FILIPINO INDIGENOUS RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

FEATURE TRIBES FROM LUZON, VISAYAS,

AND MINDANAO.

LUZON
Mangyan Tribes

Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups (Iraya, Alangan,
Tadyawan, Tawbuid, Buhid, Hanunuo, Ratagnon, and Bangon) found on the Island of
Mindoro, southwest of the Island of Luzon, the Philippine, each with its own tribal name,
language and custom. The total population maybe around 280, 000 but official statistics
are difficult to determine under the condition of remote areas, reclusive tribal groups,
and some having little if any outside world contacts.
 Origin
● Mangyan were once the only inhabitants of Mindoro
● Being coastal dwellers at first, they have to move in inland and into the
mountain to avoid the influence of foreign settler’s such as Tagalog, the
Spanish and their conquests and religious conversation, and raids by the
Moro (they raided Spanish settlements for religious purposes, and to
satisfy the demands of slave labor).
● A certain group of Mangyan living in Southern Mindoro calls themselves
Hanunuo Mangyans, meaning “true”, “pure” or “genuine”, a term that they
use to street the facts that they are strict in the sense of ancestral
preservation of tradition and practices
● Before the Spaniard arrived in Mindoro, the people traded with the
Chinese extensively, with thousand of supporting archeological shreds of
evidences found in Puerto Galera and in written Chinese references.
● There were the Iraya Mangyan, who isolated themselves from the cultures
of Spaniards, and the lowland Christian who submitted themselves to new
beliefs systems. These two groups only interacted for economic matter
through trading forest goods from the Mangyan and consumer good and
the lowlanders.
 MANGYAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
● They have complex spirituals beliefs systems which include the
following deities:

● Mahal na Makaako – The Supreme Being who gave life to all

human beings merely by gazing at them.
● Binayi – Owner of a garden where all spirits rest.
● Binayo – Is a sacred female spirit, caretaker of the rice spirits or
the kalag paray. She is married to the spirit Bulungabon. The kalag
paray must be appeased, to ensure a bountiful harvest. It is for this
reason that specific rituals are conducted in every phase of rice
cultivation. Some of these rituals include the panudlak, the rite of
the first planting; the rite of rice planting itself; and the rites of
harvesting which consist of the magbugkos or binding rice stalks,
and the pamag-uhan, which follows the harvest.
● Bulungabon – The spirit aided by 12 fierce dogs. Erring souls are
chased by these dogs and eventually drowned in a cauldron of
boiling water. He is Binayo’s husband
 Igorot Tribes

Igorot Tribe The word “Igorot” is an eponym, derived from the archaic Tagalog term for
“mountain people.” he Spanish adopted this term, but it was generally used in a negative
manner referring to savages and backward people of the mountains. However, the Spanish
themselves were never able to fully penetrate the Cordilleras during their 300-year colonial
period in the Philippines and thus had very little influence on the Igorot people and their way of
life.

Igorot Origin
● The Igorot people are Austronesian
● They were known in the earlier days for their war and practices of bead
bunting.
● The Spaniards forcibly partially subdued them during the colonial
occupation of the Philippines, the process being completed during the
period of U.S
Hegemony.
● Ethnologists distinguish about 10 main ethnic groups, each with has own
dialect and culture
● There is also variation with this group
 Igorot Religious Practices

• The Igorots are tied together by a similar set of cultural practices

and beliefs. They practice a native religion called “animism.” They highly value
nature and they believe that their gods reside in objects such as "trees and in the
mountains"

Bontoc tribes

Present-day, the Bontoc tribe had peaceful agricultural people who have by choice
retained most of their traditional culture despite the frequent contact with another group. Music
is also important in Bontoc life and is usually play during ceremonies. Song and Chant are
accompanied by nose flutes (lalaleng), gong (gangsa), bamboo mouth organ (affiliao), and
Jew’s sharps (ab a few). Wealthy families make use pieces of jewelry, which are commonly
made of gold and glass beads, agate beads (appong), or shell to show their status.

