Publications

Bamboo Whisper: Poetry of the Mangyan

Winner: 37th National Book Awards as Best Translated Book 

Winner:  2018 Gintong Aklat Award for Arts and Humanities 

BAMBOO WHISPERS, Poetry of the Mangyan,  published in 2017 by The Bookmark Inc., features the best 100 Mangyan poetry  in two scripts and four languages: the original Hanunuo Mangyan ambahan with translations by poets in Filipino, English, and Spanish. These are accompanied by archival and fine art photographs that show the grace, beauty and vulnerability of a community held together by tradition while facing the challenges of the 21st century.

Hanunuo Mangyan poetry is a cultural gem that had been kept hidden – and thus conserved – by these indigenous peoples because of their yen for isolation from the colonized, and later, the modern world. To metaphorically express their everyday thoughts and feelings, the Mangyans inscribed their ambahan with a knife on living bamboo plants, on bamboo tubes or slats. Written in their pre-Spanish syllabic script, their reflections on life from birth to death resonate with all humanity, even today. Written in heptasyllabic verse, ambahans are not only unique for their symbolism, but also because of their communal authorship, with no individual laying claim to provenance of this shared legacy.

The Mangyans also chanted ambahans at gatherings, with more than 20,000 preserved in the Mangyan Heritage Center (MHC) archives in digital audio format with transcription, documented by the late Dutch Anthropologist Antoon Postma who lived with the Mangyans for over 60 years. A complete audio copy is available at the Library of Congress in Washington DC for long-term preservation. 

The book is a partnership between the MHC and The Bookmark, Inc., with proceeds going to the MHC’s program of teaching young Mangyans how to compose ambahans and write in their script, one of only three remaining in the Philippines from over a dozen before the Spaniards settled in the sixteenth century.

After Postma’s three-plus decades learning the ambahan language, collecting and transcribing the poems, and photo documenting the everyday lives of the Hanunuo Mangyan; and MHC’s eight years in making the book, Bamboo Whispers is a contribution to the Philippine cultural landscape. This is one of the ways the MHC preserves, promotes, and brings an indigenous treasure to its rightful place in our beloved land and the world.

Nagmamagandang-Loob Po!

Kultura Mangyan

Primer to Mangyan Script

Unpublished Materials 

Valuable Research Materials

Published Materials

EHelp us enhance our library collection by exploring for photographs, books, and articles pertaining to the Mangyan that might be concealed in libraries across the globe. Just drop by a nearby library and search for: Mindoro, indigenous peoples, tribal Filipinos, non-Christian communities, ethnic groups, Mangyan, Alangan, Bangon, Buhid, Hanunuo, Iraya, Ratagnon, Tadayawan, Tau-buhid. Should you encounter any of these terms, please get in touch with us and provide the bibliographic details of the resources you discover.

Keep Mangyan culture in mind as you explore the treasures hidden in antique stores, dusty attics, and old photographs! Don't forget to check out academic theses and papers for more valuable insights.

Mangyan Bibliography 

Annotated Mangyan Bibliography

Published in 1988, the Annotated Mangyan Bibliography 1570-1988 by Bapa Antoon Postma serves as a valuable compilation of references, aiming to promote a better comprehension and respect for the Mangyan community.