Characteristics of the Dumagat tribe

Dumagats said their tribe’s name was derived from the word “dagat” or sea. Their ancestors used to live along
the coastal stretches of neighboring Quezon province. But when Filipino homesteaders arrived in their area,
they were pushed farther and farther into the mountains, and eventually dispersed in small groups. The
Dumagats generally possess the physical traits of the Negrito race, with dark brown to black complexions, curly
hair, thick lips and a flat nose.

They have 3 types of Dumagat Tribe the Agta, Dumagat and the Remontado Dumagat Tribe. Agtas are
characteristically short, dark-skinned, kinky-haired, thick-lipped, and small-nosed. Their traditional clothing is
tapis (skirt) for women and bahag (breechcloth) for men. Breastfeeding mothers wear uban, a piece of fabric
slung from the shoulders. Most men scar their bodies, using various designs that have been passed down to
them by their ancestors. Today, most Agtas have abandoned their tribal attire for “civilized” clothes.

Dumagat tribe consists of sub-tribes because they are located in various hillsides and mountains of different
provinces. the Remontadong Dumagat situated in a small area in one of the Sitio’s in Rizal. the Remontados,
identified as a Negrito ethno linguistic group, derive their name from the Spanish verb remontar, meaning, to
flee to the hills‖, to frighten away‖ or go back to the mountains‖. These indigenous peoples (IPs) are said to be
the

descendants of lowlanders who opted to live in the mountains to avoid subjugation by the Spaniards.
Subsequently, they intermarried with the Negrito groups. Also referred to as Dumagat, they prefer to call
themselves taga-bundok (from the mountains) or magkakaingin (those who practice kaingin).i
Getting to know the Dumagat Tribe

 Livelyhood - according to Domingo Cruz, one of the elders of the Dumagat tribe said they have trouble
on socializing with other people that they don’t share a common trait/interest resulting having being
looked down by other people. The only thing that they interact was the forest that they lived in.ii

The Dumagats are one of the major groups of indigenous people living in the Southern region. They are
only about 30,000 in total that are livin in Sierra madre. The large volume of this tribe can be found at
the town of General Nakar. Some of them can be spotted in three municipalities of Polilo islandiii

The Dumagats depend on farming, kaingin (orchard farming or slash-and-burn agriculture), paid labor,
vending logs and other forest commodities as livelihood. Secondarily, they rely on fishing, hunting
animals, gathering crops and other natural bounties for survival. Loan dependence (usury) has reduced
many of them to dismal poverty. Dumagats before are nomadic people, they stay for a while in a place,
build their temporary house and get their food from natural resources around them through hunting and
gathering crops in the wild. After the sources are depleted, they move in another place to gather again
food in the wild. They don't know how to cultivate soil for multi-cropping and no sustainable living.
They wear G-string for men and skirts wrap around the body for women. Dumagats before are animists
and their belief is differ from person to person. They have their own language used among themselves.
They did not have wedding ceremony but a simple conversation only between two parties during a
union.iv

The Culture of the Dumagat tribe

The Remontado are fond of music. They sing during feasts, gatherings and ceremonies. The beautiful passages
of their ilda (song) in rhyme are sung while walking, during work, or as they rest after the harvest while
drinking a locally purchased wine called lambanog. Songs are sang to celebrate their young’s baptismal, or
when they pay their last homage to their dead. Love songs or kundimans are accompanied by guitar. Fandango
is a must in every feast.