The Bontoc Tribes Origin

● Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga,
and Apayao in Nothern Luzon are home of Bontoc Tribes
● Their population spread over 10 municipalities, and 137 barrios and it’s village
are have each own distinct dialect some which are Sadanga, Guinaang Bontoc,
and Bayuu.
● Those living in capital town in Mountain Province often speak Bontoc and may
speak Ilocano as well.
● Bontoc came from the word Buntuk which means Mountain refers to the people
in Mountain Provinces.
● Men and Women both are cover of traditional tattoo, although only allowed to
have a tattoo after killed an enemy in inter-tribal conflicts.
● Today, many Bontoc culture and tradition are rarely practiced and slowly
disappeared.

Bontoc Religious Practices

● Bontoc believes in anito or spirit of their ancestor and is spirit

dwelling in nature, are essentially monotheistic.
● Lumawig is their God, their cultural hero, and son of the god
Kabunian.
● Religious practices, rituals, and canoas attend their cycle of Life,
death, and agricultural activities.
● The Chao-es is the feast for the manerwap, which is a ritual
imploring Lumawig for the rain.
● The chao-es is also held when a person name need to be a
changed because of an incurable aliment that is believed to be
caused by the ancestral spirit.
● The fosog is the feast of fertility rites.
● There are sacred days called tengao/teer, which are some 46 days
scattered in the year when word in the field is taboo.
● The tengao are generally associate with a corps, climate, weather,
and sickness.
● Kapya are the prayers for the favor and blessing.
● The maneyang is the group prayer who asking to there God
Lumawig.
● They also believe that the spring water have their god who acts as
guardians.
● Person who has a spring in one of his field should sacrifice a
chicken especially during the “asi’ apey” so that water will not
become smaller or dry up.
● Generally they believe the bodies of the water especially those
found in the mountain such as lake, big or small, the falls and the
spring, that are found within in the community is the abodes of the
spirit.

IFUGAO
 Their great system of irrigated rice terraces -steeply contoured mountain-
terraced walls of stone that lean slightly inward at the top is world-renowned and was
developed with simple technology.

In addition to rice, the prestige crop, large amounts of sweets potatoes are
grown on hillside plots and form the staple diets of the poorer class. Pigs and chicken
are also raised, primarily for the numerous and sacrifice.

Ifugao Origin
★ Ifuago, group of wet-rice agriculturalists occupying the mountainous
area of Nothern Luzon, Philippines.
★ They are of Malay stocks and their language is Austronesian
(Malayo-Polynesian), as is that of their neighbors, but they have
developed a number of cultural characteristic that set them apart
★ They numbered nearly 70,000 in 1939, but World war III reduced
their population to a figure(1948) of 50,000
★ By the late 20th century their population had increased to about
190,000

Ifugao Religious Practices

➢ Ifugao identify themselves as Christian even though they continue
to perform or participate in traditional Ifugao rituals (baki or bfuni),
from those for healing to those for earning higher social status
➢ There were Christian in all social levels among the ifugao, those
who practiced traditional religion exclusively belonged to the non-
elite strata.
➢ Fundamentalist Protestant churches tended to be more
condemnatory of traditional Ifugao culture than Catholic Church.
➢ Deities may take a person soul, causing the body to fall ill; if they
do not return the soul, the person dies
➢ The corpse of a person who has died a natural death is stated tried
to an honorary death chair, and guarded by fire and an undertake.
➢ The deceased remain there for as many days (up to 13 day) as the
family can afford to hold a nighttime wake and then is eithier carried
by the undertake to hillslide family sepulcher (a chamber at the end
of a tunnel cut into soft rock) or put into sealed coffin beneath the
house or in a granary-like mausoleum.
➢ Children are buried in jar. Three to five years later, a second burial
may be performed if the deceased is unhappy is disturbing or
harming the living.
➢ In case of wrongful death, the corpse is seated, bound to a house
post, and neglected so that its spirit will seek revenge.

Balangao Tribe
 Balangaos and their neighbor tribes share comparable physical
features and characteristics, distinction lies in their beliefs, rituals,
dances, and song. Despite the fact that Christianity had already
permeated the region, many indigenous customs prevails such as
lifestyle, marriage, and the use of dormitories between genders.

