Zambales
ZAMBALES RAINFOREST & ITS PEOPLE
Zambales Rainforest forms a biogeographic zone along the eastern edge of Zambales Province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. It extends to the sea in the north, forming Lingayen Gulf , home to the Hundred Islands National Park. To the south, the mountains also extend into the sea, forming the Bataan Peninsula, which encloses the Manila Bay. This natural harbor is considered to be one of the best natural ports in East Asia, due to its size and strategic geographical location.
Biodiversity
The Zambales Rainforest has long been known for its natural beauty and biological diversity. Some 61 endemic plants species have been found, of which 39 are endemic to Mt. Pinatubo alone.
About 50 species of moss thrive in the thick moss forests that were once considered impenetrable. These forests have long been famed for their valuable tropical hardwoods, and today produce some of the most prized orchids in the international flower trade.
At one time, the area abounded in native deer species but these were wiped out during the colonization period due to deerskin trade with Japan and China. Now the principal mammal species are monkeys, bats, including pygmy fruit bat, and various rodents including a newly-discovered member of the tweezer Rhynchomy´s family.
Southern Zambales near Subic is the largest roosting refuge for bats in the world. The Subic jungle forest is popularly known for its virgin forests which are regularly visited by tourists and enthusiasts.
The town of Balincaguin in Eastern Zambales, now known as Mabini means “home of bats” in the native Zambales language.
The two largest bats in the world, the Golden-crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) and the Giant Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus), find their most important roasting ground in southern Zambales near Subic,
As might be expected in a rainforest region, Zambales is home to dazzling variety of insects including many rare butterflies. At Subic, a tourist spot known as the “Butterfly Garden” showcases an enclosed butterfly farming exhibit.
While some areas of the vast Mt. Pinatubo watershed are still biologically sterile, most regions have recovered since lahar flows stopped in 1997. Aquatic ecosystems including fish, vegetation, insects, algae, crustaceans and the like have returned.
With standing freshwater swamps and pools, Zambales is a paradise for reptiles and amphibians. At one time, frogs and snakes constituted the most important source of protein for some indigenous people living here.
Zambales western seacoast is an important marine conservation area with sea turtle nesting areas and mangrove forests. To the east, just south of the sister volcano Mt. Arayat are the Candaba wetlands, a major nesting area for migratory birds in the Philippines.
Source: http://www.ecologyasia.com
Indigenous People
Pronounced as “ita,” this tribe is one of the most widespread ethnic group in the Philippines. They are mountain people who are dark skinned, short, small of frame, kinky haired, snub nosed, and have big black eyes.
Various Aeta groups have been differentiated in curious ways. For example, one group in northern Luzon is known as “Pugut” or “Pugot,” a name designated by their Ilocano-speaking neighbors, and which is the colloquial term for anyone with dark skin. In Ilocano dialect, the word also means “goblin” or “forest spirit.”
An Aeta group may resent a name coined by non-Aeta groups or neighbors, especially when they consider the given names insulting. Because the majority of Filipinos look down on their dark color, some groups resent being called “Aeta.”
On the other hand, the term “baluga” is acceptable to some Aeta groups since it means “hybrid,” akin to the positive connotation of “mestizo” for lowlanders.
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 arrived through land bridges that linked the country with the Asian mainland about 30,000 years ago. These migrations may have occurred when the Malay peninsula was still connected with Sumatra and other Sunda Islands. At that time, the islands of the Philippines may have been connected and may be the reason behind the Aetas´ wide population distribution.
The Aetas have shown resistance to change. The attempts of the Spaniards to settle them in reservations all throughout Spanish rule failed.
While resisting change from the other society for hundreds of years, the Aetas have adjusted to social, economic, cultural, and political pressures with remarkable resilience; they have created systems and structures within their culture to cushion the sudden impact of change.
Since the latter half of the 20th century, however, the Aetas have been declining in number. Their very existence has been threatened by problems brought about by other people and by nature. Poverty-stricken lowlanders, seeking food, have encroached on forest lands, displacing the Aeta. The flora and fauna needed for Aeta survival are no longer available due to forest depletion. Disasters like the Pinatubo eruption destroyed and buried most of the Aeta ancestral lands.
There are different views on the dominant character of the Aeta religion. Those who believe they are monotheistic argue that various Aeta tribes believe in a supreme being who rule over lesser spirits or deities. The Mamanua believe in the supreme “Magbabaya” while the Pinatubo Aeta worship “Apo Namalyari.”
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. The Ati of Negros island call their environmental spirits taglugar or tagapuyo, which literally means “inhabiting a place.” They also believe in spirits of disease and comfort.
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 a pig hunt. The night before Aeta women gather shellfish, they perform a dance which is half an apology to the fish and half a charm to ensure the catch. Similarly, the men hold a bee dance before and after the expeditions for honey.
The Aetas are also skillful in weaving and plaiting. For example, the Mamanuas produce excellent winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers.
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.
Their traditional clothing is very simple. The young women wear wraparound skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, while elder men loincloths. 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.
A traditional form of visual art is body scarification. The Aetas intentionally wound the skins 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 – another sub-tribe who belongs to the Aeta family – mutilate 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.
Source: http://www.globalpinoy.com