Social Organization of the Dumagat Tribe

 Marriage - Noval-Morales (2015) said that intermarriage with non- Remontado is not popular since the
group members, said to be shy and passive by nature, are not comfortable living with the banyaga or
settlers. The indigenous group practices monogamy and often, endogamy. Their term for marriage is
pagbabalae, which is performed by parental arrangement. Child betrothal occurs when the children are
still young. As soon as the children reach puberty, the girl’s parents ask for the bilang or bride price (in
1937, the boy’s family would pay the amount ranging from 10 to 100 pesos). In addition, clothes for the
bride as well as food and working animals for her parents are provided. During the wedding ceremony,
the bride dresses in the house of one of her nearest kin. The bridegroom than fetches her and they walk
together to the woman’s residence. As they parade, the relatives of the bride kneel to them, asking for
rice and wine. When the couple reaches the house, an old man officiates at the wedding ceremony by
counseling them. He would loudly advice the couple to act maturely and leave behind their childish
ways. Moreover, he would express pity for the couple since they now have to leave their respective
parents to live independently. He tells them to offer their parents food and buyo (betel) in the future.
After the counseling, the parents of both parties declare them husband and wife. Currently, those who
are poor do not practice these rites anymore. Parental consent to live together is sufficient. There are
cases of separation due to adultery, although this very seldom happens. There are documented instances
of individuals remarrying after separation. The offending party returns the bilang and all the expenses
incurred during the wedding ceremony. Death is a possible consequence if this is not achieved.v
  Birth and Baptism - traditionally, children are born in the house of the parents. The husband assists the
midwife, usually an old woman, while the wife gives birth in a squatting position. The husband’s
presence is required during the labor; otherwise, as believed, the wife will have a difficult delivery.
Customary baptism is called pagbubuhos. This event is officiated by an old, respected man. He pours
water on the head of the baby who is then given a small amount of salt. The parents themselves choose
the godparents or ninong/ninang for their child.
 Death and Burial – the Remontado believe in life after death. The term bibit refers to the spirit of the
dead, which returns after the physical body expires. Traditionally, there are no cemeteries for the
departed. When a person passes away, he or she is buried in the same location where he/she died. Thus,
the house that used to be occupied by the deceased is burned. A burial ceremony is undertaken by an
elder man who recites explanations for the burning of the house so the dead will not haunt the living. He
also offers food and betel as the deceased’s share. Mourners sing the dalet (song for the dead) for nine
successive nights. Social changes and acculturation have altered this burial practice. While previously,
the body was wrapped in a mat, it is now laid in a wooden casket. Then the family and kin of the
departed hold a wake for one to two (1-2) days, after which the body is brought to a distant hill where a
cemetery is located.

The Impact of the Kaliwa-kanan Dam on the Dumagat Tribes

The findings of the study indicated that while the proposed resettlement package seemed suitable for non-
indigenous (Tagalog) settlers in the project area, it did not address all the issues and potential damages to the
Dumagat and Remontado peoples affected. These include the inundation of ancestral landmarks, spiritual
symbols and burial grounds, abrupt change of livelihood and housing systems and practices closely connected
with the land.

Two broader policy concerns raised were the question of ancestral land rights, and the loss of indigenous
expertise on the biodiversity of the area, which was then only beginning to be appreciated.
The Dumagat tribe opposes the construction of the dam

The new Centennial Water Source Project (NCWSP) threatens the ancestral domains of Dumagat-Remontados,
an ethnic tribe in Quezon and Rizal provinces. The Kaliwa Dam Project, the first part of the NCWSP, was
mentioned by President Benigno Aquino III in his 4th SONA. Aquino then said, "According to some studies,
there may be a shortage of water in Metro Manila by 2021. We will not wait for a drought: The solutions that
experts have studied assiduously, we have already approved the Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, and the repair
of the lines of Angat Dam." The P18.72-billion project aims to provide Metro Manila with a second source of
water in preparation for increasing water demand. The megacity currently gets 90% of its water from a single
source – Angat Dam in Bulacan.

The Kaliwa Dam Project is under the Public- Private Partnership Program of the Aquino government. It will be
built on the Kaliwa River in Pagsangahan village in General Nakar, Quezon. The dam is set to be constructed
within the ancestral domain of the Dumagat-Remontados, a 164,000-hectare area covered by a Certificate of
Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) approved in 2008, said Calzado. (Conchita Calzado, member of a Dumagat-
Remontado people’s organization, SAGIBIN.)

