The Ati is a Negrito ethnic group in Panay, which is located in the Visayas (Islands of Panay, Negros and Guimaras), the central portion of the Philippine archipelago. They are genetically-related[2] to other Negrito ethnic groups in the Philipppines such as the Aeta of Luzon, the Batak of Palawan, and the Mamanwa of Mindanao. Currently, their population numbers only a few thousands and they suffer from discrimination due to their non-Austronesian physical appearance.
History
In the Philippines the Aetas o ATI ancestors are the ‘ aboriginal 's or the ‘first ' inhabitants of this Archipelago. Very probably they arrived from Borneo (perhaps detaching themselves from the ethnic group ‘Sepang ') 20-30.000 years ago, through a bridge of earth (today what remains of the island of Palawan) that in prehistoric epoch connected the filipino’s archipelago to that malay land, bridge of earth covered 5000 years ago by sea waters.
According to some oral traditions, they also pre-date the Bisaya, who now inhabit most of the Visayas. Legends, such as those involving the Ten Bornean Datus and the Binirayan Festival, tell tales about how, at the beginning of the XII century, the ancestors of the Bisaya escaped from Borneo from the persecution of Rajah Makatunaw. Leaded by Datu Puti and Datu Sumakwel and sailing with boats called baranggay, they landed near a river called Suaragan, on the southwest coast of Panay, (the place then known as Aninipay), and barted the land from an Ati headman named Polpolan and his son Marikudo for the price of a necklace and one golden salakot. The hills were left to the Atis while the plains and rivers to the Malays. This meeting is commemorated through the Ati-atihan festival. This legend, though, is challenged by some historians. During the Spanish colonization, the tribe made contact with the conquistador Legazpi and were made useful in his colonization of Panay.
Currently, the tribe is threatened due to encroachments into their territory, recently seen in Boracay. Another problem they face is discrimination.
Based on Wikipidia
