Atas

Natives inhabiting the mountainous central region of Mindanao, a large
southern island in the Philippines. They tell how the Great Flood “covered the
whole Earth, and all the Atas were drowned except for two men and a woman.
The waters carried them far away.” An eagle offered to save them, but one of
the men refused, so the bird took up the other man and woman, carrying them
to safety on the island of Mapula. Here the Atas were reborn and eventually
multiplied sufficiently to conquer the entire Philippines. The Atas still claim
descent from these light-skinned invaders who, over time, intermarried with
the Negritos and aboriginal peoples.