More than 1,400 families will be affected by the dam. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
(MWSS), who has opened the project for bidding, assured the families that they will be relocated. But Calzado
opposes the proposal, saying relocation threatens the tribe.

“Hindi kami papayag na ililipat dahil naniniwala kami na kung lilipat kami sa kinalalagyan namin ngayon para
kaming ililibing na sa lupa na hindi namin alam. Dahil yung aming kultura, lalo na sa katutubo, ay hindi na
naming pwede gawin sa paglilipatan sa amin,” she told Rappler.vi

Learning about the Indigenous People

The Philippines is slowly losing its forest cover and has to cope with an influx of mining activities in the
uplands. Furthermore, demand for land and natural resources continue to rise with the unabated migration of
lowland families into the mountains. Thus there exists a very volatile mix of stakeholders who are in a very
strict competition for the limited resources of the uplands.

Many categorizations of indigenous peoples in the Philippines are possible, but for purposes here a fairly
conventional one employed by the Episcopal Commission on Tribal Filipinos (ECTF) will serve. ECTF
estimates that there are approximately 6.5 million indigenous peoples, composing about 10 percent of the total
Philippine population and belonging to over 40 distinct ethno linguistic groups, which can be grouped in the
following, the various non-Muslim tribal peoples found in virtually every province of Mindanao (2) the Peoples
of the Cordillera (3) various other, widely scattered tribal peoples of the hinterlands of Central and Southern and
including the various "Negrito" groups (Dumagat, Agta, Batak, etc.) In some parts of the country, intermarriage
between Tribal Filipinos and lowland Filipinos and, as suggested above, the length of residence of at least some
"lowland" Filipinos in hinterland areas are factors confounding efforts to specify unambiguously who is and
who is not an "indigenous Filipino."vii

Disempowerment of Indigenous communities

The access of local communities and Indigenous groups over land, seas and natural resources has gradually
decreased and become limited while control over the same have been partially or completely been transferred to
non-traditional resource managers led by the state and at times private individuals and entities including NGOs.
In most cases, local and Indigenous communities have been completely disempowered where the dominant
societies have been successful in imposing other resource-use and tenurial arrangements through legal decrees
or at times by physical force and occupation of traditional territories.viii

As can be expected, this has resulted into extreme poverty and further deepening the societal divide, the
propensity of conflict has increased more because of the tremendous population growth that the country has
seen in the last couple of decades. The continuing demand for land and access to natural resources in order to
support the domestic demand and western economies has had a dramatic impact on the country’s environment
Medium and large-scale corporate mining and conflicting laws governing natural resources continue to be major
problems that indigenous peoples face in their communities. The free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
process is being manipulated in favor of mining corporations.ixThe presence of military personnel and
investment defense forces in mining areas has limited indigenous peoples’ freedom to work in their lands and
caused indigenous children to drop out of school. Indigenous human rights defenders are being harassed and
killed there have been 76 documented cases of killings of indigenous human rights defenders from 2010 to
2016. Environmental degradation caused by mining has resulted in health problems, significant reduction of
agricultural production, water pollution and decreased fish catch.

There continues to be a serious lack of data on the number and distribution of indigenous peoples in the
Philippines. Although an ethnicity variable was included in the 2010 census, official data has yet to be released
by the national government and, in cases where regional offices have released their disaggregated data,
credibility of the results and enumeration methodology have been questioned. Preliminary data presented by the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show an indigenous population of 8 million, which constitutes a drastic
and unrealistic reduction of 6 million from the population estimate of 14 million by the National Commission
on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

Defining the Muyong System

According to Butic and Ngidlo (2003), the Ifugao mountain ranges called pugu or duntug are predominantly
covered by privately or clan-owned forests that are collectively termed as muyong.x

The muyong system can be viewed from different perspectives, either as a forest conservation strategy, a
watershed rehabilitation technique, a farming system or an assisted natural regeneration(ANR) strategy. While
the system can be viewed from different perspectives, the role of culture in the development and continued
maintenance of the system is pervasive
Muyongs were generally described by the key informants as a traditional land-use zoning system that is usually
placed along mountain peaks down to mid-slopes. These woodlots are also sources of their fuel wood, wood for
house construction and various edible fruits such as the areca nut (Arecacatechu).