Balangao’s Origin

● They are also known as Boliwons were the early settlers of the
Eastern Mountain Province in central Cordillera. Concentrations of
these ethnologists groups are found in the town of Barlig, Natoninn,
and Paracels.
● According to the tribe’s oral historians, the Gaddangs of Cagayan
field to the mountain in the 17th century, soon after their defeat at
the hands of Spanish colonists.
● Intermarriage and cultural blending between the Gaddang and the
original natives of the slopes and riverbanks eventually produced
the Balangao tribe.
● Speakers converse a Farangao language, which has dominant
“ch”, “r”, and “f” intonation, similar to the Bontocs.
● The balangao dialect is also used by other erby tribes whose own
language re interrelated to Farangao.
● Most of them practice wet terrace farming, planting tree and roor
corps such as taro, yam and sweet potato.
● They are also skilled in bamboo and rattan crafts, as well as
weaving and blacksmithing.
● Their culture reflects the Cordillera, it is more reminiscent of the
Kalinga, such as their architecture
.
Balangao’s Religious Practices
➢ They believe in unique pantheon of deties, of which the supreme
god is the cultural hero.
➢ Lumawig son of Kabunian. They are many sacred site associated
with Lumawig and a variety of Bontoc dities.
➢ Oral traditio tells that lumawig instilled five great lesson to the
Bontoc people namely;
★ A man must not steal
★ One should not gossip
★ Men and women must not commit
adultery
★ One must be temperate in eating and in
drinking alcoholic drinks
★ All people must live in simple and
industrious lives.
➢ Bontoc males had to undergo a rite of passage into manhood,
which may include headhunting, where the males has to journey
(something with companions) and bunt for a human head.
➢ The bontoc also used Jaws of the Hunted head as a handle for
gongs, and as late as the early 1990s, evidence of this practice can
be seen from one of the gongs in Pakistan, Bontoc.
VISAYA
Suludnon Tribe
 Due to the sandwich-like location of their territory, the inhabitants earned the
moniker Sulod by their neighbors, which literally means “closet or room”; they're also
called montesses by lowlanders, which means “mountain dwellers”. They speak a
dialect that is a combination of Kiniray-a which is characterized by many archaic
expressions and Hiligaynon; most of the Sulod are monolingual. They are the only
culturally indigenous group of Visayan language-speakers in the Western Visayas.

Suludnon Tribe Origin

● The Salud/Tumandok are known for their Binanog Dance which mimics of the
flight of the Philippines Eagle, accompanied by agung ensembles.
● They are also known for their detailed embroidery known as Panubok.
● The heritage of Panubok is celebrated in the Tinubkan Fashion that is shown in
Iloilo City.
● The Salud are also known as for their traditional practices on the mysticism of the
Binukot and nabukot.
● The Sulod are the most populous of the varied cultural-linguistic groups
inhabiting the mountains of Central Panay; Tapaz, Capiz; Lambuano, Iloilo; and
Valderrama, Antique Provinces, who remain relatively unassimilated.

Suludnon Tribe Religious Practices

● Religion is an intimate part of Sulod life.

● Every activity is in conformity to the wishes of the spirits and deities, and
the Sulod does everything within his power to please these divinities, even
to the extent of going into debt in order to celebrate a proper ceremony for
the chief spirit known as diwata.
 ● There are 16 annual ceremonies and a number of minor ones, most of
which are conducted by the religious leader known as baylan; men or
women appointed and whose sole functions are to communicate with the
preeminent spirits during seances and interpret dreams and omens
relative to the well-being of the communities

Karay-a People

Several towns in Antique have the distinctions of producing quality ware

ranging from salakot and sawali from Belison, bamboo-craft from San Jose, ceramics
from Sibalom, pottery from Badoja, Tibiao; mats from Pandan and Libertad; and loom-
woven patadyong (barrel skirt) from Bagtason, Bugasong, the only one of its kind in the
Visaya and wekk known throughout Panay. Music, such as courtship song, wedding
hymns, and funeral recitals is well-developed, as it.

Karay-a People Origin

❖ Karay-a, Kinaray, or Hiniray-a is derived from iraya meaning
“upstream”, ka meaning “companion”, with infixation in meaning “ to
have undergone something” Karay-a refers to the ethnologuistic
group predominantly located on Panay island in Western Visaya.
❖ Chroniclers of the Spanish colonial periods refers to them as the
“Araya”
❖ They were first believed to be descendent of immagirants from
Borneo, through the epic-myths of the “Ten Bornean Datus”
❖ The ancestor of the Karay-a are the Austronesian speak
immigrants who came from South China during the Iron Age.
❖ They primarily speak Karay-a. Meanwhile, Hilagayon, Tagalog,
and English are used as Second languages.
❖ Most are Christian. About 80 percent are Roman Catholic and rest
are Protestants.

