The Philippines: Where to experience indigenous culture first-hand

Palm trees, Bombay Sapphire waters, coral gardens as vibrant as stands of tropical fruit... these are the things that tempt most visitors to the Philippines, the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. But beyond these paradisical images lie many indigenous cultures.

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands scattered across the Philippine Sea, on Asia’s eastern edge. Human remains have been found dating back at least 50,000 years, long before Austronesians began arriving, followed by Chinese traders. However, it was the Spanish who left an indelible mark. Arriving in 1521, they claimed the islands, named the colony for Prince Phillip and introduced their language and Catholic religion. The British briefly occupied Manila in the 1760s but the archipelago remained Spanish until the US took over in 1899. During the Second World War the Philippines was under Japanese occupation. It finally became independent in 1946.

However, despite centuries of conflict and colonialism, the original inhabitants’ way of life is still palpable. There are around 110 ethnic groups, speaking 170 languages. Indigenous culture is particularly strong on Luzon island, which is home to groups such as the Ifugao, Kankanaey and Kalinga. Even today, exploring Ifugao rice terraces involves perseverance and long bus rides across the Cordillera. These mountains – along with the Kalinga’s reputation as headhunters – meant its people resisted Spanish invasion.

“My family are Kankanaey,” says Elvira Masferré Sana, who runs Masferré Museum in Sagada; it’s dedicated to her late father, photographer Eduardo Masferré, who documented the tribes in the 1950s. “Men wore loincloths and women wore woven tapis,” explains Sana. These are still worn during begnas rituals.

Elsewhere on Luzon are groups of the land’s original inhabitants, the Negritos. These include the traditionally nomadic Aeta, known for their weaving, and the Agta,
characterised by their body scarification.

The Ati live on Panay, Boracay and Negros. It is thought they arrived from Borneo 30,000 years ago. Palawan and its neighbouring islands are home to the Palawano, who hunted with blowguns. It’s also where you’ll find the Tagbanwa, who traditionally wore clothes made from bark fibre. While mining, new roads and the exodus of young people to cities threatens the Tagbanwa way of life, they still catch fish with spears and build dwellings on stilts. Further south, Mindanao is home to communities including the Yakan, a collective of Muslim farmers and weavers originally from Indonesia.

Communities hold the key to the Philippines’ past, through long-held practices such as tattooing and storytelling. Today, Indigenous-owned businesses and guides keep their cultures alive by telling these stories. We just need to listen.

Six places to experience indigenous culture in the Philippines

1. The Cordillera

Make like the mountain people of northern Luzon and hike among 2,000-year-old Ifugao rice terraces. Five – Nagacadan, Hungduan, Mayoyao, Bangaan and Batad – are inscribed by UNESCO. As you trek among the mirrored staircases you’ll meet farmers and experience traditional village life. You can also make tapey rice wine and sleep in a 1930s Ifugao hut in Tam-awan Village, an artists’ community in Baguio city.

2. Sagada

Witness ancient customs by trekking to Sagada’s hanging coffins. Locals carry the dead on chairs to nearby cliffs and then transfer the bodies to coffins perched on precipices. Back in the village, stroll 15 minutes south to Demang and you may get to take part in a begnas ritual: Kankanaey bang gongs in a dap-ay (a circular gathering place with stone seats) as they sacrifice chickens, then analyse the entrails to ascertain spirits’ responses to queries.

3. Kalinga

The legendary Apo Whang-Od, also known as Maria, is a tattoo artist from Buscalan village in Kalinga province. Born in 1917 and valued for her traditional skills of tapping thorns or bamboo dipped in soot into skin, Whang-Od has been nominated for a National Living Treasure award. In the past, Whang-Od tattooed headhunters; today she tattoos travellers with three dots, although Kalinga men prefer semi-circular geometric patterns on their torso, and Ifugao sport scorpion motifs as they believe they give them special powers. Buscalan is a four-hour trek from Tulgao, which can be reached on a jeepney bus from Tinglayan

4. Panay

In a bid to preserve and promote Filipino culture, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) established the School of Living Traditions, which is now a nationwide programme with 13 centres. In each centre, local experts give classes and demonstrations in traditional skills. In the town of Tobias Fornier in Antique province, which wriggles down the western coast of Panay island, you can take a class in the Ati language or practice weaving dried buri palm leaves and nito vines into bags. 

5. Coron

Based mostly around Coron island, off the north coast of Palawan, the Tagbanwa live in huts made from bamboo, with a roof thatched from anahaw leaves. They still practice a traditional way of life, cultivating rice, corn and root vegetables, such as cassava and taro, which they supplement by hunting with blowguns. They also produce and trade metalwork, wood carvings and mats woven from rattan. To delve deeper into their culture, contact the social enterprise Red Carabao, which organises tours that benefit the Tagbanwa. 

6. Mindanao and around

Watch Yakan women weaving bold geometric patterns on backstrap looms and buy their work in Yakan Weaving Village, 7km west of Zamboanga City on the south-west tip of Mindanao island. If you’d like to learn more, hop across to Basilan island to take a class with a master weaver at the School of Living Traditions in Isabela City. 

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