Agriculture and Fishing

Panay produces coconut, banana, fruits, muscovado, veggies, and root crops. It is also the second largest rice producing region in the Philippines. The total land that they have to cultivate comes to roughly 4, 566.88 km2. The rest of the island is covered in grass, wood, and wetlands and also mountains.

http://www.silent-gardens.com/photos/album/Islands/index.html

Fishing is huge in Panay! With all of the water in and around the island it doesn't come as a surprise when you find out that there is such a diverse selection of fish species, coral reefs, areas of mangroves, 881 rivers, 27 lakes, and 42 lagoons. Nicer still is that fact that a government program restores their damaged coral reefs bringing back more fish and aquatic species. By doing that it also restores some of the water's health.


Source: http://www.silent-gardens.com/OLD-SG/panay-island.php

Cosmos

It is said that if you have myths and legends about celestial bodies then you have a higher consciousness. The Tumandok don't have many legends about the stars, but they do have a couple. They have different names for some of the constellations such as Balatik, or Orion's Belt;Pleiades is Moroporo; The Big Dipper is Lusong, Ikis is the Southern Cross; and the morning star is Sampok Maya Karmaganon ukon Kabugwason. The stars act as a calendar to figure out the rhythms and cycles of agriculture. This shows you that they work with the land and not against it to make a profit.


Souce: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090517-205530/Art-shows-struggle-of-Panays-Tumandok

History

The Tumandok have had a rough history. They have resisted Spanish domination, American colonization, Japanese occupation, the onslaught of Marcos dictatorship, and the oppression that just seems to drag on under the current social order. Because of all of this, some of their native culture is gone. They used to train Binukots, who were secluded from the rest of the community when they were three years old. The Tumandok secluded them and taught them to chant sugidanon to command a good dowry. However, that tradition is now gone.

One tradition that is still here though is to tell sugidanons, or epics. These oral traditions give plenty of accounts of their legends, community, affairs, and agreements between people and groups. These epics are sung or chanted in dagil, or ligbok.

The Tumandok people are the only culturally indigenous group of the Visayan language speakers in the Western Visayas. They also speak Igbok, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Aklanon, Filipino, and English. Igbok, or Ligbok is one of the Antique langauges.

Their religion kind of mixes two religions together. The have Traditional religion and Folk Christianity which is basically Roman Catholic.



Sources:
http://networkedblogs.com/T1Dq5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suludnon

References

My references for the sites that I used to make this blog:

http://www.silent-gardens.com/OLD-SG/panay-island.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suludnon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visayas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_of_the_Philippines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_eagle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embroidery

http://networkedblogs.com/T1Dq5

http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=thephileagle

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20090517-205530/Art-shows-struggle-of-Panays-Tumandok

Cultural Survival

Basically, the Philippine government wants the Tumandok's native lands. The Philippine government wants to build dams, mine, have eco-tourism all on the Tumandok's land. The native people have been battling these changes for a while. They don't care that the area is developing, they just care that they are going to lose their homes, land, culture and livelihood. They can't even benefit from all of this because they would be forced to relocate. The Philippine government has basically just been taking the Tumandok's land and if they don't want to leave, the soldiers that are there will shoot them or harass them.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAdjxSrS0dUCeQ1w6A85Aolz71st732k0oEweLONjnBATPDku1sMmRBUWewgbVmqcr0gj_RGaDoEuQvQIkpKaQpNhFMWXdUbf-y_ZlCoJqWZiBdFneP1rIqNtzz7iBehdbzNGnubotKBu/s1600/1579692_689884631044866_478014167_n.jpg

The Tumandok people have resisted Spanish domination, American colonization, Japanese occupation, the on slaught of Marcos dictatorship, and the current oppression under the current social order. In 1996, the Tumandok people fought back and established TUMANDUK as  an alliance so that they can defend their ancestral lands. Keeping their ancestral lands is important to them; without their native lands, they can no longer function and keep their identity as indigenous peoples.


Source: http://networkedblogs.com/T1Dq5

Migration and Diaspora

Their Neighbors

Philippine Eagle

The Philippine Eagle is also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle and is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It is actually the national bird of the Philippines. It has brown and while feathers and also has a shaggy crest. It usually measures right around three feet in length and weighs as much as a young baby, about ten to seventeen pounds. It is endangered due to the loss of its habitat due to deforestation. Killing a Philippine Eagle is against the law and is punishable by being sentenced to twelve years in jail and a very hefty fine.

