#150 Children of the Mangyans

Our trip to Mindoro was much about photographing this ethnic group, the Mangyans. I'd heard about them since childhood, and subsequently met people who've worked and lived among them. The stories intrigued me so, that I thought one day I'd like to see them with my own eyes. Well that day has come.

Mangyan is a collective name given to several indigenous groups that live on the island of Mindoro. We stayed in Monteclaro with an ethnic group called Buhid. Their proximity to the city guaranteed they'd be touched by modernity, as in this case, their clothes. Their homes are still made of the most basic materials: a mixture of dried grass, bamboo, and wood. There are still no TV and appliances in this village and the children still don't speak tagalog. Yet I'm certain one day they will be transformed. You have to wonder if this assimilation of cultures is a good thing, but if history is a guide, it's an unstoppable freight train. And that's why I do these pilgrimages because someone has to freeze these scenes for posterity. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: Side lighting, as light from a sun that is low on the horizon, can flatter because they create well-defined shadows on faces and textures on landscapes. Side lighting, now showing daily between 7-9am and again between 4-6pm. Try it soon.)

Where in the world is San Jose, Mindoro?

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