The Tasaday are subject to considerable debate regarding their origin, length of existance as foragers, and influence from neighbors. The objective of this page is to provide brief and general background on the major elements of Tasaday history. You will hear the Tasaday name as TAW saw dye or Ta SAH dye. What's New John Nance Gerald Berreman Lobo with camera, 1972. Photo from Discovery of the Tasaday, p. 204, copyright by John Nance, used with permission.
Ethnographic present means the time period before extensive outside contact.
This is the major issue with Tasaday history. When and of what kind was the contact that they have had with outsiders Film Summaries of the Tasaday 1971 Last Tribes of Mindanao is a National Geographic film showing the first contact with the Tasaday in June of 1971. The film is about Manuel Elizalde's work among tribal peoples on the Island of Mindanao. Cave People of the Philippines is an NBC film showing the Tasaday at the caves in August of 1972. A Message from the Stone Age gives a general view of Tasaday and John Nance's interpretation of their importance.