Aeta Culture and Community Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the culture, material objects, spiritual beliefs, governance, and terminology of the Aeta community.

Amak

Beaten bark cloth that served as the earliest traditional clothing of the Aeta.

Hawong

A lean-to temporary shelter that can be abandoned or expanded at any time depending on the length of stay in a location.

Balawet

A spear (sibat) used by the Aeta for hunting and fishing.

Pangal

A simple-pointed arrow featuring a single sharp point for standard targeting.

Inunay

A barbed arrow with a hooked tip designed to prevent easy removal when hunting large animals such as wild boars or deer.

Salapang

A three-pronged arrow used specifically for catching birds.

Kulibaw

A traditional bamboo mouth harp musical instrument.

Kabungbung

A bamboo acoustic guitar musical instrument.

Gurimbaw

A long-bodied bamboo musical instrument played like a violin.

Bansik

A bamboo recorder flute.

Bulungudyong

A type of bamboo flute used in Aeta musical traditions.

Litguit

A traditional bamboo violin.

Ayabun

Anklets and necklaces made from bejuco (rattan).

Pag-aanito

A traditional spiritual healing ritual in Aeta culture.

APU Namalyari

The highest deity believed to reside on Mount Pinatubo, regarded as the giver of life.

Gutugutumakkan

The Great Creator and origin of all things in Aeta beliefs.

Tigbalog and Lueve

Life-giving deities and gods of production.

Amas

The spirit representing unity, peace, and concern for others.

Binangewan

The spirit of illness and death who punishes individuals when nature is harmed or destroyed.

Algao

The God of the Sun in the legend of Mount Pinatubo recorded by Henry Otley Beyer in 1915.

Bacobago

A giant sea turtle from the traditional Aeta legend of Mount Pinatubo.

Tuynungan

The Supreme Being, God, or Creator (also known as Mangatuynúngan).

Kagun

A traditional healer who uses medicinal plants and interacts with ancestral spirits (Anito).

Talipe

A dance performed during the Pag-aanito ritual, typically danced by Aeta women.

Taripi

A community gathering and cleansing ritual.

Pisen

A council or group of elders in the Agta/Aeta community of Palanan, Isabela, responsible for community decision-making.

Kamainan

A term referring to clans or social groups within the Ayta Mag-Antsi community of Bamban, Tarlac and Mabalacat, Pampanga.

Butubut

A woven carrying basket used for transporting harvested crops and hunted game.

Republic Act No. 8371 (IPRA)

The Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act that protects the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines.

Paki-Uhap

A traditional song of love and courtship among the Mag-Bukun Aeta.