DE LEON, DWIGHT KENNETH H.

MODULE 3
2019100954 CE-3
ESE150-2_A74

Assignment 3: Indigenous People and the Environment

1. Identify any indigenous people or tribe in the city or municipality of your individual case
study. If there is none, look for the nearest province in your individual case study location
where an indigenous people or tribe is located. Show a picture of these group of people.

• The indigenous people that are residing near the city/municipality of my individual case
study are the Mangyans, which are residing in the island of Mindoro.

- A Mangyan tribe

2. Describe their population, language, livelihood and history.

• Mangyan people consists of the eight indigenous groups within the Mindoro province.
Their estimated population are around 280,000. The eight indigenous groups are known
as the Iraya, Alangan, Tadyawan, Tawbuid (also called Batangan), Buhid, Ratagnon, and
Bangon. These indigenous groups are all residing within Mindoro, each with its own
language and customs.
• Their language is mutually incoherent, and they use Hanunó'o script to write.
• Their livelihood are mostly peaceful due to the norms, values and practices that they
continue to follow to this day. They have an egalitarian social organization. Thus, they
have a peaceful nature that became the reason why most of them preferred to take shelter
in the hinterlands of the Mindoro province.
• Based on history, Mangyans were the only inhabitants of Mindoro where they move to the
mountains to avoid incursion of foreign settlers such as the Tagalogs, Spaniards and
Moro. In the latter, some of the Mangyans were divided into those who live in the North
where they live simply, while the Southern Mangyans grown their technological
advancement to their system of writing, as well as through weaving and pottery.

3. Determine any practice that they have relevant to natural resources and environment
(e.g. use of plants, animals, minerals, soil, or water for livelihood, rituals and other
cultural rites).

• Some of the practice that Mangyans used to do are to plant food and crops as their main
source of food and livelihoods. They sustain themselves by farming, such as sweet
potato, rice and taro. They also hunt small pigs and trap small animals. They also sell
some of their cash crops like bananas and gingers.

4. What do you think is the role of these indigenous people on our environment?

• Indigenous people like the Mangyans are a prime example of the agricultural people that
are utilizing the nature to sustain themselves, in a more natural way. They plant crops,
hunt animals, and believe in certain beliefs of the environment, which makes them value
the environment more. They are one of the groups of people that are most affected by the
ongoing pollution that are happening around us, because not only are the environment
important to them but for these indigenous groups the environment is their main livelihood
and tainting the environment by pollution affects them critically.

5. What lessons can you get or learns from the practices of the indigenous people towards
the environment?

• The lessons that I get from the practices of Mangyans towards the environment is that it
is okay to adhere to the primary natural ways and practices that we people need to nurture
ourselves. Many people are ambitious and wanted to have more technological
advancement through machines, motors and different kinds of technology, but as I’ve
learned the lifestyle of these indigenous groups have I learned that yes technology is
great, but there is nothing also nothing wrong of living without it as long as they are used
to it and they are sustaining themselves through their everyday lives.