massive ecological disturbance, including biodiversity loss and air, water, and land pollution.[17]
Ancestral lands make up 13 million to 14 million hectares of the Philippines' lands area, including 5.3 million hectares of forest land.[17] More than 50% bauxite, nickel, and other mineral deposits in the Philippines are on ancestral lands, according to a 2022 estimate.[18]
The 1987 Philippine Constitution provides for recognizing and promoting indigenous learning systems under Article XIV, Section 2, Paragraph 1.[19] The Department of Education (DepEd) recognized community schools through the National Indigenous Peoples Education Policy Framework, signed by DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro in 2012.[20]
The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 incorporates the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Curriculum Framework, which promotes indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSP) and supports indigenous peoples' rights to an education that is culturally appropriate and responsive to indigenous educational, social, and environmental contexts.[21]
DepEd issued in 2014 the Guidelines on the Recognition of Private Learning Institutions Serving Indigenous Peoples Learners (DepEd Order 21 s. 2014), which recognizes Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) and the private and nongovernment organizations that provide culture-based education,[22] as well as Guidelines on the Conduct of Activities and Use of Materials Involving Aspects of Indigenous Peoples Culture (DepEd Order 51, s. 2014).[23]
In February 2016, the DepEd announced that it was opening 251 schools for 22 indigenous cultural communities in Davao, the Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao, and the Soccsksargen and Caraga regions. The schools will be able to take in 19,600 students. The DepEd will hire 583 teachers and will construct 605 classrooms would be constructed in partnership with the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) National Community-Driven Development Program.[24]
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