The history of Boracay dates back to 12th century. The island has a lot of history and the only known superficial until this day is that the Ati, also known as Negritos are the very first tribe to inhabited the archipelago. Even the word Boracay orginated from the Ati elders. The name came from the local word bora (bubbles) and bocay (white), because Ati elders were amazed at the resemblance of the white sand to water bubbles. The culture and history of the Ati's are celebrated each year through the Binirayan Festival in Antique and the famous Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo. As the years go by, they were marginalized and end up begging on the streets before they were awarded a 2.1 hectare property at Sitio Lugutan, Barangay Manoc-Manoc by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
