HISTORY
"CUYONON", also "CUYUNIN", "CUYUNO" and "TAGA-CUYO", refers to the people and culture of the occupants of Busuanga Island, Agutaya, and Cuyo, the main Island in a group of some thirty five islets in the middle of sulu sea, east of Palawan southwest of Panay, comprimising Busuanga are the towns of Busuanga in the west and Coron in the east. Cuyo mainland includes Magsaysay and Cuyo town, it is located 281.2 km northeast of Puerto Princesa city. The term is derived from Cuyo the etymology of which is undetermined. In 1990, a population of 15,175 (1990 Census Population by NSO) was spread over the 50-sqkm Cuyo Island, which is defined by a rocky terrain with numerous hills, three of these hills are Aguado in Igabas Kayamamis in Lucbuan and Bonbon in Rizal. The Cuyunon language is accentuated by the peppet sound (the stress combined with the terminal glottal stop) and contains monosyllabic word forms like. KUT "Touch something", SUT "go into", BUT "Suffocate" EL "get" BUK "Hair", BAG "Loincloth." There is neither a Cuyunon grammar nor dictionary, altough a few prayer books have been written in a vernacular. "Cuyonen or Cuyonon are mostly found in Cuyo Island, Palawan. They are engaged in swidden farming and fishing. The conversion of the people in Cuyo Island to Christianity has led to the merger of the animistic beliefs of the Cuyonen with the Christian elements to produce a folk Christianity which is the prevailing belief of the Cuyonon. Cuyonon or (Cuyonen, Cuyono, Cuyunon, Cuyo, Kuyunon, Kuyonon) is the dialect and people, believed to be of Malay origin, of Cuyo Island, Palawan in the Philippines. The Cuyonon dialect is also spoken along the Palawan coast and it is similar to Ratagnon.
ATI-ATIHAN
This is an all male outfit with a clown and an band of drums and tipanos (Flutes). They paint their faces and wear head-dresses of various designs and kinds made mosty from chicken feathers. When St. Agustine, the patron saint, is marched out of the church for the annual procession in late August, the ati-ati (they number several groups because each barrio has its own participaion) would dance in front of the saint in a suggestive and war-like stance as if to fight and chalenge him as they represent themselves as barbarians and savages come down from the mountains. As the patron saint enters the church at the end of the procession they form two rows and there they lay prostrate in humble surrender and to ask forgiveness for their deeds. After the religious rites they go out of the church to perform for a free. they form themselves in two rows and each row sends one of each ati to the front to recite their war-like berso as thay quarrel and dance to the tune of the drum and th tipano. When all have said their berso (verse) they will fight it out as a group with their kampilans (sticks). When the fighting gets hot the clown enters with his dancing antics to the delight of the crowd. As a climax, the clown (alakayu) will chase women and buzz them.
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE DURING SPANISH REGIME
It was a slow, idyllic life, devoted more to religion than life as we know it today. sundays were strictly devoted to prayers, devotions and rests. Those caught engaging in other activities were arrested by the guardia civil and snt to prison. Education was a joint undertaking of the church and the state, with the state helping helping in the financial aspect and the church actually implementing the education of the people. The teachers were the priests and pupils who have shown exceptional ability in Cartilla, Misterio, Doctrina Christiana, Katon, Multiplican, Restar, Plutarion, and Sumar, which were the basic subjects taught in schools located nside the church or convent, were promoted. Pupils who have shown mastery of these subjects could teach or become Sacristans and to ba such, at that time, was a badge of distinction and a trademark of honor in the community. For paper, the pupils used banana leaves and for pencils, they used the feathers of Forals. Promotion from grade to grade was unknown. Instead it was promotion from subject to subject and those who have completed several subjects were given certificates which could entitle them to be teachers or appointed as town officials. The priests exercised political powers as they were responsible for the appointment of local officials, teachers and other officials in the government servise. Cockfighting was the only means of recreation and the people enjoyed it on sundays. In fact it was in Palawan that the Spaniards first saw cockfighting. Science Was unknown and the people used quack doctors and practised Voodoo or black magic. Agriculture was on a piece-meal basis while commerce and industry were practially nil due to the hard means of transportation and communication.
