The Pala’wan live in the South of Palawan. Traditionally, they subsisted as shifting cultivators and hunters using blowguns. They lived in scattered areas and their society had a simple, egalitarian structure. They have a sharp sense of hearing and express themselves more through language and music than in other art forms. However, they are well-known for their intricate basketry.

At the beginning of the 20th century, immigrants started to flow into Southern Palawan. From the late 1940s, the Pala’wan were displaced from many of their former dwelling places. Now exposure to national and global culture is leading to a change in lifestyle which seriously threatens the continuation of Pala’wan traditions.

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Pala’wan woman