History of Ivatan People

The pre- and protohistoric Ivatan were a boat-making and seafaring people who lived by fishing,
hunting, and cultivating root crops, bananas, and sugarcane. They raised goats and pigs, used
Neolithic tools, pottery, and traded with the Taiwanese, Cagayanon, and Babuyanes. The
precolonial tribal community was headed by a mangpus and several mapolon. For security, they
lived near ijang, natural rock formations, which served as fortresses. Archaeological studies
show earthenware and man-made stone walls at ijang sites.

Intertribal hostilities in the Philippines involved men only and customary law prohibited the
harming of womenfolk. The islands were named after various historical figures, including Prince
William of Orange, Grafton Isle, and Monmouth Isle. In 1686, Father Mateo Gonzalez and
Father Diego Piñero arrived in Batanes, where they learned the Ivatan language. However, they
died, leaving Batanes without missionaries until 1720 when Father Juan Bel and Father Alonso
Amado reopened the Dominican mission. Over a hundred Ivatan were resettled, but many died
from disease and lack of food. In 1754, Father Vicente Garcia volunteered for the mission, but
died soon after. The Dominican Chapter of 1771 requested the king of Spain to establish a
government and assign a military detachment for Christianization.

In 1789, Governor Joaquin del Castillo ordered the Ivatan to abandon their traditional costumes
and customs and adopt Spanish ways. However, resistance arose, leading to the execution of
Aman Dangat and resettlement in Ivana. Most Ivatan settled in assigned lots, with textiles
imported from Luzon and prohibited abalorios. Caly canto churches were built around 1795, and
vernacular architecture was developed using lime-and-stone techniques. By 1830, Batanes had
19 casas de piedra (houses of stone).

In 1799, the Manila government downgraded the Batanes provincial government and appointed
Cagayano Valerio Bermudez as alcalde (governor). During this time, the Dominican
missionaries had the upper hand in governance and development work. Father Nicolas
Castaño, a priest-engineer-architect, built the Santo Domingo Church at Basco and wrote the
first known printed Ivatan text. Livestock raising was encouraged, with 13 carabaos, 304 cows,
107 oxen, 90 lambs, 51 sheep, 2,085 goats, 649 pigs, and 5 horses. The Ivatan lived peacefully
within resettlement towns, fenced by rasayan (low, peripheral walls). However, poor sanitation
and hygiene in the new compact settlements may have aggravated the health of the population,
leading to thousands of deaths. As the Spanish Empire lost its colonies to independence
movements in Latin America, Spanish functionaries like Jose Ma. Peñaranda were sent to
review patterns of local government and production. New civil officials were appointed, each
with their own idea of economic productivity plans. The Ivatan continued to rely on their
traditional resources and subsistence occupations of farming, fishing, and petty trade with their
neighbors in Northern Luzon.

In 1841, the Isabtang, who had been exiled in Ivana for half a century, returned to their home
islands and began cultivating their farms. In 1844, the Spanish government recognized the
reestablishment of Sabtang with Father Antonio Vicente OP as regular vicar. Vicente built
several churches and established a new municipality with civil officials. The Itbayat mission was
formally recognized by 1855, and the governorship was restored in 1855.

The growing business and trade in the Philippines led to an overflow of wealth into the
countryside, leading to the construction of stone schoolhouses and the construction of the San
Vicente Church in Sabtang. The Ivatan architecture also evolved, with many Ivatans finding jobs
in Manila and studying. Juan Castillejos, a key figure in the Philippine Revolution, became a
vital link between Batanes and the Katipunan.

In 1898, the Katipunero from Luzon, led by Rafael Perea, landed in Ivana and attacked the
Spanish governor. The Ivatan officials were taken prisoner, and elections for provincial and
municipal officials were held. Teofilo Castillejos won as governor, and the Ivatan officials
remained in Cagayan for over four months.