Karay-a People Religious Practices

➔ Samba, aka panet “rite for peace” is the generic ritual held to
appeal for rain, for bountiful harvest, or for abundant fish, as well as
to prevent crop disease and keep pestilence away.
 ➔ Sagda Ceremony, held in March, is a postclearing-chanting ritual of
apology to the spirit who may have been hurt when the field was
being burned during the clearing process
➔ Panudlak is the pre-planting rite to appeal for rain, held on Good
Friday, usually in April. Another panudlak may be held in August, if
the farmer observes two agricultural cycles in a year
➔ Pangkuyang is pre-harvest rite to keep pestilence away just when
the rice gain is their ripest.
➔ Sanggi is the post-harvest thanksgiving rite, held in October, and
the second in February
➔ Various types of Samba have following elements in common: an
officitators who is usually the ma-aram, a kuyung “food-offering”,
incense burning, chanting dancing and sa-ob “spirit possession”

Waray Tribe

The word Waray means “none” or “nothing” or “not.” In Samar the Waray are known as
Samarenos. In Leyte they are called Leytenos. In Biliran they are referred to as Biliranon and on
the island of Ticao in the Masbate province they are described as Ticaonon. In the Philippines
the Waray are often depicted as brave warriors and there is a popular phrase, “basta ang
Waray, hindi uurong sa away” (Waray never back down from a fight.)
 WARAY TRIBES’ ORIGIN

● The waray are the descendent of the Austronesian-speaking immigrants who

came to the Philippine during Iron Age.
● In 1521, the waray are the first Filipino to be sighted by Europeans under the
leadership of Magellan
● They are first Filipino who converted in Christianity.
● They are also the last Filipino ethnicities to retain traditional pagan practices
alongside their practices of Roman Catholicism.
● They are also called Waray or Samaran or Samareno, any member of the large
ethnolinguistics groups of the Philippine, living on Samar, Eastern Leyte, and
Biliran Island.
● Most of waray-waray are farmers and live in small village
● The kindship system and family structure are almost identical to those of other
Christian Filipino groups, Waray-waray are considered to have retained of more
of the beliefs and folklores and Pre-Christian times.

Waray Tribe Religious Practices

● The Waray are said to be some of the most religious people in the Philippines,
but the paradox is that even though they were some of the first to be
Christianized, they are also one of the last ethnic groups of the Philippines to
continue their animistic traditions alongside their practice of Roman Catholicism.
This religious syncretism is evident in the Mayaw-Mayaw, a stylized dance that
incorporates aspects of western Christianity introduced by the Spanish and the
preexisting animism of the indigenous Waray. Their religious devotion is very
evident in their celebrations like feasts honoring their patron saints. Fiestas are
celebrated with prayer, food/drinking dance and music.
● Mayaw
There is at least five different rituals involved in the mayaw. In each
of these rituals the tambalan offers a sacrifice of an animal, usually a
slaughtered pig or chicken along with some type of food offering. The
ritual sacrifice is believed to ward off evil spirits and is accompanied by
 incantations that help good spirits come to the aid of the client, someone
in need of body healing, or desiring a bountiful rice harvest. Another
common ritual is the blessing of a house where sacrificial blood is
sprinkled or used to make the sign of the cross on each post.

In a Christianized version, the Mayaw is sometimes performed as a

sacrificial thanksgiving for a favor or blessing received from some
heavenly being, in the case of Pinabacdao, the “Patrona”, the Blessed
Virgin Mary under her title the Lady of Sorrows. One ritual dance
celebrates the La Dolorosa or the heavenly protectress of Pinabacdao
where the power of the Virgin Mary is invoked to drive away evil and her
triumph is celebrated in an elaborate ceremony. A young woman
representing the Patrona stands on the platform of bamboo poles and is
carried away, a symbolic representation of the great honor given to her by
her own people.

Eskaya People

Eskayan language and writing system has been a source of fascination

and controversy. Some journalist argued that the Eskaya were historically displaced
from the Middle East, while other suggested that the community was a cult speaking an
invented language. According to Eskaya mythology, the language and script was
created through divine inspiration by the ancestor Pinay who based in on the human
body. Suppressed by Spanish colonists, Pinay’s language was said to have resurfaced
under the leadership of Mariano Datahan(1875-January 17 1949) a veteran of Bohol
republican army.

