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8/13/2019 studies in Philippine languaguages and cultures.pdf
We w i sh t o e x p r e s s o u r a p p r e c i a t i o n t o t h e A g ta p e o p l e o f C a ga ya n
e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e m u n i c i p a l i t i e s of G a t t a r a n and P e n ab l an c a f o r t h ewelcome a nd h o s p i t a l i t y e x t e nd e d t o u s t o s t u d y t h e i r l a ng u ag e and c u l t u r e
and f o r t h e i r e a ge r ne s s t o s h a r e t h e i r f o l k l o r e e x p e ri e n c e s and o t h e r
i n t e r e s t i n g c u l t u r a l t r a i t s some of which c o n s t i t u t e t h e b a s i s of t h i s
volume. We a r e in d eb t ed t o Mr. Dona to S a lb ino M r Buldo Tagayun M r
Andas S impl ic io M r Pedro Cababag and M r Edw ardo M o n d i ja r f o r t h e i r
v a l u ab l e a s s i s t a n c e i n pr o vi d in g th e o r a l d i s c o u r s e s f o r r e co r di n g a nd /o r
t h e i r e x p l an a t i on of v a r i o u s l i n g u i s t i c o r e t h n og r ap h ic f e a t u r e s n ot
o bv io us i n t h e w r i t t e n t e x t s . W a l s o owe a g r e a t d e b t t o D r and Mrs.
A l an H e a le y o f t h e Summer I n s t i t u t e o f L i n g u i s t i c s who p r o v i d e d u s w i t h
t h e i r own i n v a l u a b l e r e s e a r c h m a t e r i a l s f ro m t h e same l a ng u ag e and c u l t u r e :
t e x t s a d i c t i o n a r y a p u b l i s h e d gram mar a nd u n p u b li s h e d e t h n o g r a p h i c
no te s a l l o f which we have on l y been ab le t o s upp lemen t . The r e s p ons i -b i l i t y h ow ev er f o r a ny e r r o r s o r o mi ss io ns i n t h e t e x t s a n a l y s i s n o t e s
o r a p p e n d i x e s s our own.
8/13/2019 studies in Philippine languaguages and cultures.pdf
The e l e v e n t e x t s p r e s e n t e d h e r e w er e c o mp i le d a nd a n a l y z e d f o r t h e p u rp o se
o f p r e se r v in g ev id en ces o f th e C e n t r a l C ag ay an Agca c u l tu r e and l an g u ag e .
The t e x t s w er e c o l l e c t e d o v er a t h i r t y - y e a r p e r i o d , by D r . and Mrs. Alan
Hea ley d u r in g 19 55 -5 7, an d th e p r e sen t co mp i le r s d u r in g 1 95 8-85 , u n d er th e
a u s p i c e s of t h e Summer I n s t i t u t e o f L i n g u i s t i c s .
I n t h e f i r s t t e n t e x t s t h e morpheme b re a ks a r e i n d i c a t e d . ( I n t e x t 11 n o t
a l l morpheme b reak s a r e in d i ca te d . ) The n umbers o f th e e th n o g rap h ic and
l i n g u i s t i c n o t e s c o r r e l a t e w i t h t h e numbers of t h e s e n te n c es i n t h e
i m m e d i a t e l y p r e c e d i n g t e x t i n w hi ch t h e w or ds d i s c u s s e d a r e t o be f ou n d.
F ou r g e n r e s of t e x t s a r e i n c l ud e d : f o u r n a r r a t i v e , two h o r t a t o r y , two
f o l k l o r e , a nd t h r e e p r o c ed u r al . I t w i l l be o b se r v ed t h a t t h e p r o c e d u r a l
t e x t s a r e n o t s t r i c t l y p r oc e du r al i n t h e u s u a l s e ns e . R a th e r, t h e r e is a
f a i r amount o f n a r r a t i v e o r h i s t o r y mixed i n . We p e r c e i v e t h e r e as o n f o r
t h i s t o b e t h a t A g t a s, who a r e a n o r a l s o c i e t y , a r e n o t a cc us to me d t o
a b s t r a c t i n g p ro ce du re fro m r e a l - l i f e c o n t e x t s . R a t h er , t h e i r d e v i c e s f o r
memory a r e i n o r a l f e a t u r e s , s u c h a s r hy th m and d i a l o g ( s e e Ong 1 9 8 2 ).
