Ati (tribe)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ati |
|---|
 Ati woman |
| Total population |
|
est. 2,000+ (1980: 1,500 speakers of Ati)[1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Boracay, Negros, Panay |
| Languages |
| Ati, Aklanon, Malaynon, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Filipino, English, others |
| Religions |
| Animism, Christianity |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Bisaya, Negrito, other Filipino peoples |
The Ati is a Negrito ethnic group in Panay, which is located in the Visayas, the central portion of the Philippine archipelago. They are genetically-related[2] to other Negrito ethnic groups in the Philipppines such as the Aeta of Luzon, the Batak of Palawan, and the Mamanwa of Mindanao. Currently, there population numbers only a few thousands and they suffer from discrimination due to their appearance.
Contents |
[edit] History
Like other Negritos, the Ati pre-date the Austronesians in settling the country and have been present since 30,000 BCE.
According to some oral traditons, they also pre-date the Bisaya, who now inhabit most of the Visayas. Legends, such as those involving the Ten Bornean Datus and the Binirayan Festival, tell tales about how the ancestors of the Bisaya escaped from Borneo and then settled in Panay, (then known as Anninipay), by buying the land from an ancient Ati king named Marikudo. This legend, though, is challenged by some historians.[3]
During the Spanish colonization, the tribe made contact with the conquistador Legazpi and were made useful in his colonization of Panay. This meeting is commemorated through the Ati-atihan festival.
Currently, the tribe is threathened due to encroachments in their territory, recently seen in Boracay. Other probems they face include discrimination.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Language
Unlike the Aeta of the north who speak Sambal languages, the Ati speak a Visayan language known as Ati. As of 1980, the speakers of Ati number at about 1,500.[1]
[edit] Religion
The Ati practice a form of animism that involves good and evil spirits.These spirits are nature spirits that often guards rivers, the sea, the sky, as well as the mountains. Sometimes, they can cause disease or comfort. The Ati from Negros call them as taglugar or tagapuyo, which literally means "inhabiting a place."
Today, less isolation and more contact with "outsiders" has led to some converting into Christianity.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Clothing
Like other Negritos in the country, clothing tends to be simple, with women wearing wraparound skirts, sometimes made out of bark cloth, and men wearing loincloths, locally known as "G-strings". Nowadays, the T-shirts, pants, and rubber sandals have infiltrated their society.
Jewelry is simple in nature. Some involve plants such as flowers, while others use animal bones, particularly the teeth of pigs.
[edit] Medicine
Ati are known in Panay as practitioners of herbal medicine. Locals often seek their help in removing leeches from a person's body.
[edit] Mobility
The Aetas are a traditionally nomadic people, with the Aetas of Panay being known as the most mobile, but are believed to have once lived in more permanent settlements, prior to their becoming nomadic.
[edit] Festivals
The Ati is the central attraction in the Ati-atihan festival, a festival named in their honor. It is said that the festival is held to commemorate the first appearrance of the Roman Catholic Church and the Spaniards, in the province of Aklan. According to oral tradition, the Ati helped the Spaniards conquer the native Bisaya and as reward gave the tribe a statue of the Santo Niño.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ati - A language of Philippines. Ethnologue. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
- ^ image from rafonda.com. rafonda.com. Retrieved on March 27, 2007.
- ^ Kalantiao - the hoax. Paul Morrow. Retrieved on March 26, 2007.
[edit] External links
| Philippine tribes |  |
|---|---|
| Aeta | Ati | Bajau | Igorot/Cordillerano | Lumad | Mangyan | Palawan tribes |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Andaman Islands | Andamanese: Great Andamanese (Aka-Bea, Akar-Bale, A-Pucikwar) · Jangil · Jarawa · Onge · Sentinelese |
| Malaysia | Semang |
| Myanmar | Taron |
| Philippines | Aeta · Ati · Batak · Mamanwa |
| Thailand | Mani |
