Ratagnon

• Ratagnon


  One of the eight Indigenous groups of Mangyan in the southernmost tip of Occidental Mindoro and the Mindoro Islands along the Sulu Sea
• Ratagnon language


  Similar to the Visayan Cuyunon language, spoken by the inhabitants of Cuyo Island in Northern Palawan
• Ratagnon rituals and spirits

  • Mahal na Makaako - the Supreme Being
  • Binayi - the owner of a garden where all spirits rest
  • Binayo - a sacred female spirit, caretaker of the rice spirit
  • Bulungabon - the spirit aided by 12 fierce dogs
• Panagdahan


  Every January during the preparation of the farming they conduct the panagdahan through the offering of a black native pig using Tiwa or small woven tray, plate made of uway, nigo, or sandok made of bagto sukluban, bayongbong or gawaran, and pasok are used in taking water from the spring
• Mangyan Festival


  • Celebrated to acknowledge and give importance to the Mangyan constituency that comprises a significant section of the Mindoro's population and domain
  • Serves as a respect to the unique culture of the tribes displayed through dances, indigenous games, songs and folktales
  • Highlight is a street dancing competition participated by different schools
• Ratagnon dress

  Women wear a wrap-around cotton cloth and a woven breastplate made from nito vine

  Men traditionally wear loincloths or g-string, some have adopted jackets

  Both men and women wear rattan coils dyed red around their waistlines
• Ratagnon traditions

  • Oral literature - passing down stories, myths, and legends
  • Music and dance - using traditional instruments and performances
  • Craftsmanship - basket weaving, pottery making, woodworking
  • Rituals and ceremonies - related to agriculture, life events
  • Community bonding - gatherings, festivals, communal work
• Animism


  Ratagnon belief that all-natural objects, phenomena, and living beings possess spirits or souls
• Ancestor worship


  Ratagnon belief in the presence and influence of their ancestors' spirits in their daily lives
• Connection to nature


  Ratagnon belief in living in harmony with nature, practicing sustainable methods
• Shamanism and spiritual healing


  Ratagnon practice of shamans (mangngaray) serving as spiritual leaders, healers, and mediators
• The Ratagnon are located in the municipality of Magsaysay in Occidental Mindoro, with an estimated population of 17,562 scattered in around 200 settlements
• The Ratagnon language is nearly extinct, with only around 310 people speaking it out of an ethnic population of 2,000
• The Ratagnon language is adapting more Tagalog words and phrases, a process known as Tagalization
• The Mangyan Bamboo Collection from Mindoro, Philippines, circa 1900-1939, is now freely available online and preserves a historical record of the Mangyan script and literary tradition
• The Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program provided a Php 220,000-worth cassava granulator to the Ratagnon-Mangyan members of the Calachuchi Indigenous Farmers Association (CIFA) in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro
• The DA-SAAD Program also provided capability building on corn production and upland rice production training for the Ratagnon-Mangyan farmers in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro