INDIGENOUS

PEOPLE of
MINDANAO
THE LUMAD OF
MINDANAO
 THE LUMAD OF MINDANAO
Lumad are non-Muslim or non-Christian, although “the orientation of their cultural
developments … appears to be toward the Muslim groups” (Jocano, 1998).

LUMAD - a Bisayan word for “native” or “indigenous,” to distinguish themselves

from the Christians and Muslims in Mindanao.
- “born from the earth,” was first used to refer to them in 1986 at their first
political assembly to discuss issues concerning their cultural determination within
their respective ancestral land.

Republict Act 6734 enacted during Corazon Aquino’s time, used the term to
differentiate these ethnic communities from the Bangsamoro people.

Mindanao has 18 major Indigenous people/Ethnic groups namely:

Ata,Bagobo,Banwaon, Blaan, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaonon, Kalagan,
Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manguangan, Manobo, Mansaka, Subanen, Tagakaolo,
T’boli, Tiruray, and Ubo.
 Ata
•The Ata natives are called the
people of the mountains.
BACKGROUND
•The Ata Manobo of Philippines,
and
numbering
Unreached.
HISTORY
13,500, are No Longer
•”farming” main source of living
•”Binugsong” kind of cooking

Ata


Bagobo
•one of the largest groups among the
indigenous people of Southern Mindanao
BACKGROUND
•derived from two words— “bago” meaning
new or recent and “obo/obbo/uvu/ meaning
growth or “to grow”.
and HISTORY
•found along the coastline of Davao Gulf
where they have been for the past centuries.
•most colorful people of the Philippines, heavily
embroidering their abaca clothing with beads
and stitchwork
Bagobo
 3
SUBGROUPS OF
BAGOBO


Tagabawa

BACKGROUND
•means people of the south as bawa
means south
and
•Dominant HISTORY
color among the attires
of the Tagabawa is the color
maroon
•"Bangon sa Tambara"

Tagabawa


Clata/Guiangan

•literally translates to “forest

dwellers.”BACKGROUND
•The Bagobo Klata are also called
and HISTORY
“Guiangan”, which is the language
they speak.
•cooks on bamboo tubes as
containers.

Clata/Guiangan


Ubo

BACKGROUND
•simply means “people” or “person”;
•known for their intricate casting, fine
and HISTORY
weaponry, and jewelry.
•inhabit in isolated mountains
•They practice slash-and-burn
agriculture.
•they are “animist”
Ubo


Banwaon

BACKGROUND
•Derived from the word “banwa”
which means village or country.
and HISTORY
•means mountain people
•inhabit the forests of Agusan
Del Sur.

Banwaon
 Blaan
•name came from “bla” and “an”
BACKGROUND
which means opponent people.
•known for their colorful
and HISTORY
heritage
•Second wife (dwaya) is allowed
in their culture
Blaan
 Bukidnon
•Bisayan word for "people of the
mountains
BACKGROUND
•Industrial Arts: mat making, basketry,
and embroidery.
and HISTORY
•Bukidnon marriages are monogamous
•Religious beliefs: vast hierarchy of
invisible supernatural beings led by
Magbabáya, "most powerful of all."

Bukidnon
 Dibabawon
•comes from the native word “dibabaw” which
means “at the top”, “tip”, or “victorious”.
BACKGROUND
•unique mode of dressing called “Puka”
•The Dibabawon tribe’s religion is called
and HISTORY
“Talihan”. Spirits they believed: Bantoy,Gamo-
gamo,Tagamaling
•The Dibabawon have superstitious beliefs as
well.
Dibabawon
 Higaonon
•derived from higa (to live or reside), goan
(mountain), and onon (people).
BACKGROUND
•“people of the wilderness.”
•practice an ancient ritual called “tampudas hu
Balagun”
and HISTORY
•described as one of peace, for solving the
internal conflicts of other ethnic groups.
•The Bunkatol Ha Bulawan Daw Nang Ka Tasa
ha Lana (“Treasured Unity of Love and Peace”)