Eskaya People Origin

● Commonly known as the Visayan-Eskaya, is the collective for the

members of the cultural minority found in Bohol, Philippines, which
distinguish by its cultural heritage, particularly its literature, language,
dress, and religious observances.
● Eskaya first public attention in 1980, these cultural practices were the
subject of intense speculation on the part of local journalist and amateur
historian who made diverse claims about the ethnolinguistic of the Eskaya
people
● The Eskaya are officially classified as an Indigenous Cultural Community
under the “Indigenous People Rights Acts of 1997(Republic Act No. 8371)

Eskaya People Religious Practices

★ Although the group's distinct culture, literature, and language has baffled
historians over the years, some of these traditional practices are no longer
strictly imposed on the younger generation. A decline in the community's
linguistic and cultural education has been noted. Whom they call “biki” and
“beriki”.
 ★ Spiritual leaders also performed rituals for goods harvest, house blessing,
wedding’s and the like aside from weekly services.

NEGRITOS TRIBE

Based on their physical similarities, Negritos were once considered a single

population of related people. Some studies suggest that they included several separate
groups, as well as demonstrating that they are not closely related to the Pygmies of
Africa, while more recent studies find evidence for a close genetic relation between
various Negrito Groups. The pre-Neolithic Negrito population of Southeast Asia were
largely replaced by the expansion of Southern East Eurasian Populations, beginning
about 5000 years ago.

NEGRITOS TRIBE ORIGIN

❖ Historically they engaged in trade with the local population that

eventually invaded their lands and were also often subjected to
slave raids while also paying tributes to the local Southeast Asian
rulers and kingdoms.
❖ Negrito pygmies from the southern forests were enslaved and
exploited from AD 724 until modern times. While some have lived in
 isolation other have become assimilated with the general local
population.
❖ The appropriateness of using the label “Negrito” to bundle people of
different ethnicities based on similarities in stature and complexion
has been changed.

Negritos Tribe Religious Practices

➔ Agta or Dumagat of northeastern Luzon is typical of the least acculturated

Philippine Negrito Societies.
➔ Agta believes in a single high god and in a large number of supernatural
spirit beings that inhabit their surrounding natural environment.
➔ There are two-spirit in the Agta worldview: hayup(creature) and belet or
anito(ghost). The latter are always malignant. Ghosts are wandering
disembodied souls of deceased human
➔ Ghosts recently deceased adult relatives especially feared, as they are
prone to return to the abode of their family during the night causing
sickness and death.
➔ Several varieties of Hayup Creatures. Although these re nonhuman they
are bipedal and may appear in human form.
➔ Most varieties of hayup being malignants; other are neutral and a few can
be called upon for help in curing disease.

Mindanao

Tboli Tribe
 The T'boli (Tagabili to lowlanders) are an animist ethnic group inhabiting highland
areas in southwestern Mindanao, centering on Lake Sebu (TauSebu is another of the
people's names). The T'boli rely on Muslim traders for contacts with the lowlands and
maritime trade.

Tboli Tribe Origin

● The most well-known is the T'boli Tribe, which lives in the province of
South Cotabato, around lake Sebu. Since the arrival of settlers originating
from the other islands of the Philippines, they gradually moved to the
mountain slopes to live in scattered settlements in the Highlands.
● This Tribal group is still living in a traditional way., comparable with how
their ancestors lived centuries ago. The T'boli distinguish themselves from
other Tribal Groups by their colorful clothes, bracelets and earrings, this
tribe is famous for their complicated beadwork, wonderful woven fabrics
and beautiful brass ornaments.
● The T'boli culture is richly connected with and inspired by nature, their
dances are a mimick from the action of animals such as monkeys and
birds
● The T'boli have a rich musical culture with a variety of musical
instruments, but the T'boli music and songs are not meant for
entertainment only
● The T'nalak, the T'boli sacred cloth, made from abaca is the best known
T'boli craft and is one of the tribe's traditional textiles, this cloth is
exchanged during marriages and used as a cover during births.
● The T'boli women are named dream weavers, another legend tells us that
the T'nalak weaving was taught by a goddess named Fu Dalu in a dream
and that women learn this ethnic and sacred ritual, based on tribal designs
and cloth patterns through their dreams
● This typical T'boli textile is history held in the hands of their makers and
the rich cultural heritage can be seen through their creations, it shows the
tribe's collective imagination and cultural meanings

