The Mangyans

May 29, 2004
1:30 p.m.
In a Mangyan village up in the mountain

The Mangyans are the native people of Mindoro. They originally owned the island but when settlers from other islands came in they were pushed farther toward the mountains. They are illiterate and have no awareness in terms of hours, kilometers, gallons and years. They measure distance in terms of “shouts.” This means the distance reached by the sound of a shout is equivalent to “1 shout” Mangyans tell time through the shadows made by the sun, so if the sky is cloudy they would have no idea what time it is.


A MANGYAN HUT

Several feet above the ground, the Mangyans have been doing it this way for generations since the beginning of their tribe.

PUPPY LOVE

A Mangyan child refuses to let go of his puppy when were putting clothes on him right after his bath in the river.

They don’t know how old they are, so most of them marry and have children by the age of 15. They don’t have proper hygiene and most of them are even afraid of water. They name their children according to how they looked when they were born; if the hair is curly they call the child “kulot” or if the child is light-skinned they call him “puti.” If, on certain instances, a Mangyan newborn is orphaned, the elders of the tribe will kill the baby since there will be no one to take care of it. This is the Mangyan culture and these customs have been present for hundreds of years.

A MANGYAN FAMILY AMAZED AT OUR DV CAM

Modern technology and ethnic curiosity meet inside a hut

We trekked for more than an hour to reach the first village. Our dedicated dentists, Dr. Tet and Dr. Leng, along with their assistants Bel and Nora, set up the dental clinic and started pulling Mangyan teeth. Other team members were evangelizing and praying with the other tribes people.

MOTHER AND CHILD

One of the families we fed on the last day of the mission.

Some were just plain socializing with Mangyan mothers and children assuring them that we are friends and we mean no harm. I was amazed on how Dr. Tet and Dr. Leng handled their patients, for Mangyan teeth are stronger than the average and are red because they are fond of chewing “nganga” (betel leaves)

- An Excerpt from my Mindoro Missions Diary

T-SHIRTS

After the dental mission, we all washed our clothes for another days work.