Muyong System as the new way of conservation of Forest

Indigenous practices in the woodlot and watersheds collectively known as muyong in Ifugao communities. Data
were obtained through focus group discussions and key informant interviews with selected local farmers in
Kiangan and Hungduan municipalities in Ifugao province. The recognition of the mutual connections between
forests and rice terraces as a traditional belief is deeply ingrained in the heart and mind of Ifugaos. This tradition
promotes sustainable forest management as expressed in their respect to customary laws pertaining to land
rights, adoption of upland cultivation practices following soil and water conservation principles, stand
management to promote ample supply of wood and fuel wood, and biodiversity protection. However, these
knowledge systems are slowly disappearing due to the changing needs and interests of the indigenous peoples
as well as the proliferation of government programs to modernize farming technologies. Hence, the
government, NGOs and other concerned stakeholders need to continuously support programs in order to protect
the aesthetic and traditional value of the Ifugao landscapes.

The muyong is a major component of the production system serving as the primary recharge zone. It provides
stable supply of water to the other components of the production system. The quality of terrace cultivation and
the condition of the entire watershed area depend on the water that is coming from muyong. Ifugaos are
responsible for the proper management of muyong for the sustain-ability of the cultivation system.

Traditional Forest Conservation

Forests, and the people who depend on them, are under enormous pressure worldwide. Deforestation in many
parts of the world continues at an alarming pace, the result of agricultural conversion for food and industrial
crops such as oil palm, livestock production, mining, and energy and industrial infrastructure development.
Forest degradation is even more widespread, leading to more gradual losses of biodiversity, forest structure,
ecological functioning, and provision of ecosystem services. xi Biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution,
water shortages, and environmental conflicts lessen the capacity of forest landscapes to provide the
environmental goods and services that underpin food security and other basic human needs. Faced with these
problems, and considering their origins, many question whether the science and technology that currently
shapes our lives and the management of natural resources is up to the task of building a truly sustainable future.
Perhaps, as Albert Einstein suggested: ‘The world as we have created it, is a process of our thinking. It cannot
be changed without changing our thinking.

Conservation of Forest Process

The production of sufficient food for an increasing global population while conserving natural capital is a major
challenge to humanity. Tree-mediated ecosystem services are recognized as key features of more sustainable
agro ecosystems but the strategic management of tree attributes for ecosystem service provision is poorly
understood. Six agroforestry and tree cover transition studies, spanning tropical/subtropical forest zones in three
continents, were synthesized to assess the contribution of tree cover to the conservation of biodiversity and
ecosystem services.xii Loss of native earthworm populations resulted in 76% lower soil macro porosity when
shade trees were absent in coffee agriculture. Increased tree cover contributed to 53% increase in tea crop yield,
maintained 93% of crop pollinators found in the natural forest and, in combination with nearby forest
fragments, contributed to as much as 86% lower incidence for coffee berry borer. In certain contexts, shade
trees contributed to negative effects resulting from increases in abundance of white stem borer and lacebugs and
resulted in 60% reduction of endangered tree species compared to forest. Managing trees for ecosystem services
requires understanding which tree species to include and how to manage them for different socio-ecological
contexts. This knowledge needs to be shared and translated into viable options with farming communities.

