Some people say that the word “Batak” comes from an old Cuyonon word that means “mountain people.” The Spanish used to call the Batak Tinitianes, after a place called Tinitian on the east coast of Palawan, north of Puerto Princesa and close to Honda Bay, between Diente Point and Tularan. Because of how they look, the Batak have been labeled as an Aeta group from the Philippines or as having Aeta traits. They are the smallest group of Palawan’s mountain ethnic groups that haven’t changed much over time.

People say that the Batak are Palawan’s “vanishing tribe” and the most endangered because their population has been going down over the years due to a high death rate, poor nutrition, and low fertility among couples. A Kayasan Batak household, for example, has an average of 4–5 members. This is a good number, but it’s mostly because of the high infant mortality rate: for every ten births, four are stillborn, 2–3 die before they turn one, and only 2 live.

Even though there have been some changes, their population has mostly stayed the same over the years. From the early 1900s to the late 1990s, it stayed between 250 and 700 people. In the 1900s, there were 600–700 people, 391 in 1939, 400–500 in the 1940s, 393 in 1970, 259 in 1990, and 450 in 1995. Other native groups and migrant communities in Palawan have grown, but the Batak population has stayed about the same. This means that the ratio of Batak to other groups has been going down. In 1995, only 0.5% of Palawan’s indigenous people were Batak, and 0.5% of the island’s total population. This means that there are an alarmingly few people living there.

The Batak mostly live in small, temporary towns north of Puerto Princesa, some of which are now part of Roxas town. They have mostly settled in mountainous areas and river valleys near Honda Bay and in the interiors of Babuyan and Tagburos. The Babuyan River flows through these valleys or places near these valley communities: Tanatay Maoyon, Tanabag, Sumurod, Tarabanan or Tarabanun near Pasco Point, Langogan, Malabosug, Tinitian, Tagnipa, Caramay, Bindoyan, Quinaratan, Malcampo, and Buayan. They set up homes in Caruray on Tibbon Bay and Tagdunan on the west coast. Other settlements, some of which are coastal, include Mapnod, Dugiyanun, Siyaklang, Pagpisangan, Gumaud, Bulo-bulo, Tubuwan, Talabigan, Pilotan, and Bayogun. Batak people have been living in river valleys that open up to the Sulu Sea in recent years. Their dispersed habitat only shows how small their population is, since each Batak group would only have a maximum of 91 and a very low minimum of 10 members, with at least two to eight groups having more part-Batak members, which are the unmarried children of exogamous marriages, than full-Batak ones. Batak land is made up of a narrow plain that borders the north Sulu Sea. This is where the Batak go during the rainy season.

The people in the group speak either Batak or Binatak. The Batak language is part of the Philippine Super Stock, a group of languages that grew around 1300 BCE. The Batak, unlike the Palawan and Tagbanwa, have not adopted the ancient syllabary and script that comes from the Indic language, even though most of their ancestral lands are next to Tagbanwa areas.

Batak History

No one knows for sure where the Batak came from. Based on their Aeta traits, it is likely that they are the last of a group of Aeta who moved to Palawan a long time ago when they were more numerous. What is known is that for a long time, they were a nomadic group that moved around large areas in the north. They would stay in one place long enough to find food, then move on to another place to continue hunting, gathering, foraging, and trading. Early accounts said they were very shy and peaceful, and they didn’t have much contact with people from other places. The Batak have lived in coastal villages at times, but in the past they only lived in the highlands of the interior of northern Palawan.

The history of where the Batak lived shows how they moved around. During the time of the Spanish, the Mapnud Batak moved to refuge sites to avoid slavery or being forced to serve as soldiers. In the early 1900s, when smallpox and measles spread through Batak communities in Caruray, the Kayasan Batak moved to new places to live for health reasons. Tagbanua and Christian settlers from Luzon and the Visayas drove out the Sumorod, Maoyun, Tagabinet, and Tagnipa Batak, some of whom were from Tinitian. The Batak of Langogan and Bindoyan decided to gather food in their area. In recent years, the Kayasan Batak have moved near mining and logging sites, where they work for companies owned by businesspeople and politicians who want to take advantage of Palawan’s resources.

Even though the Batak have had contact with people from other parts of Palawan and from other islands, their material culture has not changed from its seminomadic nature. They only make a few types of woven materials and a few types of baskets. Even though the Batak live in a very isolated area, they have traded with people from other places, such as neighboring groups or Christian settlers along the coast. The Batak have picked up some Cuyunon and Tagalog through these brief and sporadic interactions.

Due to poverty, disease and lack of food continue to have a big impact on Batak society. The Batak, like all other Aeta groups in the Philippines, have been changed and changed a lot by contact with the outside world. Some people in their group have changed their ways because of acculturation and being moved. This has hurt their material conditions and made it harder for them to express themselves creatively.