The Agta people are believed to have been the original inhabitants of the Philippine islands. It is believed that they came over sea from Mozambique or somewhere else in Africa, which is why those with pure blood still have curly hair, darker skin and shorter stature (like the pygmies or bushmen). Culturally, they are a very non-confrontational people and nomadic. So when the polynesians and later the Spanish started arriving in the Philippines, the Agta simply retreated and moved away. After a while, land ran out and there was no longer any place to move away to, so many of the Agta have become intermingled with the rest of society. Unfortunately, they are very looked down on by their neighbors, and they lack any cultural pride so many of them seem to believe others' view of them. Their people name has become an insult - when someone does something foolish, you might call them "agta". If you comment on how pretty their daughter is, they will say "O no, she is ugly. She is just Agta." To them, "pretty" (or smart or successful) and "Agta" can never go together. They don't like being Agta, so they have tried to blend in to the culture that surrounds them and forget their indigenous culture. As a result, it has been very difficult to do culture study on their "old ways" - ways that are no longer practiced very often but still affect who they are at their core. While we know a lot about how the Agta interract now, we don't know as much about their "old ways".
Last weekend, Steve got the rare opportunity to attend an event where these old ways would be brought into the present - the dedication of some "ancestral land" given to them by the government.
The adventure began at 5am with a 2 hr motorcycle ride to the coastal village and continued with a ride on a jeepney a little further up the road where the hiking began. Unfortunately, his contact in that area - a new believer - was not able to accompany him up the mountain as he had responsibilities at the base of the mountain for the fiesta the next day. So Steve didn't know anyone in the group at the beginning, but he was able to meet a lot of new people and develop some good relationships.
It was an arduous but beautiful 2.5 hr hike straight up the mountain next to the ocean. All the pics he got of the "up" part of the trip included the behind of the person climbing in front of him so I included a pic from the return trip so you can see the beauty of the location.
Upon arrival at the top of the mountain, he discovered a tent that had been erected to house the attendees. More than 60 people slept the night in that tent.
They had also set up a beautiful table with plates of food and fruits/vegetables on the other end.
The ceremonies began with a mass and dedication by a Catholic priest. Then the oldest Agta chieftain in the area got up and spoke for almost an hour. While he was speaking in his local dialect, Steve was able to follow most of it and got it on video so he can hopefully study it further with some friends. The chieftain spoke about the need for the Agta to return to sacrificing to the spirits in order to be blessed by them and protected from the evil spirits. 
He then sacrificed a white chicken and drained the blood into a bowl. Everyone then came up and dipped in a matchstick and drew a cross on their forehead and both temples.
There was much more to the ceremonies, but I am sure that those of you who are not culture buffs are probably done anyway so I won't bore you (that and I wasn't there so can't speak authoritatively about it!) I do know that there was a band that played songs they had written and used all home-made instruments - Steve said they were amazing.
After the ceremonies, everyone hung out then tried to get some sleep. With that many people crammed into the tiny space (remember the table? Steve was one of the 10 or so privileged ones to be given a spot to sleep on the table!) Talk about crammed in like sardines. But many didn't have even an inch to lie down on the ground and just huddled around the fire all night so Steve really was one of the fortunate few. He got up to use the bathroom in the night and lost his spot so joined the group around the fire for the duration. The next morning, he had some good conversations with several of men from that area. Their conversation sparked a lot of spiritual questions. Pray that these questions lodge themselves in their hearts and minds and prompt them to seek the Truth. Pray for a way to start a Bible study up in that village - it is too dangerous (and far) for Steve to go on a regular basis, but there is a baby church with new believers at the foot of the mountain and down the road. Pray that God would raise someone up to go teach in this village - wherever they might be from.
While we are still studying their culture and learning their ways (especially the ancient ones), the Agta are dear people we have come to love; and we have a burden for them to know the Truth about the One Who cherishes them and sees in them so much potential. They are so much more than "just Agta" to Him; they were worth the life of His only Son.
We couldn't believe it when we saw that they take motorcycles across! Glad we were on foot.
