Aetas History

AETAS HISTORY
Aetas are among the earliest known migrants or inhabitants of the

Philippines. Over the years, most of their population managed to keep their
cultural practices and traditions. But unfortunately, as one of the
indegenious groups thriving in the country, they also face challenges such as
displacement, marginalization and poverty.
According to historians, the Aetas are Australo-Melanesians. They suggest

that they are of the same group as Aborigines in Australia and Melanesians
of Solomon Islands. The Aetas are closely resembled their physical
characteristics such as curly hair and dark-colored skin, it is not clear as to
how they arrived in the Philippines.
Most historians point to the Bering Land Bridge Theory to explain the history
of the Aetas. This theory suggest that the Aetas reached the Philippines
because of land bridges and straits that connected all the land masses in the
world. According to these theory hunters at that time crossed these lands
but because of the movement of the plates of the Earth’s surface it
disappeared, therefore they were unable to return to their original home.
Aetas are an indigenous people who lived in scattered, isolated mountainous

part of Luzon. They are among the earliest inhabitants of the Philippines,
preceding the Austronesian Migrations. The history of the Aetas continues to
confound anthropologists and archaeologists. One theory suggests that they
are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines who arrived
about 30,000 years ago. Mining, deforestation illegal logging and slash-and-
burn farming caused the indigenous population in all parts of the Philippines
to decrease. Aetas have become extremely nomadic due to the social and
economic strain on their culture and way of life that remained unchanged for
years.
CHARACTERISTICS
 They mostly have dark to dark-brown skin
 Curly hair
 Usually below five-feet tall
PRACTICES
 They are among the most skilled when it comes to jungle survival.
 They use plants as herbal medicine.
 They are nomadic and they can build their temporary house made of
sticks.
 Most Aetas practice monotheism and are animists.
 They worship the Supreme being and also believe in the environmental
spirits.
 They believe that various places were governed by both good and evil
spirits.
 As for their clothing, they wear plain and simple attire. The Aetas who
are skilled in weaving and plating wear wrap around skirts or bark cloth
for women and loin clothes for men.
 They are also into music and arts – making use of ornaments as
accessories and have ensembles of instruments to create music.
COLONIAL RESISTANCE AND UNFORTUNATE
DISPLACEMENT
 Because most of them were scattered in mountains, Spaniards have
difficulty in Introducing Catholicism to their population.
 They resisted to change, so Spaniards struggled to colonize their
areas. These are the reason why they were able to preserve their
cultural traditions and beliefs.
 Most of them are found in the Northern part of Luzon, specifically near
Mount Pinatubo in Zambales for years. But when Mount Pinatubo
erupted in 1991 most of them have lost their homes while some re-
settled in urban areas.
In the Philippines, Aetas as well as other indigenous groups belong to the

marginalized sector of the country. They are often displaced because their
home has been destroyed due to illegal logging, mining and slash-and-
burn farming.
While the Philippine government has implemented mandates and acts

such as the “Indegenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997” , but its not enough
to protect them and help them cope with matters such as access to jobs
and livelihood support.
AETAS OF BATAAN
 Aetas of bataan are called “Aeta Magbukun”
 Remained one of the least known and documented indigenous
tribes.
 They retain primarily subsistence hunter-gathering strategies to
supply their basic needs.
 They also strive for recognition of their ancestral connection with,
and rights to inhabit their ancestral forest domains, which is
threatened by the expansion of the agriculture and urban
development.
 The Aeta continues to endure dispossession, poverty and political
discrimination through decades of protracted land rights.
 Lifestyle and cultural change were accelerated within the last
decade with the completion of a highway and provision of electricity
to their bayan-bayanan.
 They represent an interesting case of a genetically and socially
distinct traditional Indigenous population experiencing rapid socio-
cultural adaptation to Western-style infrastructure, medicine,
healthcare, language and culture.
 They are one of the least known and researched Indigenous peoples
within what remains of the forested areas of the Bataan.
 They live in the remaining forest of the municipality of Mariveles,
Bataan.

Aetas History

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AETAS HISTORY

Aetas are among the earliest known migrants or inhabitants of the

According to historians, the Aetas are Australo-Melanesians. They suggest

Aetas are an indigenous people who lived in scattered, isolated mountainous

In the Philippines, Aetas as well as other indigenous groups belong to the

While the Philippine government has implemented mandates and acts

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