The Americans arrived in Batanes in 1900, and the province became a township under
Cagayan. The American public school system was established, and a campaign for health,
hygiene, and sanitation was launched, especially during the devastating cholera epidemic that
hit the province in 1902-1903.

In 1908, the Ivatan trade boat Alegria sank in the Balintang Channel, ending indigenous trade
with Luzon. Batanes became a province in 1909, with Otto Scheerer as the first governor. A
wireless telegraph tower and station were erected in Basco to maintain communication. A
provincial high school was opened in 1917, and in 1928, the Batanes High School graduated its
first six graduates. The province continued to rely on subsistence agriculture and fishing, with
cattle being raised for export to the Manila market.

In 1941, the Japanese invaded Batanes, bombing the Basco airport and destroying the wireless
telegraph tower. In 1945, the BISUMI Fighters Hunters ROTC attacked Sabtang, leading to the
Japanese capturing the town. Since then, contact with the rest of the Philippines has increased,
with improved infrastructure, media, radio communication, and the growth of the fishing industry.
The Batanes High School has become the Batanes National High School (BNHS), and the
Basco School of Arts and Trades was established in 1995.

Ivatan People Way of Life

Over 75% of the Ivatan labor force relies on agriculture and fishing for their livelihood, while the
rest work in the service sector. Cattle and garlic are the main agricultural exports, along with
camote, cassava, gabi, white ube, and sugarcane for palek and vinegar.Batanes, a province in
the Philippines, faces challenges in the fishing industry due to storage, preservation,
transportation, and outdated methods. The lack of a regular market for agricultural produce and
the absence of a central public market in six municipalities contribute to low productivity.
Agriculture is confined to small parcels of land along coastal flatlands and slopes, with flatlands
limited due to the mountains. The island's communication systems include the Radio
Communication of the Philippines Incorporated (RCPI) and the Bureau of Telecommunications.
Electricity generation is limited, and the country's first renewable power system was inaugurated
in 2004. Batanes has a low-to-moderate standard of living despite its 97% literacy rate. Distance
and bad weather also hinder economic growth, with certain commodities being 75 to 100%
markups on Manila retail prices. Typhoons periodically devastate crops and infrastructure, and
rice production is negligible. The people of Batanes have made reforestation of their kaingin
(swidden) farms a regular part of their farming route.

Traditional Ivatan Society

Traditional Ivatan society was hierarchal, with the village chief at the top and district subalterns
called mapolon. The community was called kumaidian, and slavery was common. Wealth
determined rank and dignity, and it was a point of honor for chiefs and principals to show their
riches through lavish feasts and displays of gold and silver. The Ivatan were governed by a
central authority based in Manila for over a century, followed by the Americans and Japanese.
Since World War II, the Ivatan has been governed as a local political unit under a centralized
republican form of government. Batanes has a lone congressional district, and each municipality
has a mayor, councilors, and barangay captain.

Ivatan Social Organization,

Customs and Traditions
The ancient Ivatan society was hierarchical, with the family serving as a stabilizing institution.
Children showed respect for their parents' authority and assisted in domestic chores, while boys
went fishing at sea and girls helped their mothers with household work. Ivatan girls were
expected to help in the fields when they came of age, digging up yams and camote for the
family's daily consumption.

The Ivatan were capable of fostering a strong sense of solidarity among themselves through the
habit of organizing mutual help groups, such as the kayvayvanan (cooperative work among 20
or more adult men and women). The traditional Ivatan work ethic includes the practice known as
payohoan (helping one another), which involves a group of 10 to 15 adolescent boys and girls
working together for 3 to 5 months.

Arranged marriage is the traditional custom among the Ivatan, but it takes time to prepare the
dowry. A young man who wishes to marry requests a trusted community elder to present his suit
to the girl's parents, and a ritual pre-wedding session is arranged.

