Encounters with the children of the Mangyan people, the indigenous people of Mindoro Island.

Hi! I’m Takuya. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this page. This time it’s Mindoro Island where Puerto Galera is located. I would like to tell you about my encounter with the children of the indigenous Mangyan tribe on this island.

The Philippines is home to a large number of indigenous people, some say as many as 12 million on the entire island. They say there are over 100 different types of tribes.

One of them is the Mangyan people. This means that their literacy rate is almost zero. In Puerto Galera, a little trip to the mountains is all it takes to get a glimpse into their lives.

Since neither English nor Tagalog is spoken in many cases, I can only communicate with the adults by saying “Hi!” The children approach me with interest.He waved or smiled at me.

I was born in Japan and grew up well educated and carefree, eating rice until I was full every day as a matter of course. I strongly felt that there are many different lifetimes in the world even though we are the same person.

The feeling of air, the strength of the eyes, the life force you feel on your skin when you actually see the children. I had some knowledge of the Mangyan tribe, but the amount of information I could feel with my body was quite different.

It was a series of unforgettable encounters that made me feel the expansion of the world inside me.The world is a big place. I hope you can see and feel it for yourself!

See more articles in English