The Tau’t Bato or Taaw’t Bato (“people of the rock”) stay in the Singnapan Basin, a bowl-shaped valley in southwestern Palawan. Their territory has Mt. Mantalingajan to the east and a coast to the west. Tau’t Bato is a small but articulate subgroup of the Palawan tribes. The language is spoken by various groups in the area.
The Tau’t Bato mostly live in caves, and the structure of their dwellings depends on condition of the cave. They are swidden farmers who practice multiple cropping. They produce cassava (their main source of carbohydrates), sugarcane, garlic, sweet potato, and several varieties of vegetables. Hunting is done year-round to complement the carbohydrate diet; wild pigs are caught using spring traps. The Tau’t Bato also trade their agricultural products for fish and sell forest products such as rattan, almaciga, etc.
Sources
Ethnologue, www.ethnologue.com/
Palawan Board, http://www.palawanboard.com/
National Commission For The Culture And The Arts, http://www.ncca.gov.ph/
