Aeta of the Negritos

Geography

Considered to be part of the Negrito ethnic group and are thought to be among the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines. Aetas were originally located in the forest areas of Mount Pinatubo but they were forced to leave and relocate to the nearby regions due to the volcano’s massive eruption in 1991 [1]. Aeta indigenous groups are usually divided into three main groups based on location: some Aeta from Central Luzon, Agta of Eastern Luzon, and the Dumagat/ Dumaget of Southern Luzon. Usually, these three names can be changed interchangeably [2].

Worldview

Skills and Occupation
Most Aetas are nomadic hunter-gatherers who also engage in swidden agriculture and slash-and-burn farming or kaingin as well as honey-gathering process called namumukyutan/namumunay. They also have an immediate-return system for the food resources they’ve gathered.
Shared Values
Within tightly knit communities. Aetas share prominent values such as ‘paglingon sa pinanggalingan’, use of herbal medicine, sharing, pursuit of education, determination, and industriousness, which help them to survive.
Belief systems
Aetas are monotheistic and are animist, believing in and trusting their God they call Apo Namalyari. they also believe in spirits causing illnesses treatable by a ritual called ud-udung performed by herbolario or soothsayer.
Views on Land
Aetas refused to leave Pinatubo during its eruption because relocation would mean violation of their rights to their ancestral lands and domains which could devastate their culture and further need to their extinction.

Material Culture

Languages
All Aeta communities have adopted the language of their destination Filipino neighbors such as: Mag-indi, Mag-antsi, Abellen, Ambala, Mariveleño
Clothing
The traditional clothing of Aetas is very plain. Young women wear wrap-around skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, what older men wear loincloths.
Material and Products
The Aeta are naturally skilled in weaving winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers.
Medicinal Knowledge
Aetas are considered experts of herbal medicines, some of which are subusob, sahagubit herbal tea, and barbaraniw extract.

Social and Cultural Organization

Newly married children builder dwellings near their parents’ house and work on their father's farm for a while and are later assigned to a lot to farm for their family’s needs and become independent.
In a typical Aeta household, the spouses get up early - the husband goes to his farm before sunrise, the wife takes care of the children and housekeeping tasks. When their children have grown, a mother can work in the field with her husband making housekeeping the task of the older daughters.

Issues Confronting the Group

Some of the issues and problems that Aetas experience are the following:
- Aetas belong to the marginalized sector of the country and are displaced because of the destruction of their homelands due to illegal logging and mining.
- Some Aeta students experience verbal bullying, fear towards their teachers, language barrier, low self-esteem, and academic pressure.
- Some Aetas Experience abuse and violence, even inflicted sometimes by authorities themselves.

Media

An infographic of the contents here about the Aeta by Charles Cordial and Leandrei Sagun - University of the Philippines Baguio

References

1. Acaba J. (2008). The Aetas’ Relocation and Their Struggle for Survival. Philippine Population Review, 7(1), 85-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/MGM047.
2. Allingham, R., 2021. Assessment of Visual Status of the Aeta, a Hunter-Gatherer Population of the Philippines (An AOS Thesis). [online] PubMed Central (PMC). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC264443/
3. Briosos, F., 2021. FAQ. [online] Aeta Tribe Foundation. Available at <https://www.aetatribes.org/faq.html>
4. Datu R., 2021. Aetas fed human excrement, beaten by Army – Sandugo. [online] Rappler. Available at: https://www.rappler.com/nation/aetas-fed-human-excrement-beaten-army-sandugo
5. Espirito, J. A. 2018. Lievlihood Resources, Practices and Values of Aetas in Mid-Baytan – Implications to Education and Community Development. KNE Social Sciences, 3(6), 659-681. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v316.2412
6. Grey, E., 2016. Cultural Beliefs and Practices of Ethnic Filipinos: An Ethnographic Study. IRA-International Journal of Management & Social Sciences (ISSN 2455-2267), 3(3), pp.740-743.
7. Harrow J., 2005. Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom: Psychological Heaing Practices From the World’s Religious Traditions. Counseling and Values, 50 (1), pp. 78-79
8. Rogayan Jr., D. V. (2019). Dilemmas encountered by Aeta students in a state university in Central Luzon, Philippines. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 1(5), 233-239. https://doi.org/10.22161/jhed.1.5.3
9. Veldeavilla, R., 2021. The Aeta: The First Philippine People. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/hilippines/articles/the-aeta-the-first-philippine-people/