Minamanwa (alternatively, Mamamwa) is an endangered Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by fewer than 5,000 people. Their ancestral home is in northeastern Mindanao (Surigao and nearby areas). Many migrated to Northern Samar in the 1960s-70s and to the island of Pana-on in Southern Leyte in the early 1990s.
This 100-page comic book, for primary-school Mamanwa Indigenous learners is a product of a project at Visayas State University in the Philippines, led by Dr. Bethlehem Ponce. The book contains six stories written in Minamanwa: (1) Habi, about Mamanwa weaving; (2) Kahimonan, about a ritual associated with birthdays and Christmas celebrations; (3) Balawan, about a Mamanwa healer; (4) Lagkaway, about the construction of a house made of indigenous materials; (5) Panaw, about the migration of the Mamanwa to Southern Leyte in the 1990s; and (6) Kalig-on, about how the Mamanwa experienced Super Typhoon Odette.
Language: Minamanwa
Full title: SAVING MINAMANWA. AN INITIATIVE TO PRESERVE MINAMANWA AND THE MAMANWA INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM AND PRACTICES. RUNA
Author: Bethlehem Ponce, Angelie Genotiva, Michael Carlos Villas, Dean Ruffel Flandez, and Ianvie Norean Miaga
This book can be downloaded free of charge. To support the indigenous writers in this effort, please make a donation of $5 by clicking here before downloading.
