THE MANGYANESi A PROBLEM OF 

 FOREST PROTECTION 



By MELVIN L, MERRITT, Forester, Philippine Bureau of Forestry 



FOREST protection is as much a 

 problem in the Phihppines as 

 elsewhere ; and although forest 

 fires, in the usual acceptance of the 

 term, are practically unknown in parts 

 of these islands, other problems, equal- 

 ly acute, present themselves for solu- 

 tion. The task of dealing with the un- 

 civilized and timid people known as 

 Mangyanes, in the Island of Mindoro, 

 is such a problem. 



This island is located about 120 miles 

 south of Manila. It is the seventh 

 island of the archipelago in size, and 

 has an area of 3,850 square miles, or 

 more than one-half that of New Jer- 

 sey. Extending through its central 

 part, from north to south, and covering 

 about two-thirds of its entire area, is a 

 broad and rugged mountain chain, 

 reaching an altitude of nearly 9,000 

 feet at Mt. Halcon, in the north central 

 part. Covering most of this high moun- 

 tain region and in many places extend- 

 ing down nearly to the coast is, nor- 

 mally, a heavy forest growth, which, in 

 places, has been destroyed. According 

 to the 1905 census, Mindoro has a 

 population of 28,360. or about seven 

 per square mile, a density of population 

 about the same size as that of South 

 Dakota. ,Of this population, 7,264 are 

 Mangyanes, a wild mountain tribe. The 

 civilized people live on a relatively 

 small area along the coast, leaving the 

 main central wooded part of the island 

 to the Mangyanes. 



The Mangyanes are probably the 

 original inhabitants^, who withdrew to 

 the interior as coast points were occu- 

 pied by the more civilized tribes. They 

 are a simple, primitive people, with fair 

 physical development and a timid and 

 retiring disposition. Naturally wander- 



3 



ers, they seldom have fixed places of 

 abode, but move from place to place in 

 search of game, food, and the few prod- 

 ucts which they use themselves or use 

 in barter with the coast people. In 

 trading they are greatly imposed upon. 

 On one occasion when the writer 

 bought from one of them a quantity of 

 rice which usually sells for about 60 

 cents, several small coins of various de- 

 nominations were offered in payment, 

 but the Mangyan returned all but two 

 coppers worth only I cent, saying that 

 this was what people usually paid him. 

 They are cheated even more when sell- 

 ing other products the real value of 

 which is not known so well. 



Apparently they live in groups of 

 twenty to thirty persons. Altliough 

 there is but a small part of the interior 

 mountain region over which the Mang- 

 yanes do not roam, one group will not 

 ordinarily range outside of a fairly 

 small and well-defined area. Every 

 year they make clearings in the forest, 

 sometimes small, but often covering 

 several acres, upon which they raise 

 small quantities of rice, sweet potatoes 

 or "camotes," and various other roots 

 and vegetables. Each succeeding year, 

 or at least every few years, they make 

 new clearings. These "caihgins," as 

 they are called, made and abandoned at 

 will, have worked incalculable damage 

 to the forest. In many places no large 

 trees remain, while in others, especially 

 in the south and west sides of the 

 island, grass-covered hills and moun- 

 tain sides bear silent testimony to the 

 work of destruction. Here, dry season 

 fires burn over the grass lands, destroy- 

 ing seedlings and small trees. With- 

 out exaggeration, it would be safe to 



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