i
https://www.academia.edu/36593905/Remontadong_Dumagat_of_Rizal
ii
D. Claire. (2012). Living on mountain top, Dumagats finally connected to world of letters. Retrieved February
20, 2018, from GMA News Online. Quezon City, Philippines.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/261580/living-on-mountain-top-dumagats-finally-connected-
to-world-of-letters/story/?fbclid=IwAR3bh5FmNwal5wK3r1Mg-
ALqpiIwcNJkeZCZesILc6C_kOlBmZqyOX6aodI
iii
E. Dennis. (2003). Dumagats: A People's Struggle to be Free.(3)https://www.bulatlat.com/news/3-34/3-34-
dumagat.html?fbclid=IwAR2wHDtgJUtU5yf-qMrV0sMm6ByGCobXkB_i9vx_OfkuFff1nauAhB3ygVo
iv
(2011, August 5). Retrieved Febuary 2018, From GO Philippines: The Dumagat Tribe in Luzon
https://noypicollections.blogspot.com/2011/08/dumagat-tribe-in-
luzon.html?fbclid=IwAR29QRSAGilbWwaNEYfD2wvYkpiOHrj2ER1sXM8hocnaTQc2SLU7hOL0Vqs
v
Noval-Morales, D. Y. (2015, April 30). The Remontados of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Retrieved February
20, 2018, from National Commission for Culture and the Arts:
https://ncca.gov.ph/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-communities-and-traditional-arts-
sccta/northern-cultural-communities/the-remontados-of-the-sierra-madre-mountains/

vi
Ranada, P. (2015, July 20). Indigenous people groups oppose Aquino legacy dam projects.Retrieved February
20, 2018, from Rappler: https://www.rappler.com/nation/99890-indigenous-peoples-oppose-new-centennial-
water-project

vii
E. James (1994). INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, ANCESTRAL LANDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE
PHILIPPINES.Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-
survival-quarterly/indigenous-peoples-ancestral-lands-and-human-rights?fbclid=IwAR0lhOLiNg5-
GSykZDJkfD48mQ_5POKtzt9oSPTN4l0sqHIwvI6P_H81s0Y
viii
T. Lynette.(2016).INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE PHILIPPINES:PERSPECTIVES ON INCLUSION.
http://www.globi-observatory.org/indigenous-peoples-in-the-philippines-perspectives-on-
inclusion/?fbclid=IwAR3vseUXITYYppGHRSCXsPo_dnYY967bzFI5q1YoL__Y3vr8w6LawvWC4Hg

ix
(2016) Situation of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines: Submission to the 59th Session of CESCR.
http://www.tebtebba.org/index.php/content/383-situation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-the-philippines-submission-
to-the-59th-session-of-cescr#_ftn2

x
C. Leni, G. Dixon, C. Antonio, C. Sofronio,.(2016). Indigenous knowledge and practices for the sustainable
management of Ifugao forests in Cordillera, Philippines. Cordillera, Philippines, International Journal of
Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21513732.2015.1124453

xi
C.Leni, C. Youn-Yeo, (2016). Traditional knowledge for sustainable forest management and provision of
ecosystem services. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21513732.2016.1169580?src=recsys

xiiB, Edmundo (04 Dec 2017) - Contribution of trees to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services
in agricultural landscapes. Retrieved From:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21513732.2017.1399167?src=recsys

http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/people/ethnic-groups-in-the-philippines/agta-casiguran-dumagat/
Ana, D. S. (2012, October 5). Life of the Dumagat Tribe. Retrieved February 20, 2018, fromJar-U: The News
Container: http://jar-u.weebly.com/features/life-of-the-dumagat-tribe

Oz, A. (2014, February 14).THE IMPACT OF THE KALIWA-KANAN DAM ON THE DUMAGAT AND
REMONTADO OF TANAY, RIZAL. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from The Ecology of Things:
https://amihanoz.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/the-impact-of-the-kaliwa-kanan-dam-on-the-dumagat-and-
remontado-of-tanay-rizal/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235931417_Traditional_forest_conservation_knowledgetechnologies_
in_the_Cordillera_Northern_Philippines#pf2