A typical Ivatan-Christian wedding is marked by extravagance and much merrymaking, with

blessings from the bride's parents and feasting and dancing at the groom's house. Feasts
celebrated high points in life, and even when Christianity was introduced, the Ivatan did not
abandon their old ways but added Christian church ritual trimmings to traditional Ivatan feasts.
The Ivatan people buried their dead in large earthen jars called padapaday in sandy littoral
plains before the arrival of the Spaniards. Archaeological excavations in Dipnay Supuan, Batan,
suggest that the Ivatan placed the body of their dead inside two jars, each about 60 centimeters
high. Although tales of buried treasures have been circulating, it is unlikely that the treasures lie
in these grounds. The Ivatan believed in life after death, and buried tools, food, and earthen
pottery with their dead.

Religious Beliefs and Practices of

the Ivatans
The Ivatan religious consciousness consists of two types: indigenous pre-Hispanic beliefs and
the Christian world view influenced by the Roman Catholic religion. The most widely accepted
belief among the Ivatan is the anitu, which are invisible beings believed to have the power to
assume visible form at will. These spirits are associated with the nonmaterial world and are
referred to as sira u di a vuya (those who cannot be seen).

The Ivatan do not worship these spirits or invisible beings but respect them to avoid incurring
their ire. They practice rituals such as kapamivyay or mamivyay to keep alive the presence of
the anitu. They also recite formula prayers in exotic languages to obtain magical favors.

To avoid displeasure, animals must be butchered and a feast is offered in their honor. To get rid
of malevolent anitu, methods such as putting painted or wooden signs of the cross on dwellings,
sprinkling holy water, using blessed palm leaves, holy images, pictures, and crucifixes are used.

Human mediums like the mamihay deal with the anitu, possessing powers given by invisible
forces to be used against evil. They communicate with the spirits and have extraordinary
powers for retribution.

The Ivatan people believed in two souls on each side of the body, and when sick, one soul
wandered aimlessly. To bring it back, food and drink were offered. Dominican missionaries from
1783-1898 Christianized the Ivatan, using music, dance, and drama. Today, religious feasts
honor Dominican saints and the Catholic faith, coexisting with precolonial religious beliefs in
Batanes.

Ancient Ivatan Arts and Crafts

The Ivatan people were known for their rich body ornamentation, including gold jewelry and
beads, and blackening their teeth. Men were pierced with gold earring, and their children wore
these as a sign of wealth. Wealthier individuals were respected and authority, while losing
wealth led to esteem and obedience from their people. Women wore golden earrings,
necklaces, and beads, while men and women blackened their teeth with almond ground leaves
and rayi vine fruit. Gold was a significant medium of commercial exchange and personal
ornament in 17th century Batanes, and the Ivatan did not allow it to be buried with their dead.
Traditional gold ornaments included the maysanud, nidannug, padijit, rangat, and vinaay. The
gold tubelet chñamañji, similar to the nidannug or dinannug, was pricked from the inside to
achieve a textured appearance.
Boat making is an ancient Ivatan craft that has survived to this day, using techniques developed
by seafaring ancestors. Batanes is the only place in the Philippines where the banca is not
made, due to rough sea conditions. Ivatan basketry is distinctive, with batulang, yuvuk, kalapay,
pasikin, soot, and vakul being utility baskets made from nito. Religious art in Batanes, a
contribution of Spanish Catholicism, is evidence of a rich religious culture once in Ivatan life.
Religious objects were imported and served as models for Ivatan apprentices, who acquired
artistic skills that have become part of the Ivatan cultural heritage. Examples of religious statues
include the 19th-century Santa Catalina de Siena in Mahatao, Nuestra Señora del Rosario in
Sabtang, Jesus Nazareno in Sabtang, and the Nazareno in the cathedral in Basco.

Religious art in Batanes includes paintings, such as Santo Niño, Salvador del Mundo, and
tabernacles. Ivatan artistry is showcased in ornaments and sculptures, such as the 19th-century
Virgin statues in Sabtang. These gold-adorned statues feature bumbolya, aureole, royal crown,
and sunburst halo with stars. Devotees donate gold jewels on feast days.