Origin of Discrimination Against Afro-Filipinos and Negritos in Filipino Communities Part I

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A blog dedicated to deconstructing the negative perceptions of the Filipino people (whether real or imagined), examining the origins of modern Filipino values, and calling out the international effect on Filipinos abroad. The aim is for individuals to redefine for themselves the meaning of what it is to be Pin@y.

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October 24, 2012

Note:

-Negrito: the term used to refer to Australoid people native to South and Southeast Asia. Neither “Negrito” nor “Negro” has the same connotation as used in America, though they are sometimes used as insults by lighter-skinned Filipinos. They are thought to be descended from one of the earliest human migrations out of Africa.They are considered Pinoy. However theyare often treated as outsiders, though this has not historically always been the case. They are sometimes considered “Black” based on physical appearance, but some identify as Black, not through the Western sense, but through their own cultural perspective and needs. Though they have kept more of the African features than the descendants of later migrations, Negritos of the Philippines are more closely related to Austronesians than to African populations.

Today’s Negrito Pinoys

Mamanwa

Aeta

Batak

Afro-Filipinos

amer

racism

The vibrant colors. The blaring music. The skilled dancers. Such are the experiences of Ati-Atihan, a festival deemed the Mother of all Philippine festivals.

The story of Ati-Atihan tells of refugee Malay datus who were welcomed by the original inhabitants of Panay. These people generously sold their land to the exiles to live on. Both groups sealed the deal and celebrated their ties to one another in a great feast. As a symbol of the unity of their peoples, the Malays blackened their skin. That is why the fetival is called Ati-Atihan (“to become like Aetas”).

It would stand to reason that the relationship between Brown and Black peoples of the Philippines would continue to be one of equality and appreciation. But in a land colonized by two white nations, an imbalance of power and recognition has ostracized “Black” Pinoys from mainstream Filipino society. A combination of colorism, racism, classism, sexism, and xenophobia has stifled the ability of the nation and its expat communities from uniting the racial and ethnic groups of the Philippines.

Precolonial Shadism

Even in pre-colonial times, light skin was prized a sign of beauty. It meant class, wealth, and power. Nobility and royalty did not have to work in the fields; they had the luxury of staying inside in covering their skin. So a distinction was made between dark skin and the beauty of light skin. Words like “cayumangi” (now kayumanggi) were reserved for the darkest of brown people, and “cayumangi na itim” exaggerated one’s description as “dark as black.” A binukot could be picked out by her light skin as the result of being kept in a bukot and out of the sight of the public and the sun.

Picture of light-skinned nobles.

Picture of darker commoners

The origin story of the Ati-Atihan reveals that our ancestors recognized the difference between dark skin as the result of inheritance and a tan as the result of exposure, a recognition that seems to be lost on recent generations of Pinoys. That isn’t to say that discrimination against dark skin in pre-colonial times was harmless. This shadism is part of the cause of the elitist and classist notions against dark skinned people, namely Negritos and Afro-Pinoys, in Filipino communities. However, pre-colonial shadism in what would become the Philippines did not have the same racial connotation that is found in modern Philippine society.

(to be continued)

9:09pm | URL: https://tmblr.co/Z3ziGuVxEE4x

(Notes: 443)