The Hanunoo-Mangyan. Society, Religion and Law among a Mountain Peopte of Mindoro Island, Philippines

254 Pages·2016·23.33 MB·English

by  Masaru Miyamoto.

THE HANUNOO-MANGYAN
Society, Religion and Law among
a Mountain Peopte of Mindoro Island, Philippines
by
Masaru MIYAMOTO
National Museum of Ethnology
1988

PREFACE
During the course of this research project on the folk culture of the Hanunoo-
Mangyan in Oriental Mindoro, the Philippines, I have been helped and encouraged
in myriad ways by numerous individuals and institutions.
Among the countless individuals who helped me, I would like to especially
thank Professor Eikichi Ishikawa, Professor Seiichi Muratake and Professor
Makio Matsuzono of the Tokyo Metropolitan University, who have constantly en-
couraged me in the study of social anthropology and enabled me to bring this study
to its conclusion in this form.
I am also indebted to all those individuals whQ made this study possible:
Assistant Director Alfredo E. Evangelista and Dr. Jesus T. Peralta of the National
Museum, Manila, who helped me not only institutionally but personally whenever I
was in the Philippines for fieldwork; Professor F. Landa Jocano of the University
of the Philippines, who made special arrangements for the fieldwork in 1973 and
1974; Fr. Antoon Postma, S.V.D. of the Mangyan Research Center, Mansalay,
who kindly invited me to stay in Panaytayan, generously guided me to the study of
the Hanunoo-Mangyan folk culture, and kindly checked the final draft of this
study; two great anthropologists, the late Fr. Frank Lynch, S.J. (my adviser when I
was a graduate student of Ateneo de Manila University, in 1969 and 1970) and the
late Dr. Robert B. Fox, a former curator of the National Museum, Manila, who
directed my academic interest to the study of Philippine folk cultures; Director-
General Tadao Umesao and Professor Kom,ei Sasaki of the National Museum of
Ethnology, Osaka, who'generously permitted my frequent absence to do research in
the Philippines; and Professor Yasushi Kikuchi bf Waseda University, who gave me
advice regarding fieldwork in the Philippines.
Many other individuals have assisted me in one way or another to bring this
work to its conclusion: Professors Toichi Mabuchi, Masaji Chiba, Harold C. Con-
klin (Yale University), Jean Frisch-Kitahara, S.J., Mikiharu Itoh, Takuji
Takemura, Wilfredo F. Arce (Ateneo de Manila University), Masatoshi Konishi,
Yoshimichi Someya, Kyoko Kikuchi, Norma Respicio (University of the Philip-
pines), Shuji Yoshida, Teruo Sekimoto, Ken-ichi Sudo, Kazuyoshi Nakayama, and
Yasunori Yamamoto.
It is diMcult to single out all of the many individuals who helped me in the
Philippines, but I wish to specifically acknowledge the assistance of Mr. & Mrs. Hec-
tor del Rosario, Mr. and Mrs. Gualberto Lumauig, Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Dizon,
Mr. Romeo Sy, Dr. & Mrs. Danilo Labitan, and their families, Mr. Rogelio
Panganiban, Ms. Cecilia Tolentino, and Mr. Shigeru Oki. In the mountains of Min-
doro I am deeply indebted to countless Hanunoo-Mangyan friends who taught me a
great deal about their splendid culture, putting up with my silly questions. I would
iii
iv Preface
like to show my special thanks to the late Alpog, Gihitan, Bugtong, Miro, Umbos,
Yam-ay, and'all other friends there.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those individuals who
have patiently helped me in the actual preparation of this publication: Professor
George Isted of the International Buddhist University, Osaka, who kindly spent
time reading earlier drafts and correcting my English, Ms. Maria Lucita Alfaro-
Agcaoili who painstakingly typed and copied my original drafts and Mr. Koji
Yoshizaki and Mr. Takashi Nakagawa of the National Museum of Ethnology, who
supervised the final preparation of my manuscript for computer typescripting, And,
last but not least, I would like to thank Professor Junkichi Watari of the Bunka
. Women's University, Tokyo, for his generous dedication in drawing the draft of the
charts and maps in the draft of this study.
