Aeta
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The Aeta, or Atis, are an indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of the Philippines. Pronounced as “eye-ta,” this tribe is one of the most widespread ethnic groups in the Philippines. They are a dark brown to black skinned people who tend to be short in stature, small of frame, curly haired, small nosed and have large or small dark brown eyes. Aetas are considered by anthropologists as descended from Andamanese Islanders, and in general they are genetically distinct from most of the Filipino population. Genetic research shows that the Aeta are as far removed from peoples of African ancestry as Europeans are. [1]
The Aetas have adopted the language of their Austronesian neighbors. They are thought to be the first inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian migrations. [2]
The Aetas, similar to the Ati, became commonly known through Spanish colonial rule as Negritos. Various Aeta groups in northern Luzon are known as "Pugut" or "Pugot," a name designated by their Ilocano-speaking neighbors, and which is the colloquial term for those with darker complexions. In Ilocano dialect, the word also means "goblin" or "forest spirit."
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[edit] History
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The history of the Aeta continues to confound anthropologists and archaeologists. One theory suggests that the Aeta are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines who contrary to their sea-faring Austronesian-speaking neighbors arrived through land bridges that linked the country with the Asian mainland about 30,000 years ago. Unlike many of their Austronesian-speaking counterparts, the Aetas have shown resistance to change. The attempts of the Spaniards to settle them in reservations all throughout Spanish rule failed.
Scientific research on the indigenous populations isolated on islands like those in South East Asia (Fiji, Japan), New Guinea, and Australia has shown many similarities to the way human beings adapted and evolved in a closed environment very similar to Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
Mining, deforestation, illegal logging, and slash-and-burn farming has caused the indigenous population in all parts of the Philippines to steadily decrease to the point where they number in the thousands today, but unlike the federal laws granting Native Americans land and protection, the Philippines affords them no protection, but this is just as well, as the Aeta have become extremely nomadic due to social and economic strain on their culture and way of life that had previously remained unchanged for thousands of years. The Aeta have no sense of money or land ownership and sometimes can be seen camping out in city parks or panhandling although this is done out of boredom rather than out of a need for food or money.
While resisting change from the other society for hundreds of years, the Aetas have adjusted to social, economic, cultural, and political pressures with remarkable resilience; they have created systems and structures within their culture to cushion the sudden impact of change.
[edit] Religion
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There are different views on the dominant character of the Aeta religion. Those who believe they are monotheistic argue that various Aeta tribes believe in a supreme being who rule over lesser spirits or deities. The Mamanua believe in the supreme “Magbabaya” while the Pinatubo Aeta worship "Apo Namalyari."
The Aetas are also animists. For example, the Pinatubo Aeta believe in environmental spirits such as anito and kamana. They believe that good and evil spirits inhabit the environment, such as the spirits of the river, sea, sky, mountain, hill, valley, and other places. The Ati of Negros island call their environmental spirits taglugar or tagapuyo, which literally means "inhabiting a place." They also believe in spirits of disease and comfort.
No special occasion is needed for the Aeta to pray, although there is a clear link between prayer and economic activities. The Aeta dance before and after a pig hunt. The night before Aeta women gather shellfish, they perform a dance which is partly an apology to the fish and partly a charm to ensure the catch. Similarly, the men hold a bee dance before and after the expeditions for honey.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Clothing
Their traditional clothing is very simple. The young women wear wraparound skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, while elder men loincloths. The old women of the Agta wear a bark cloth strip which passes between the legs, and is attached to a string around the waist. Today most Aeta who have been in contact with lowlanders have adopted the T-shirts, pants and rubber sandals commonly used by the latter.
[edit] Practices
The Aetas are skillful in weaving and plaiting. For example, the Mamanuas produce excellent winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers.
Women exclusively weave winnows and mats. Only men make armlets. They also produce raincoats made of palm leaves whose bases surround the neck of the wearer, and whose topmost part spreads like a fan all around the body.
[edit] Art
A traditional form of visual art is body scarification. The Aetas intentionally wound the skin on their back, arms, breast, legs, hands, calves and abdomen, and then they irritate the wounds with fire, lime and other means to form scars.
Other "decorative disfigurements" include the chipping of the teeth. With the use of a file, the Dumagat – another sub-tribe who belong to the Aeta family - mutilate their teeth during late puberty. The teeth are dyed black a few years afterwards.
The Aetas generally use ornaments typical of people living in subsistence economies. Flowers and leaves are used as earplugs for certain occasions. Girdles, necklaces, and neckbands of braided rattan incorporated with wild pig bristles are frequently worn.
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