Unfolding the Tau't Bato
The Tau’t Bato is a sub-group of the Palawan Ethnic Group. They occupy the southwestern portion of Palawan, particularly the Singnapan Basin in Barangay Ransang, Rizal. The Singnapan Basin is found in Mt. Mantalingahan, the highest peak of the Palawan Island.
The term Tau't Bato originated from the words “tao” meaning man and ”bato” which stands for cave. Hence, Tau’t Bato means group of people living in the caves found in the mountains of Rizal, Palawan.
Most of the time, the Tau’t Bato live along the slopes of the basin where they cultivate crops. During the rainy season, they stay in the caves. They are nomadic people because they do not stay in one place.
They speak the Pala’wan language as their dialect.
As of July 2005, The estimated population of the Tau’t Batu existing in the area is about 286 individuals from 66 households.
Cashing In On Cashew
A long time ago, people did not know the real value of the cashew tree. In fact, people called this plant “the lazy man’s tree” as the only use they could think of was using the seeds for a board game called “sunka”. Later did the people realize that the cashew plant is actually more than just a “lazy man’s tree. People learned they can actually make a living out of this seemingly innocent plant. They later called the cashew tree, “The golden tree”.
Click on the button to the right and learn more about this tree.
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