The Agta l an g u ag e i s a member o f t he Malayo-Polynesian (A ust ron esi an) g roup
o f l a n g u a g e s s po ke n t h r ou g h ou t t h e P h i l i p p i n e s . More s p e c i f i c a l l y , i t i s
r e l a t e d t o t h e I b a n a g la n g ua g e s f o un d i n t h e C aga yan V a l l e y . I t i s
a p p r o x i m a t e l y f i f t y p e r c e n t c og n a te w i t h t h e m ai n I b an a g l a ng u ag e a s w e l l
a s w i t h I l o c a n o ( H ea l ey 1 9 6 0: l ) .
The phonemes of Agta are : a , X b , d , e , f , g , h , i k , 1 m n , n g , o , p ,
r s t u , v , w y , z , a nd ( g l o t t a l s t o p ) . The v o we l s a a nd a r e mid
c e n t r a l an d l ow c e n t r a l r e s p e c t i v e l y i n t h e phoneme c ha rt , l her; i s a l s o a
c o n s i d e r a b l e d e gr e e of f r e e f l u c t u a t i o n b et we en h a nd r We h ave fo un d th a t
a l l fo rm s o c c u r r i n g w i t h r may a l s o be p ronounced i ns te ad wi th h ; however ,
t h e r e v e r s e i s more r e s t r i c t e d . G l o t t a l s t o p i s w r i t t e n o n l y i n onsonant
c l u s t e r s . T h er e a r e no v ow el c l u s t e r s i n t h e l a ng u ag e ; h en ce c o n ti g u ou s
v ow e ls i n t e x t m us t be p ro no un ce d w i t h a n i n t e r v o c a l i c g l o t t a l .
(Morphophonemic changes oc cu r between con tig uou s vow els , between vowel and
co n s o n an t , an d b e tween co n n ec t i n g co n s o n an t s ; t h e p a t t e rn s of morpho-
phonemic change a r e de sc r i be d i n Appendix C .)
The A gta a r e a P h i l i p p i n e N e g r i t o m i n o r i t y p e op l e l i v i n g i n t h e c e n t r a l
r e g i o n of C a ga ya n P r o v i n c e i n t h e n o r t h e a s t e r n p a r t o f t h e i s l a n d o f Lu zo n,f ro m t h e C aga yan R i v e r on t h e w es t t o t h e f o o t h i l l s o f t h e S i e r r a Madre
m o u nt a i n s on t h e e a s t , a nd f ro m t h e n o r t h e r n b o un da ry o f L a l l o m u n i c i p a l i t y
t o c e n t r a l P en ab la nc a m u n i c i p a l i t y i n t h e s o ut h. M i g r at i o n i n t o P en ab la nc a
h a s b ee n o n l y v e r y r e c e n t , s i n c e e a r l y 19 84 . A n ot he r s m a l l group has been
l i v i n g i n t h e e x tr e me n o r t h e a s t c o a s t a l a r e a n e a r t h e towns o f Sa n ta Ana
a nd San V i c e n t e , a l t h o u g h N e g r i t o s i n t h i s a r e a p r i o r t o 1 98 1 b el on g t o a
d i f f e r e n t l an gu ag e g ro up r e f e r r e d t o i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e a s E a s t er n Cagayan
Agta.
Th e re h as n ev e r b een a c o mp l et e d o f f i c i a l c e n s u s o f t h e C e n t r a l Cagayan
Agta. However , t e n t a t i v e surv ey s made i n 1957 by Alan Healey and Dick Roe
o f t h e Summer I n s t i t u t e o f L i n g u i s t i c s ( u n p u b l i s he d d a t a i n S IL s u r v e yf i l e s ) r e s u l t e d i n a n e s t i m a t e of a b o ut s i x h un dr ed Ag ta s ( s e e a l s o H ea le y
8/13/2019 studies in Philippine languaguages and cultures.pdf
1 9 6 0 : l ) . D u ri n g 1979-80 t h e p r e s e n t c o m p i l e r s h ad r e g u l a r c o n t a c t w i t h
a b o ut two h un dr ed A gt as l i v i n g i n t h e m u n i c i p a l i t y of G a t t a r a n on a t h r e e -
h u nd r ed -h e ct a re c i v i l r e s e r v a t i o n f o r m i n o r i t y g r o up s , p a r t i c u l a r l y A gt as .
I t s ee ms r e a s o n a b l e t o a ss um e t h a t i n t h e o t h e r m u n i c i p a l i t i e s w he re A gt as
t r a d i t i o n a l l y l i v e d t h e r e w er e more t h an a n o t h e r f o u r h un dr ed .
