Language
All Aeta communities have adopted the language of their Austronesian Filipino neighbors, which have sometimes diverged over time to become different languages.Religion
There are different views on the dominant character of the Aeta religion. No special occasion is needed for the Aeta to pray, although there is a clear link between prayer and economic activities. The Aeta dance before and after a pig hunt. The night before Aeta women gather shellfish, they perform a dance which is partly an apology to the fish and partly a charm to ensure the catch. Similarly, the men hold a bee dance before and after the expeditions for honey.
Clothing
Their traditional clothing is very simple. The young women wear wrap around skirts. Elder women wear bark cloth, while elder men wear loin cloths. Today most Aeta who have been in contact with lowlanders have adopted the T-shirts, pants and rubber sandals commonly used by the latter.
Practices
The Aetas are skillful in weaving and plaiting.Women exclusively weave winnows and mats. Only men make armlets. They also produce raincoats made of palm leaves whose bases surround the neck of the wearer, and whose topmost part spreads like a fan all around the body.
Medicine
Aeta women are known around the country as purveyors of herbal medicines.
Music
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| Aeta Man Hunting |
Art
The most common form of Aeta visual art is the etching found in their daily tools and implements. Bamboo combs are decorated with incised angular patterns. Geometric designs are etched on arrow shafts.
Mobility
The Aetas are a traditionally nomadic people, with the Aetas of Panay being known as the most mobile, but are believed to have once lived in more permanent settlements, prior to their becoming nomadic. They build only temporary shelters made of sticks driven to the ground and covered with the palm of banana leaves.
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