All these persons contributed to the strengths of this study; the weakness and er-
-.
rors are mme.
The fieldwork on which this study is based was supported primarily by the
Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan. The fieldwork conducted in
1984 and 1985 was supported by the Japan Foundation. Without this financial sup-
port my research among the Hanunoo-Mangyan would not have been possible.
Masaru Miyamoto
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE.......................................................................... iii
LIST OF MAPS ................................................................... viii
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................. viii
LISTOFTABLES................................................................ ix
LISTOFPLATES................................................................ ix
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION................................................................ 1
II. THEORY AND METHODOLOGY ......................................... 5
1. Theory of Axial Family-Line ................................................ 5
2. TheoryofWorldView ........................................................ 7
3. EthnographyofLaw........................................................... 9
4. Ethnographic Studies on the Mangyan Groups ......................... 11
5. FieldworkTechniques ......................................................... 13
III. THE HANUNOO-MANGYAN: GENERAL ASPECTS ............... 18
1. The Setting ...........................................................････････..･･ 18
2. Research Sites ................................................................... 22
3. Housing and Clothing ......................................................... 23
4. Food and Subsistence ...........................･･･････････････････････････････ 29
5. Life Cycle.........................................................,............... 32
IV. SOCIALORGANIZATION.................................................. 36
1. Introduction...................................................................... 36
2. Social View ....................................................................... 36
3. KinshipTerminology .......................................................... 41
3.1. Terms for consanguineal kin ........................................ 41
3.2. Terms for athnal kin ................................................... 46
3.3. Terminological principles of kinship ............................... 47
4. SocialGroups.................................................................... 50
4.1. Family and household ................................................. 50
4.2. Aggregates of households: the settlement and the local com-
mumty ..................................................................... 55
4.3. The caseofHawili ..................................................... 56
v
vi The Hanunoo-mangyan
5. Leadership and Family-Line ......................................... ...... 60
5.1. Leadership in the socio-political context ..................... . 60
5.2. Panudlakan: ritual planter ofthe first rice seeds ....... ..... 64
6. Composition and Orientation of Hanunoo-Mangyan Society ....... 65
V. RELIGIONANDWORLDVIEW........................................... 72
L Introduction..,................................................................... 72
2. Supernaturals ...........................................････.......･･..･･････-･･･ 72
2.1. Humansouls............................................................. 72
2.2. Evil spirits ................................................................ 74
2.3. Spirits for sorcery ...................................................... 76
2.4. Spirits for mediums .................................................... 78
2.5. 0ther spirits .............................................................. 81
2.6. Rice spirits ................................................................ 82
3. Rituals Regarding Death ...................................................... 83
3.1. The world of the dead ................................................. 83
3.2. Deathwatch............................................................... 84
3.3. Burial rites ................................................................ 85
3.4. Prayer for exorcism of evil spirits .................................. 91
3.5. Pasaka: release from prohibition ................................... 91
3.6. Panhugatan: the ritual and feast for temporal invitation to
the soul Of a deceased ................................................. 92
3.7. The rites and feast for the secondary burial ..................... 93
3.8. Subsequent offerings ................................................... 98
4. Rituals Regarding Agriculture ............................................... 99
4.1. The world of rice spirits .............................................. 99
4.2. The rite of the first rice-seed planting ............................. 99
4.3. The rite of rice planting ............................................... 102
4.4. The rite of harvesting (1): ritual binding of rice stalks ........ 104
4.5. The rite of harvesting (2): the feast ................................ 106
5. The Rites of Restoration ........,............................................. 107
5.1. Drought and rites for rain ............................................ 107
5.2. Thunder and lightning ...,............................................. 107
5.3. Violation of incest and marriage rules ............................ 108
