HISTORY

AND
CULTURE
OF ATI AND
WHERE DID ATI and tumandok CAME FROM?

 Human history started in the Philippines when

the first people arrived to the islands some
25,000 years ago. These indigenous peoples
are known by different names on various
islands, but the Spanish classified them
generally as “negritos” because of their dark
skin. In the western Visayas, the negritos call
themselves Ati and can be found primarily on
the islands of Panay, Guimaras and Negros.
 The Ati are the first people to call Panay Island
home. They are genetically related to other Negrito
ethnic groups in the Philippines such as the Aeta of
Luzon, the Batak of Palawan, the Agta of the Sierra
Madres and the Mamanwa of Mindanao.

 Ati and Tumandok are the original inhabitants of

Boracay island and were displaced in a 2.1-hectare
walled community when the island was developed
into a prime tourist destination in the early 2000.
 Throughout their history, hunting has also
played a significant role in the life of the Ati
people. Wild animals such birds, deer, pigs,
turtles, monitor lizards and wild cats.
CULTURE OF
ATI AND
TUMANDOK
 Tattooing used to be a widespread practice
and the prevalence of "skin-painting" led early
Spanish chroniclers to describe the Visayans as
"Pintados." The tattoos are called BATEK, and
they are pricked into the skin with a needle or
any pointed iron instrument dipped in an ink
made from the juice of the ripe fruit of the
vine langi'ngi.
 The TUOB is a ceremony performed for a
sick child by the medicinal practitioner. He/she
often uses beeswax and certain roots and plants
for medical purposes.

The act of courting is called PANGALUYAG.

From the age of fourteen, boys and girls think of
founding a family. A man courts in other
settlements since those who reside within one
community are usually related by blood.
 The most striking feature of Panay Bukidnon
culture is the persistence of ceremonies in every
facet of life. These ceremonies are associated
with the belief that the relationships between the
living and the spirits of the dead continue.
 
 Perla Moreno, one of the most knowledgeable
herbal medicine elders of the Ati tribe,
demonstrates how this particular plant can help
reduce a fever or headache.