A gt as h av e t r a d i t i o n a l l y l i v e d a seminomadic l i f e s t y l e . M a r r ia g e a l l i a n c e s
g i v e them r e a s on t o t r a v e l e x t e n s i v e l y t hr ou gh ou t t h e i r l an gu ag e t e r r i t o r y
and sometimes even beyond i t They may remain f o r days or even months a t a
t i m e . E v er y f a m i l y , h ow ev er , h a s a t e r r i t o r y w hi ch t c o n s i d e r s l u g a r mo u r p l a c e ' w he re t h e y know e v e r y d e t a i l o f t h e f o r e s t , i t s s t r e a m s ,
s p e c i f i c t r e e s , h i l l s , e t c . , and where t he y have i n t i m a t e t ra d i n g
r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h lo wla nd f ar m er s l i v i n g a r ou nd t h e f r i n g e s o f t h e
f o r e s t s . f a m i l i a r a r e a may b e a b o ut o ne h un dr ed s q u a r e k i l o m e t e r s , a nd
v i r t u a l l y a n y s p o t n o t b e i ng l i v e d on o r u se d f o r f a r mi n g may b e s e l e c t e d
a s a b u i l d i n g s i t e f o r a s ma l l community of one t o s i x hous es . Community
s i t e s may c h an g e two o r t h r e et i m e s
a y e a r a nd e v en b e r e v i s i t e d d e p en d i ngupon t h e fo rm o f a c t i v i t y t h a t i s i n s e a s o n f o r m ak in g a l i v i n g . P l a n t i ng
an d h a r v e s t s e a s on s f o r t h e l ow la nd f a rm e rs w i l l f i n d t h e A gt as l i v i n g
n e a rb y i n o r d e r t o t a k e a d va n ta g e of work i n t h e s e a c t i v i t i e s . S l a c k t i me s
f o r l o wl an d f a r m e r s w i l l f i n d t h e Agtas l i v i n g c l o s e r t o o r i n t h e F o r e s t s ,
h u n t i n g o r g a t h e r i n g r a t t a n an d o t h e r s a l a b l e pr o d uc t s wh ic h t h e y t r a d e f o r
r i c e o r s e l l i n t h e m a rk e ts .
P r i o r t o 1 97 8 we knew of n o l i t e r a t e A gt as ( s e e a l s o He a le y 1 9 6 0 : l ) . T hr ee
s e p a r a t e l i t e r a c y c o ur s e s c on du ct ed d u r i n g 1978-84 r e s u l t e d i n t h i r t y - f i v e
p e rs o ns a c q u i r i n g v a ry i ng d e gr e es o f l i t e r a t e a b i l i t y i n t h e i r own la ng ua ge
a n d some a b i l i t y t o b r i d g e i n t o t h e I l o c a n o l a n gu a g e. Of t h i s number t w e l v e
became t u t o r s f o r b eg i n n e r s i n t h e l a t e s t c ou r s e ( 1 98 4 ). At p r e s e n t two oft h e s e t u t o r s o r l a y t e a c h e r s a r e em plo ye d by t h e D e pa rt m en t o f E d u c a t i o n .
C u l t u r e and S p o r t s t o a s s i s t i n a p i l o t pr og ram of m o bi l e s c h o o l s f o r Ag ta s
i n b a r r i o A gug gu da n, P e n a b l a n c a .
T r a d i t i o n a l l y , A gt as h av e b ee n c o n s i d e r e d n o n - C h ri s t ia n s a s a c u l t u r a l
mi no r i ty . However , s i n ce 1967 a number have embraced a P r o t e s t a n t Form of
C h r i s t i a n b e l i e f i n r es po ns e t o p o r t i o n s o f t h e C h r i s t i a n S c r i p t u r e s
t r a n s l a t e d i n t o t h e i r l an gu ag e. v i a b l e C h r i s t i a n community now e x i s t s
which i s c o m p le t e ly i n di g en o us i n n a t u r e , m a in ly i n t h e m u n i c i p a l i t i e s of
P e n a b l a n c a a nd G a t t a r a n . O v e r a l l , a p p r o x i m a t e l y o ne h un d re d p e o p l e h av e
i n d i c a t e d i n o ne way o r a n o t h e r t h a t th e y no l o n ge r a d h e r e t o a n i m i s t i c
r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s o r r i t u a l s d ue t o t h e i r co nv er si on t o f a i t h i n God andt h e t e a c h i n g s of t h e C h r i s t i a n S c r i p t u r e s .
8/13/2019 studies in Philippine languaguages and cultures.pdf