Tboli Tribe Religious Practices

● Only a few T’boli are Christian or Islamite. More than 95% of the T’boli
people still have their animistic religion. They were hardly influence by the
spread of the Islam on the island. The Spaniards too, didn’t succeed to
Christianize the T’boli during the Spanish colonial period. Main reason
was that the T’boli withdrew to the hinterlands in the uplands.
● The T'boli believe in a seven-level upper world inhabited by many gods,
foremost of whom are the couple, Kadaw La Sambad and Bulan La
Magoaw
● They had seven sons and seven daughters who formed couples. Of these,
S'fedat and Bong Libun could not have children. Despairing of this, S'fedat
asks his wife Bong Libun to kill him; his body becomes the earth and its
vegetation. D'wata, another of Kadaw La Sambad and Bulan La Magoaw's
 offspring, obtains the earth for his children, having agreed to give Bong
Libun one of his sons in marriage. This son, however, flees; Bong Libun's
children by another husband become the gods of disease. Meanwhile,
Hyu We and Sedek We, children of D'wata, create humans from clay,
laying them on a banana plant (from this, humans get both their fertility
and mortality).
● In T'boli belief, a spirit or force lives in all objects, animate and inanimate.
The T'boli make offerings (including bracelets) to the spirits of rivers and
forests. Parents will place a sword by sleeping to children to protect them
from evil spirits. Folktales often feature talking crabs, horses, or other
animals. The souls of ancestors are part of everyday reality. The various
gods mediate between D'wata and humanity. Of these the most important
is L'mugot M'ngay, the god of all food plants. The gods can be vindictive
and greedy as well as kind and merciful. They speak to humans through
the song of the l' muhën, the bird of destiny. When people violate
customary norms, they must appease the relevant god by placing a pig,
chicken, or goat cooked without salt on an altar where the god resides. A
sick person is brought to the altar, and the water that has previously been
poured over swords is collected and poured over him or her. Other than
this, the T'boli have few set rituals and no religious specialists other than
the elders who in general lead the community, though there are tao
d'mangao, people who can act as spirit mediums.
 HIGAONAN TRIBE

Higaonan, an indigenous tribe in Nothern Mindanao in the southern Philippines,

has preserved an ancient system of conflict resolution which has enabled them to be a truly
peaceful community. However, there is a need to ensure that this knowledge is not lost in the
Future.

They have continuously lived as an organized community on commonly bounded

and defined territory and have under the claim of ownership since time immemorial, possessed
customs, traditions, and other distinctive cultural traits. They are once of the indigenous people
(Ips) recognized as the true natives of the island, who at one time occupied and controlled a
substantial portion of the Mindanao and Sulu archipelago.

HIGAONAN TRIBE ORIGIN

● The Higaonon tribe is one of the oldest tribes of the region. They have
lived there for thousands of years and are true natives: they were likely the
first ones to settle there. They live in their ancestral forest homes,
undisturbed, managing the forest in a natural way. The tribe is nomadic
and travels from one mountain to another. The tribe is scattered over five
provinces: Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Lanao del Norte
and Misamis Oriental.
● The name Higaonon is derived from the words higa meaning living, the
word goan, which means mountains, and the word onon meaning people.
Together these words form the description of the tribe as “people of the
living mountains
● The tribe consists of several clans, which now all live in peace with each
other. The tribe has continued their ancestors’ ancient method of conflict
resolution. This causes them to be truly peaceful people and earned them
the name weavers of peace.

HIGAONAN TRIBE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

● They are believed in supernatural being that dwelt in mountain,
forest tree or simply existed in some portion of the universe
● They also believed in the existence of beneficent spirit like those of
their dead datus as well asin malevolent ones, and in the creator of
all things.
● Magbabaya
Rituals and ceremony have remained part of Higaonan way
of life until the present.
● The tribal community held a Kaamulan harvest, to celebrate a
victory, a wedding, a baptism, or a family reunion.
● They need to secure their Ancestral Domain and forest home
against destruction by loggers who started cutting their way into the
forested homeland more than sixty years ago.

Tasaday People
 Many anthropologies believe the Tasaday as a stone-age tribe was a
hoax, but they concede that the people as an indigenous tribe are authentic.
Anthropologist Thomas Headland believes the truth is mixture of both.