Higaonon
 Kalagan
•Visayan word “Kalagan”: “Kalag” meaning soul or people
and “An” meaning land.
•marriages are usually monogamous (having only one
spouse)
BACKGROUND
•Kalagan remained animists (believe that non-human objects

and HISTORY
have spirits).
•primary religion practiced by the Kalagan is Sunni Islam,
the largest branch of Islam.
•Early Kagans/Kalagan believe in animism and to the one
supreme god called”Tagallang”means creator.
•Wedding: there are 3 Kalagan terms for bride price

Kalagan
 Mamanwa
•means “First Forest Dwellers”, derived from
“man” (first) and “banwa” (forest).
BACKGROUND
•referred as “Negritos” - mountain people who
are black-skinned, small of frame, kinky-haired,
and HISTORY
snub-nosed and with black eyes.
•nomadic in nature, relying on hunting and
gathering to survive and grow minimal crops
•believe in a supreme being they call
“Magbabaya”- creator of all.

Mamanwa
 Mandaya
•comes from the word “man” when translated to English means
“first” and “daya” means “upstream;”when combined together,
it means “the first upstream people.”

BACKGROUND
•means “inhabitants of the uplands”.
•Weaving and knowledge system on healing is greatly influence
by “dreaming”
and HISTORY
•Dagmay - traditional textile
•Tagamaling- spirit linked to life and creation
•”Taban” - arranged marriages, one cultural tradition that they
still practice.
•classified Mamanwas into three groups economically: food
collectors, transitional groups, and semi-sedentary groups.

Mandaya
 Manguangan
The Manguangan makes up the indigenous people living in
the Cordillera Sugut mountains in Mindanao.
they are scattered up to the great lakes of Buayan or
BACKGROUND
Maguindanao and in the territory between what is
occupied by the Manobo and the Mandaya in Davao and
South Cotabato
and HISTORY
The primary religion practiced by the Manguangan is
ethnoreligion
Their primary language is Dibabawon Manobo
it is one of the oldest tribe in the Philippines and they are
somehow unreachable nowadays due to the few numbers
of the tribe.

Manguangan
 Manobo
•simply means “people” or “person”
•term may have originated from “Mansuba,” a combination of man
(people) and suba (river).

BACKGROUND
•The name Manobo,is influence by the Malay River People.people
living near or in the river (most of them live on floating houses).
•Polygyny is common and is allowed according to a man's
wealth(datu).
and HISTORY
•Originally,most marriages are monogamous.
•beliefs of the Manobo revolve
around the concept of many unseen spirits interfering in the
lives of humans(”great spirit”)
•A Manobo community is mostly male dominated.
Manobo
 Mansaka
•derives from “man” meaning “first” and “saka”
meaning “to ascend,”- “the first people to
BACKGROUND
ascend the mountains or go upstream.”
•most dominant ethnic group in Compostella
and HISTORY
Valley Province.
•Mansaka are polygamous; a man is allowed to
marry more than one woman
•Sons are preferred because they are the heirs
•Women have full charge of the household
Mansaka
 Subanen
•derived from the word soba or suba, a
word common in Sulu, Visayas, and
Mindanao, which means "river"
•Subanon means “those who live along
riverbanks and coastal areas.”
•The Subanon practice polygyny. They also
practice levirate and sororate forms of
marriage.
Subanen
 Tagakaolo
•from the phrase “olo sa tubig” which
means inhabitants of headwater.
•Tagakaolos believe in a supernatural
being who lives in Mt. Apo. They offer
him human sacrifices when they
imagine that he is angered or when
they come to the volcano to gather
sulphur.
Tagakaolo
 T’boli
•The house is raised about six feet or
more above the ground with the side
always barely more than three feet
high.
•The T'boli (Tagabili to lowlanders) are
an animist ethnic group inhabiting
highland areas in southwestern
Mindanao.

T’boli
 Tiruray
•comes from the word Tew meaning man
and Duray referring to a small bamboo
with a hook and a line fishing instrument.
•The Teduray are honest, soft-spoken,
shy, sensitive and soft-hearted people.
They are also hospitable and peace-
loving.
•The economy of the Teduray is basically
agriculture.
Tiruray
Thank you
for listening!