Ivatan (Philippine people)

The Ivatan people are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group native to the Batanes and Babuyan Islands of the northernmost Philippines. They are genetically closely related to other ethnic groups in Northern Luzon, but also share close linguistic and cultural affinities with the Tao people of Orchid Island in Taiwan. The culture of the Ivatans is partly influenced by the environmental conditions of Batanes. Unlike the old-type nipa huts common in the Philippines, Ivatans have adopted their distinctive stone houses made of coral and limestone, designed to protect against the hostile climate.