SURAT MANGYAN

A simple guide to Hanunuo (Mangyan) script by Anton Postma, who worked closely with Mangyan communities and helped formalize its study while supporting its preservation. His research established Surat Mangyan as one of the most complete surviving indigenous writing traditions in the Philippines.

Surat Mangyan is the traditional syllabic writing system of the Mangyan peoples of Mindoro, particularly the Hanunóo and Buhid communities. Written vertically on bamboo using a knife, it is most closely associated with ambahan poetry—short, rhythmic verses that encode social values, courtship, advice, and everyday reflection. Unlike many precolonial Philippine scripts, Surat Mangyan remains in living use.