7 tribes of BUKIDNON

The lowlanders began to use the generic name “Bukidnon” to refer to the
Indigenous Peoples who settled in the mountains. Among themselves,
however, they distinguished each band and tribe with names associated with
their immediate dwelling place or locality. The provincial government of
Bukidnon recognizes seven distinct tribes, namely, Bukidnon, Higaonon,
Manobo, Matigsalug, Talaandig, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon.

 The Talaandig tribe is one of the 110 groups of indigenous peoples in the
Philippines. Talaandig is one of the seven lumad tribes in the province of
Bukidnon.The Talaandig people are mostly concentrated in the northern
and western part of the province of Bukidnon, Mindanao Island,
Philippines. Their territory is marked by the Kitanglad and Kalatungan
mountain ranges

Belief System

The belief on the existence of the highest God called Magbabaya and the
spirits who guard and protect nature is manifested in the social, economic and
political aspects of the life of the Talaandig. Thus, when the Talaandig
establishes a farm, he performs the Talabugta and Ibabasuk rituals, after
harvest, he performs the Pamamuhandi for the thanksgiving, for the
recognition of the superior leadership, he performs the Panagulambung, when
he goes hunting, the Punaliket and palayag, and for a higher form of socio-
economic and political activity, the Talaandig performs the Kaliga ceremony.

The belief of the Talaandig on the existence of gods and spirits is also
reflected in the protection of the house. These include Dadagunan hu Suguy
who guards the lawn of the house: Anilaw ha Sumagda who guards the door,
Sinyuda Kahibunan who keeps the hall, Diwata ha Manilib who records the
activity of people inside the house and Diwata Pinatanlay who guards the
house at the ridge of the roof.

The Talaandig belief on the existence of the human soul called Gimukud or
Makatu is manifested in the pregnancy ritual called Panlang. During the ritual,
the goddess of pregnancy is invoked to protect the soul of the unborn child
and the mother against evil. When the child is born, Kagmakatu ritual is
performed to formally welcome the child as member of the family.

Kinship

Marriage is the most significant basis of Talaandig kinship. Before arranging

marriage, the consanguinity and affinity relationships of contracting parties are
determined as basis for settling the appropriate customary laws and
procedures. During marriage, counseling is established as guideline to
preserve relationship. This is carried out in the observance of the Bayluwa
custom where each of the couple is instructed to tell problems related to their
relationships as husband and wife only to their parent-in-laws. This custom
provides smooth relationship with in-laws who have the parental authority to
discipline their own children.

In Talaandig kinship terms, a father is called Amay; a mother, Inay; a brother,

suled; a sister, atubay. Uncle is called Aba or Abang. While an aunt is called
Ida or Idang. Apu is a general term for grandparent. Parent-in-laws are called
Ugang. A son-in-law is called Makaamong while a daughter in law is called
Lagambay.

Indigenous Knowledge and Oral Traditions

The Talaandig learning system is embodied in various forms of oral tradition.

These tradition includes the narratives called Nanangen, epic called Ulaging,
poetic songs called sala and songs called Idangdang Limbay are particular
songs about animals.

The long historical narrative of the Talaandig is call Gugud. It is considered

sacred because it relates to the existence of the gods and spirits at the time of
creation. A Talaandig story to recall is called Barbat while a reference story is
called Sampitan. The Talaandig sayings or proverb is called Basahan; a
customary law, Batasan while a brain twister or riddle of the Talaandigs is
called Antuka.

Indigenous Leadership and Customary Laws

The Talaandig indigenous political system and leadership are governed by

existing customary laws called Batasan. Batasan is a set of sacred customs,
traditions and policies sanctioned through the religious beliefs and practices of
the tribe. Being sacred, the leadership of the Talaandig community under the
sanctions of customary laws is highly respected. A ritual to institute the
Talaandig leadership is called Panagulambung. This ritual is done in the
presence of other leaders as a confirmation and proclamation of authority of a
Datu. A Datu is a mediator and a leader. His major role is to intervene in
conflicting relationships in order to secure peace and harmony in the
community. In moments of crises, the Datu readily takes the responsibility to
lead.

Healing

The Talaandig has two methods of healing illness. One is through a religious
ceremony. Another is through the application of traditional herbal medicine.
Illness is treated by means of a religious ritual when the Mananambal (healer)
who is usually a Baylan, a prophet or medium believes that the illness is
inflicted by spirits. Traditional herbal medicine, on the other hand, is applied
when the cause of the illness is natural. In most cases, ritual is prescribed
only when the natural healing power of herbal medicine fails to cure the sick.

Economy
The Talaandigs are semi-settled agriculturalist in the uplands. The traditional
crops of the Talaandig include corn, rice, rootcrops, abaka and banana.
These crops are usually produced at consumption levels. Supplements to this
subsistence level economy are raising chickens, pigs and other livestock.
Pigs and chickens are usually utilized for religious purposes while large
animals such as horses and carabaos are used for payment of debt and other
financial obligations. The Talaandig technology includes blacksmithing,
weaving, embroidery, hunting and food gathering.

The indigenous inhabitants of Bukidnon province are generally called “Bukidnon” by the
lowland dwellers (Bisayans and other migrants) referring to the people residing in the
highlands or mountains. The Bukidnon topography shows a mountainous terrain of which the
second highest peak in Mindanao – Mt. Kitanglad – is found. There are two main indigenous
communities in Bukidnon province: the Manobo (Matig-Sulog-Tigwa) and the “Bukidnon”. The
latter is sub-divided into sub-groups – Higaonons in the eastern part of the province and also
scattered around the highlands of Misamis Oriental (which are contiguous with the Bukidnon
plateaus); and the “Talaandig” who are distributed in the south central and western regions of
Bukidnon. There are splintered groups that inhabit along the Agusan-Bukidnon border.
Linguistically, Talaandig is a variant of the Binukid language which is one of the main
branches of the Proto-Manobo language. This explains the presence of many cognates
common to both Manobo and Binukid and thus they could somewhat understand each other.

The Talaandig are called such because they inhabit the slopes of the mountains (andig
means slope) due to the nature of the subsistence pattern—shifting cultivation. However, like
the Manobo, many Talaandig are residing in barangays; while some still prefer the highlands.
The Talaandig selected for this study are residents of barangays – Sungko and Basak – of
the municipality of Lantapan, Bukidnon