6. Living-Space and World View ............................................... 110
6.1. The settlement and the forest ........................................ 110
6.2. This world and the other world ..................................... 114
6.3. Human, animal and living-space categories ...................... 116
7. Illness and Culture ............................................................. 121
7.I. The concept of `illness' ............................................... 122
7.2. Classification of illness ................................................ 122
7.3. Cases ofillness .......................................................... 124
Contents vii
7.4. Consideration ............................................................ 126
VI. CUSTOMARY LAW AND SOCIAL CHANGE ......................... 128
1. Introduction...................................................................... 128
2. Some Aspects of Mangyan Law ............................................ 129
2.1. The concept of `Mangyan Law' ..................................... 129
2.2. Basic categories of ofl;ense ............................................ 130
2.3. Punishment ............................................................... 133
3. Traditional Methods of Conflict Management .......................... 138
3.1. Courses of action for conflict management ...................... 138
3.2. Private means ............................................................ 138
3.3. Public means ............................................................. 140
4. Litigation .......................................................................... 140
4.1. Identification of `litigation' .......................................... 140
4.2. Description of litigation ............................................... 142
4.3. 0rdeals .................................................................... 148
5. Attributes ofaJudge .......................................................... 151
5.1. Judges in the Hanunoo-Mangyan region ......................... 151
5.2. Requirements forajudge ............................................. 151
5.3. Religious background .................................................. 155
5.4. Succession to the position ofajudge .............................. 159
5.5. Relations amongjudges ............................................... 166
6. Socio-Cultural Significance of the Legal System ........................ 168
6.1. The significance of litigation ......................................... 168
6.2. Cultural roles ofjudges ............................................... 169
7. Dispute Cases .................................................................... 170
7.1. Data on disputes ........................................................ 170
7.2. Disputes due to insult ................................................. 174
7.3. Disputes due to violence .............................................. 182
7.4. Disputes due to impolite behavior ............................. 186
7.5. Disputes due to theft .................................................. 187
7.6. Disputes due to problems regarding marriage ................... 190
7.7. Disputes regarding farmland and plants .......................... 191
7.8. 0ther dispute cases ..................................................... 195
7.9. Summary....,............................................................. 198
8. Recent Changes ................................................................. 198
8.1. Destruction of forests ................................................. 199
8.2. A.new system: the barrio and the barangay ..................... 200
VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ･-･--."m"."...""".".""."". 204
APPENDIX: DISPUTE CASES IN HAWILI AND PANAY-
TAYAN ............... ............ 207
--}-------t{-------d---t------
viii The Hanunoo-mangyan
GLOSSARY ........................................................................ 222
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................ 225
INDEX ..........,................................................................... 235
ILLUSTRATIONS
LIST OF MAPS
1. Map ofthePhilippines .......................................................... xiii
2. Schematic map of the distribution of mountain peoples on Mindoro
Island................................................................................. xiv
3. Hanunoo-Mangyanregion...................................................... 19
4. a. Approximate locations of research sites and their surroundings.
b. Generalized transect of the principal biotopes from the Town of
Mansalay to Pamaytayan .................................................... 20
LIST OF FIGURES
1. The outside ofatypical Hanunoo-Mangyan house ...................... 24
2. Main parts ofthe framework ofaHanunoo-Mangyan house ......... 24
3. Classification of people and social distance ................................ 40
4. Diagram of Hanunoo-Mangyan terms for consanguines ................ 47
5. Explicit Hanun6o principles in reckoning kinship (after Conklin) ... 49
6. Diagram of Hanunoo-Mangyan terms for aMnes ......................... 49
7. A case of inheritance: Ilig and the families of his children ............. 52
8. A schematic diagram of the geographical setting of Hawili ............ 57
9. Households, settlements and genealogy in Hawili in 1974 .............. 59
1O. Succession to the position ofpanudlOkan .................................. 64
11. Composition of Hanunoo-Mangyan society as an aggregate of local
cult groupings ...................................................................... 66
