Intermarriages and exposure to the modern lifestyle have changed the Ati tribe, who moved to Cebu 10 years ago from their home in Antique, a province in Western Visayas, west of Panay Island.
From six families which formed the Ati Tribe in South Poblacion, Naga City, the tribe increased to 31 families made up of 135 individuals.
Ati people are a Negrito ethnic group found in Panay Island in the Visayas. Those Negrito groups in Luzon are called Aetas.
Their houses now are sturdier than the houses made up of a roof and a floor then. They now use cellular phones for business transactions and for personal use. They now have an entertainment hub with a karaoke and a billiard table. And they play basketball during their leisure time.
The intermarriages between the Atis and Cebuanos have sired children with lighter skin color.
They call these half-Ati children “mestiso”
Lilia Sanger, the current Ati chieftain, said traditionally it would be the parents that would pick the wife-to-be or the husband to be of their children.
She said that the Ati Tribe no longer practice this. Today, they practice free will among their members.
Sanger, however, said if she would have her way she wouldn’t allow her tribe members to marry non-Atis because marrying someone outside the tribe would diminish their culture.
She said she was dismayed when her daughter married a non-Ati.
“Mao na sa una giingnan nako akong anak nga ikaw maminyo manka gani, ngadto lang sa atong parehas, pero di man nato ma diktahan ang atong anak, tuman ‘man sa gusto. Mao na nga karon nagkagamay-nagkagamay among tribu tungod sa minyo na ug bisaya (I told her not to marry a Bisaya but I couldn’t dictate on her. And now our tribe is diminishing),” said Nanay Lilia.
The Ati dialect was no longer taught to the mestiso and they are only taught the Cebuano dialect at home.
Renato Singson , a half-Ati and half-Cebuano, said he had difficulty teaching his son the Ati dialect.
“Sagol-sagol nasad akoa. Akong papa pure nga Ati niya akong mama bisaya. Mao na, kalibugan na ba (My dialect is mixed. My father is a pure Ati and my mother a Bisaya. That’s why I’m confused on what dialect to use),” he said.
According to Hazel Torrofiel, the National Commission of Indigenous People Development Officer, that not even the chieftain can dictate her fellow tribe member who to marry.
Marriage is a personal affair that can only be decided by the wife and the husband.
“Respect mana namo, ka’y ila manang gusto. Pero as far as sa culture nila, naa ra gyud na sa whoever is, na mo dominate nila pero we would prefer na bisan naminyo siya ug with not IP, ang wife ba ron or ang husband, we will still observe the culture of the indigenous people. I-share sa mga anak, and the future generation, dili ka’y naminyo lang ka then eventually you will stop serving the culture sa pagka IP.”
The Ati Tribe in Cebu however observe some of their traditions like dancing the Ati-Atihan during Didididi, the ritual for the dead, the making of herbal medicines and accessories, and the capturing and eating of bayawak during rituals and special occasions.
Despite the changes brought about by the environment, the Ati parents are challenged to teach their children the customs and traditions of their tribe. They are faced with the challenge of balancing modern practices with their traditions. /STC Contributor Tara Rose P. Donayre