Tasaday People Origin

⮚ Small group of people living in the highland rain forest of Mindanao in the
Philippine.
⮚ First reported by anthropologist investigators in 1971, the Tasaday,
numbering about 25 individuals, apparently had been living a virtually
isolated primitive (incorrectly labeled “Stone Age”) existence until they
were discovered by nearby settled tribes in 1966.
⮚ Visiting anthropologists found cave-dwelling food-gatherers whose
subsistence was based on the wild yam; other food included tad poles,
frogs, small fish, crabs, grubs, plum fruits and wild bananas.
⮚ They were dressed only in loincloths and skirt made of orchid, used only
stone stools (axes and scrapers) and wooden implements (fire drills and
digging sticks), and had no weapons for hunting or war.

B’laan tribe
 The blaan also sew plastic beads or shell sequins to create intricate
design on women blouse and trousers, called the takmon. Geometric and other design
depicting the environment, or the solar system are sewn using cotton yarns onto men’s
pants and shirts, called the msif.

B’laan tribe Origin

❖ Their name could have derived from” bla” meaning “opponent” and
the suffix “an” meaning “people”.
❖ Other terms used to refer to this group are Blaan, Bira-an, Baraan,
Vilanes and Bilanes.
❖ Some of the natives were displaced when General Santos City was
founded in 1939. Other of them settled in city.
❖ Relation with settlers and their descendent are not always
harmonious, Ilonggo settlers reportedly clashed with some Blaan
natives in March 2015.
❖ They are neighbors of the T’boli and live in Lake Sebu and T’boli
municipalities of South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos City,
the southeastern part of Davao and around Lake Buluan in North
Cotabato.
❖ They are famous in brass works, beadwork, and tabih wave.
❖ The women of these tribes, particularly wear heavy brass belts with
brass “tassels” ending in tiny brass bells that heralds their approach
even when they are a long way off.
 B’laan tribe Religious Practices

★ They believe in the existence of supreme being known as God

(Dawata). He is the planters (Mele) of heaven (langit) and
earth(tana) and everything thereof. Under him and other
supernatural being with lower ranks of powers or authority
★ The guardian of spirit (L’nilong).
★ To the B’laan natures is entrusted for safekeeping. The guardian
spirit is not creator since creator belong to God.
★ As guardian (snalig), they are often referred as the owner of nature
(M-fun)
★ There is the owner of the sea (M’fun mabin) with owner of the
forests (M’fun, D’lag). God is the creator, and the guardian spirit are
guardian and man as the user (occupier)
★ The lord when we praise, take mercy on us and make us healthy.
God is his name.
★ Heaven is God place where there many houses. They livelihood
are farming, weaving (the male weave, baskets and female weave,
mats) fishing, hunting, food gathering and tool-land weapon
making.

Mandaya Tribe
 Aesthetics and arts rank high among the Mandaya. They are excellent
metalsmith, who can fashion beautiful silver ornaments and brass items and weapons.
Music is lso important part of Mandaya culture, as they use various musical instrument
and dance for celebrations and rituals.

Mandaya Tribe Origin

■ The term of Mandaya came from the word man, meaning
“first”, and daya meaning “upstream” in combinations,
Mandaya means “the first upstream people” and refers to
indigenous people language.
■ The Mandaya are shifting cultivators who rely largely on
swidden farming (also known as slash-and-burn) as a means
for survival.
■ Both non-Christian, and non-Islamic, the Mandaya are found
in Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte, Mindanao.
■ Mandaya are said to be polygynous; divorce is also socially
acceptable.
■ The Mansaka is combination of man “first” and saka “to
ascend”, and is almost identical to the meaning of Mandaya:
“the first people to climb the mountain or go upstream”
■ Mansaka can be found in Davao Oriental.

Mandaya Tribe Religious Practices

● They believe a round nature spirit (diwata), both good and bad.
● In contrast to the Christian believes that set evil as absolute archenemy to
one faith and morality
● Mandaya believe that evil spirit can be appeased and made amicable.
● Mandaya do through rituals, offering and sacrifies.
● The Mandaya embrace evil if it is making good
● Mandaya worldview and tradition, God is the source of both good and evil.
● This god the Mandaya called by the name Magbabaya, literally meaning
the “governanor”