May-as, also called Mangyan tagabukid, is a term for the indigenous people of the island of
Sibuyan
Sibuyan is a crescent-shaped island, the second largest in an archipelago comprising Romblon Province, Philippines. Located in the namesake Sibuyan Sea, it has an area of and has a total population of 62,815 as of 2020 census. The island has t ...
, in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Sibuyanon is the name of the dialect of
Romblomanon spoken on the island of Sibuyan.
The local people commonly refer them to as “Mangyan”. the Indigenous people, however, prefer to call them “Sibuyanon”, the way the other inhabitants in the island are called. This is because they are aware that the term “Mangyan” carries with negative connotations among lowlanders. It is unsure if they are even related to the
Mangyan
Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of the island of Luzon, the Philippines, each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 280,001, ...
s of Mindoro island to the northwest.
The May-as are clustered in groups of two to four houses, scattered throughout the rolling and hilly areas of Sibuyan Island. They are essentially farmers but they also extract resources from the forests and rivers.
References
Ethnic groups in Romblon
{{Asia-ethno-group-stub