The Philippine Eagle can be found on four major islands of the Philippines: eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. It is found in forests particularly in steep areas. The elevation in which it is typically found ranges from the lowlands all the way up to the mountains of over 5,900 feet.

Photo source:  http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=gallery&categ=Philippine%20Eagles


The evolution of the Philippine islands has made this bird the dominant hunter. Each breeding pair requires a large home range to raise its offspring successfully, which in turn makes it very vulnerable to deforestation which was mentioned earlier. The Philippine Eagle needs such a large area that it has been reported that there seems to be an average of about eight miles between breeding pairs.

The Philippine Eagle has a wide variety of animals that it eats depending on the island that it lives on and the availability of prey. Some of its prey includes bats, flying lemurs, monkeys, birds, flying foxes, giant cloud rats, snakes, and lizards.

The breeding cycle of this bird lasts about two years. The female matures around five years and the male at about seven. The Philippine Eagle, once it chooses its mate stays loyal to them and only seeks a replacement if the first mate were to die.


Sources:
http://www.philippineeagle.org/index?pageval=thephileagle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_eagle

Embroidery

Tumandok people are very into the arts. They love embroidery and are known for it. Its native name is panubok. The heritage of the panubok is celebrated in the Tinubkan fashion show in Iloilo City.

Embroidery is the handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and different colored thread or yarn. It may also involve other materials such as beads and threads of different materials. Some of the stitches found on very early embroidered pieces are still the basics today and are used very often.

Embroidery is broken down into whether or not the design is made on top of the material or through it. In free embroidery there is no pattern or need to have any regard to the fabric being embroidered. In counted thread embroidery, patterns are made by counting the threads that you are to go over from the foundation fabric. Needle point is a great example of counted thread embroidery. Canvas work threads are stitched into the entire piece of foundation fabric. Lastly is drawn thread work and cutwork, the foundation fabric is cut up or messed up in some way that are embellished with embroidery that is usually in the same color as the foundation fabric.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embroidery

Landscape

Panay has very wide stretches of coastal lowlands along with hill and mountains in the interior of the island. A good thing to know is that it has no volcanoes. Its borders are the Visayan Sea to its east, the Buyo East Pass on the west side, the Sibuayan Sea with the province of Romblon on the north, the Sulu Sea to the southwest and finally the Guimaras Strait to the south.

The island is very diverse when it comes to its climate. On the western half of Aklan, Iloilo and the western tip of Capiz has two seasons, dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year. However, there are also parts of the island where there is not a lot of rain to be noted and parts where the dry season only lasts up to three months. On average, the highest amount of rainfall for the island happens in the month of September while the lowest amount of rain happens from March to April.

This is the highest peak on Panay.

Source of picture and information://www.silent-gardens.com/OLD-SG/panay-island.php

Homeland

The Tumandok people live in the Visayas which is one of the three divisions of the Philippines. There are many islands that surround the Visayan sea including Panay, Samar, and Mactan. The Visayas are broken down into the Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas. The Tumandok live in the Western Visayas, on the island of Panay.

The island of Panay is divided into four parts; Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo. It has several rivers which include the Akean and Halaur. Panay was established by nine rebel high officials that were connected to the court of Brunei. The high officials, along with their families and some faithful servants were escorted out of their homeland and forced to settle on the island. From these people,and the indigenous, the original Panayan settlements grew and split up into separate groups.

As a little fun fact, the island of Panay lent its name to quite a few US Navy ships such as the USS Panay.

credit of: http://www.silent-gardens.com/OLD-SG/img/panay/Panay-01.jpg

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visayas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panay

An intro to my blog on the Tumandok people...

In this blog, I will talk about the Tumandok's of the Philippines. I will talk about their culture, history, beliefs, migration, landscape and more.

The Tumandok have several different names the Suludnon, Panay-Bukidnon, and Panayanon Sulud. The Tumandok are indigenous to the Philippines. They live in Panay in the Visayan Islands of the Philippines. Although they face many problems, they also are a staple to the surrounding people. 

The Tumandok people are known for their Binanog dance that mimics the flight of the Philippine Eagle. The dance is usually accompanied by an agung ensemble.

Stay tuned for more information and more posts on the mighty Tumandok people.

History
Homeland
Landscape
Cosmos
Philippine Eagle
Cultural Survival
Embroidery
Agriculture and Fishing
References



Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suludnon