Population decline in a Philippine Negrito hunter-gatherer society
Headland, T.N.
American journal of human biology the official journal of the Human Biology Council 1(1): 59-72
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 1520-6300 PMID: 28514029 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.1310010111Document Number: 358574
The Casiguran Agta constitute a Negrito hunter-gatherer society in northeastern Luzon. The hypothesis presented is that this population has suffered serious decline over the last half -century. Demographic data collected over a 24-year period are used to substantiate this hypothesis. Agta figures on crude death rate, rate of natural decrease, infant mortality, life expectancy at birth, and homicide are among the most extreme known for any human population. Reasons for this decline are described, with emphasis on the factor of homicide.