TRIBAL CULTURAL MINORITIES of the PHILIPPINES

I prefer the term "tribal peoples" which was used by the world bank until 1991 when it was changed so such people are now referred to as"indigenous populations". Native people has often been used to describe such groups of people also. Since the definition in English for "indigenous" is : "(of plants or animals or inhabitants) native" and "native" is : "(of a person) belonging to a particular place by birth ; grown or produced or originating in a specific place" some experts have suggested using the term "first people"to stress the importance of the relationship these people have with the land they live on and how old this relationship is."
Maybe the BEST description is by the International Labour Organization : "(a) tribal peoples in independent countries whose social, cultural and economic conditions distinguish them from other sections of the national community, and whose status is regulated wholly or partially by their own customs or traditions or by special laws or regulations ; (b) peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions."

OR MAYBE Just as good is simply the word "minority" as used by United Nations Human Rights Commission : "A group numerically inferior to the rest of the population of a state, in a non-dominant position, whose members -being nationals of the state- possess ethnic, religious or linguistic characteristics differing from those of the rest of the population and show, if only implicitly, a sense of solidarity directed towards preserving their culture, traditions, religion or language."

Regardless of which definition you prefer the main issues debated about such tribal cultures questions their integration into main stream society and which of their cultural traditions can be preserved and maintained in the future as the ever growing land development and population growth of the majority make it difficult for them to survive. It's a clearly a case of choosing the best from each way of life to assure future generations will survive and flourish.