Aeta peoplesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Aeta (pronounced as eye-ta,), Agta or Ayta are an indigenous
people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts of Luzon,
Philippines. They are considered to be Negritos, who are dark to
very dark brownskinned and tend to have features such as a small
stature, small frame, curly to kinky afro-like textured hair with a
higher frequency of naturally lighter hair color (blondism)
relative to the general population, small nose, and dark brown
eyes. They are thought to be among the earliest inhabitants of the
Philippines, preceding the Austronesian migrations. The Aeta were
included in the group of people termed "Negrito" during Spanish
colonial rule as Negritos. Various Aeta groups in northern Luzon
are known as "Pugut" or "Pugot," a name designated by their
Ilocanospeaking neighbors, and which is the colloquial term for
those with darker complexions. In Ilocano, the word also means
"goblin" or "forest spirit."[edit]History
see also History of the Philippines (pre-1521) The Aeta people
in the Philippines are Australo-Melanesians. Today other groups of
Australo-Melanesians are the Aborigines in Australia, Papuans and
theMelanesians of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia
etc. 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 neighbors, arrived
through land bridges that linked the country with the Asian
mainland about 30,000 years ago. Unlike many of their Austronesian
counterparts, the Aetas have shown resistance to change. The
attempts of the Spaniards to settle them in reducciones or
reservations all throughout Spanish rule failed. The Aeta are an
indigenous people who live in scattered, isolated mountainous parts
of the Philippines. Aetas are considered as the earliest
inhabitants of the Philippines, preceding the Austronesian
migrations. They are nomadic and build only temporary shelters made
of sticks driven to the ground and covered with the palm of banana
leaves. The well-situated and more modernized Aetas have moved to
villages and areas of cleared mountains. They live in houses made
of bamboo and cogon grass. Aetas are found in Zambales, Tarlac,
Pampanga, Angeles, Olongapo, Panay, Bataan and Nueva Ecija. But
because of the Mount Pinatubo eruption, some of them moved to
resettlement areas in Pampanga and Tarlac. Nel Mathiasan was the
first explorer to rule the Aetas. 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. The Philippines
affords them no protection. In addition, 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.[edit]Demographics
The life expectancy at birth of the Aeta is just 16.5
years,[1][2] with only a third of children surviving to adulthood
at 15 years[2][3] at which point life expectancy is still only 27.3
years.[2] Young women reach full adult height (average 140 cm) at
age 12 or 13.[1][2][edit]Culture
[edit]Language
All Aeta communities have adopted the language of their
Austronesian Filipino neighbors, which have sometimes diverged over
time to become different languages. These include, in order of
number of speakers,Mag-indi, Mag-antsi, Abellen, Ambala, and
Mariveleo.[citation needed][edit]Religion
There are different views on the dominant character of the Aeta
religion. Those who believe they aremonotheistic argue that various
Aeta tribes believe in a supreme being who rules over lesser
spirits or deities, with the Aeta of Mt. Pinatubo worshipping "Apo
Na". 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. 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 apig 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. In the mid-60s missionaries of the
American-based Evangelical Protestant mission group New Tribes
Mission, in their effort to reach every Philippine tribal group
with the Christian Gospel reached out to the Agtas/Aetas. The
mission agency provided education including pastoral training for
natives to reach members of their own tribe. Today, a large
percentage of Agtas/Aetas of Zambales and Pampanga are
Evangelicals.[citationneeded]
Jehovah's Witnesses also have members of the Aeta people. (See
1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's
Witnesses)[edit]Clothing
Their traditional clothing is very simple. The young women wear
wrap around skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, while elder men
wear loin cloths. 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. 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]Medicine
Aeta women are known around the country as experts of herbal
medicines.[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 modify 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.[edit]Music
The Aeta have a musical heritage consisting of various types of
agung ensembles ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or
held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone without any
accompanying melodic instrument.
Iriga City Profile
GeneralLand Area : 17,400 hectares (78% is Seasons : The city's
climate is tropical, with two spelled
Informationagricultural, 16% built-up and 6% forest area.
seasens: wet, from June to December; and dry, from January to
May.
Location : 478 kilometers south of Manila , Iriga is
strategically located in the Bicol region, situated as it is
between Naga in the North and Legazpi in the south. Terrain :
Iriga's topography varies from flat to rolling terrain with
elevation ranging from 10 to 60 meters with Mt. Iriga reaching
1,149 meters above sea level.
Natural Resources : Iriga is called the City of Springs , with
more than thirty natural springs providing a rich source of
drinking and irrigation waters. Its most prominent natural
landmark, Mt. Iriga , is a favorite mountain climbing destination
of local moutaineers and hikers.
UTILITIES CASURECO III
Iriga City is serviced by the government-owned National Power
Corporation (NAPOCOR) through the Camarines Sur Electric
Cooperative III (CASURECO III). It draws its supply from two
sources namely; The Barit Hydro- Electric Plant in the nearby
municipality of Buhi and Geothermal plant in Albay. Water
requirements are being provided by Iriga City Water District
(ICWD). The city, while knows as the city of springs, is only
utilizing three of its 22 natural springs, but the same are already
adequately providing the water needs of its constituents and of its
neighboring municipalities.
COMMUNICATIONS Providing modern communication facilities in
Iriga City are: Iriga Telephone Company, ICC-BayanTel, Digitel,
Smart, Mobiline, PT&T and RCPI. They extend state of the art
communication technology to local and international clients. To
link up with the Information Highway, internet providers and local
internet cafes are available in the city proper.
PEACE
and
ORDER
The Iriga City Philippine National Police has been awarded as
the "Best Police Station" for three consecutive years now, propping
its enviable position as the region's most peaceful city. The main
thoroughfares and streets are provided with streetlights,
contributing to the attainment of an ideal peace and order in the
city.
LABOR Iriga City's labor force numbers 50,949 which is 62.9% of
the total population. This consists of skilled, trained workers who
are highly disciplined with an excellent command and technical
English. With the presence of colleges, universities and Vocational
and Technical schools that contribute to the high literacy rate of
95.6%, manpower resources are more than adequate to meet the
manpower requirements for trained and highly effecient wokers.
DEMOGRAPHY IRIGA CITY has a total population of 88,893 (2000 NSO
Survey) with a growth rate of 1.81 per annum. The city has an
aggrerate of 17,061 household and an average household size of 5.21
persons per household. The city's population is a conglomerate of
Bicolanos, Tagalogs, Visayans, Pampangos, Ilocanos, Muslim and
foreigners and the dominant dialect is Rinconada.
POLITICAL
STRUCTURE
The City of Iriga is classified as third class by the Department
of Finance pursuant to Executive Order No. 249. Like any other
Local Government, Iriga City has both elective and appointive
officials, namely: The City mayor, Vice-Mayor, Sanguniang
Panglungsod members and appointive City Officials.
Physical Data
A. SOIL MAP
B. SLOPE MAP
C. GEOLOGICAL MAP
D. GENERAL LAND USE PLAN
G. EROSION MAP
E. ELEVATION MAP
F. ECO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS MAP