Akar Nusa
On the island of Luzon, an Ayta family lives where their people have lived for a very long time. Far to the south, on the coast of the central islands, a Visayan fisherman pushes out his boat at dawn.
The story
The Philippines lies between Taiwan and Borneo. A 2021 study from Larena and colleagues sampled about 2.3 million genetic markers from 1,028 people belonging to 115 indigenous groups. It found that the islands were settled by at least five waves of migrants over the last 50,000 years:
1. Northern and Southern Negritos, the earliest, distantly related to Australians and Papuans. The Ayta (also spelled Aeta) of Luzon belong here. 2. The Manobo. 3. The Sama. 4. A Papuan-related group. 5. The Cordillerans, whose ancestors split from Taiwan's indigenous peoples at least 8,000 years ago. Some of their descendants are among the least mixed East Asian groups, sharing ancestry with all Austronesian-speaking peoples.
The same team found that the Ayta Magbukon carry the highest level of Denisovan ancestry in the world, 30 to 40 percent more than Australians and Papuans. Denisovans were an archaic human group, and the finding suggests several ancient human species lived in the Philippines before modern humans arrived.
The study also questions the idea that all farming and language came from a single wave out of Taiwan in the last 4,000 years. It found a longer, layered story.
Today the Philippines has many peoples. The Visayans of the central islands, with Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray languages, share a long maritime culture. The Tagalog are native to the Manila region. The Moro are thirteen Muslim-majority peoples of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan, who once had independent states such as Sulu and Maguindanao. Some communities live in Sabah today, so their story is also part of Malaysia's.
The study found South Asian gene flow into Sama groups from about 1,000 years ago, and very little European ancestry. Under 1% of lowlanders showed West Eurasian mixture.
The Philippines also tells us something about Malaysia's Sabah and Sulu connections. Some Moro communities live along the east coast of Sabah, in areas once controlled by the Sultanate of Sulu, and others have moved to Malaysia in recent decades. Their story is part of both countries, and we handle it with care and respect.
Where you can still see it today
- Ayta communities in Luzon, and their forest knowledge.
- Visayan and Tagalog languages and culture across the country.
- Moro communities in Mindanao, Sulu and parts of Sabah.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
For Malaysians with Sabah or Sulu family roots, the Philippines is an important neighbour. Island Southeast Asians share deep old layers, so DNA cannot say "this family is Visayan". The Philippine studies show how rich this region is, and why a region estimate for some Malaysians can show ancestry shared with the Philippines.
DNA does not decide race, religion or bumiputera status.