12. Diagram of the living-space in relation to the Hanunoo-Mangyan
cognition of the world ........................................................... 116
13. Payment of fines forpanayakan andpapagawan ......................... 132
14. Fine forpapasal?an............................................................... 132
15. Four basic units of length of beads for fines ............................... 134
16. Courses of action for conflict management ................................ 139
17. Case of Amit vs. Huwan ........................................................ 145
18. Genealogy of prominent judges ............................................... 160
19. Succession to the knowledge of Mangyan Law: cases of Alpog and
Akdag ................................................................................ 163
20. Succession to the knowledge of Mangyan Law: cases of Anday,
Taytay and Yawi ................................･･･････････-･･････････････････････ 163
21. Succession to the knowledge of Mangyan Law: cases of Kuri and
Contents ix
Gihitan ............................................................･ 164
.-----------------
22. Case of Bunbon vs. Ferrer .................................... 168
----------}------
23. Case of Awnan vs. Talad ..................................... l75
t{---t-----------
24. Latent tensions with parents-in-law and siblings-in-law 177
------}--e-------
25. Case of Bunbon vs. Yaniw ................................... 177
.-----------t-----
26. Case of Yahan vs. Miling ..................................... 180
.--------------t--
27. Case of Bilog vs. Binayaw .................................... 181
.---------i-------
28. Case of Umbos vs. Lighom and Berto .................... 186
--te-------------
29. Case of Usting (Manay) vs. Naning ........................ 188
'-----------------
30. Case of Buyayaw vs. Linaw .................................. 191
.---------}--e----
LIST OF TABLES
1. Ilig's goods and property inherited ........................................... 52
2. Beads required for incest in Wasig ........................................... 110
3. Domestic animals and forest animals ........................................ 118
4. Classification of illness by a herbal doctor ................................. 123
5. Content of fines in Wasig ....................................................... 136
6. Content of reimbursement and meals requested as punishment in
Wasig ................................................................................. 137
7. Identification of `litigation' ..................................................... 141
8. Judges in the Hanunoo-Mangyan region .................................... 152
9. Prominent former Hanunoo-Mangyanjudges ............................. 155
1O. Succession to the knowledge of Mangyan Law ............................ 162
11. Succession to the magical power ofjudges ................................. 165
12. Classes of disputes ................................................................ 171
13. Characteristics of disputes in Wasig (1976-1984) .......................... 173
LIST OF PLATES
1. A Hanunoo-Mangyan decorated with fragrant leaves on his upper
arms, participating in a feast ..................................,................ Xl
2. Kilapnit, a settlement in Wasig ................................................ Xll
3. Exhumation of human bones at a grave .................................... Xll
4. Hanunoo-Mangyan traditional dress: the man is wearing a loin-cloth
and a shirt, the woman is dressed in an indigo-dyed skirt and a
blouse .............................･･..･･･････････････････････････････････････････････ 27
5. Weaving using abackstrap loom .............................................. 28
6. A cross-design embroidered on the back of a blouse .................... 28
7. The leader of Manihala, holding a thin rope with knots, used to keep a
record of residents and aMliated persons ................................... 68
8. Evil spirits in the form of men, drawn by young Hanunoo-Mangyan
boys.......................････････････････････････････････････････････････････････････ 75
9. The stones of the daniw spirit (right) and the pamara? spirit (left) .. 78
x The Hanunoo-mangyan
10. A bamboo cofEin containing the corpse of a small boy, hung above the
ground .."m.."".."."....""...""."."".."...""."""..."..."...."" 87
11. A fence around the `grave house' ............................................. 89
12. Items placed on the grave fence ............................................... 89
13. Ash on-a banana leaf, being examined by the participants ............. 90
14. People gathering at the houseyard of a deceased person, to participate
in the ritual and feast for the exhumation of bones ..................... 94
15. Apanugkutkatan arranging the exhumed bones .......................... 95
16. Young participants to observe the exhumation of bones, from around
thegrave.........,................................................................... 95
17. Exhumed bones dressed in the Hanunoo-Mangyan traditional style
.."..""".""..""""."""...."""".""......".""""...."".". 96
18. The special meal with the bones of a deceased person at the `bone
house' ""."m"""."."."""m""".".".""."."m.."..."...".""." 96
19. The participants waiting in the houseyard for the meal ................. 98
20. The ritual paraphernalia for rice planting, placed in a swidden ...... 103
21. A participant in a litigation counting the amount of beads given as a
fine ..""".".""".""."".""...".".".."...".....".""..".m"."""" 148