Module 2:

Lesson 3

THE TIRURAY
TRIBE
 The Tiruray share a common
legendary ancestry with the
Maguindanao. They are said to be
related to the Muslim Maguindanao.
 The Tirurays live in the district of
Dinaig, South of the Cotabato River
in Southwestern Mindanao. They are
divided into coastal, river and
mountain groups.
 Coastal or lowland Tirurays have
close contact with the Maguindanao
Muslims and the Christian population.
Many of them are modernized and
have adopted neighbor’s culture.
 Even if there is much influence
from other cultures, they can maintain
a distinct culture of their own,
ccharacterized by communal
households, polygamy, and an
indigenous moral - legal system.
 Those living in the mountains are
engaged in dry field agriculture
supplemented by hunting and
gathering of forest products.
 Modernized Tirurays have adapted
to the political mainstream of their
province, municipality, or barangay
location.
 
 However, many of them still keep
the old beliefs and still practice
indigenous rituals.
 Tiruray came from the combination
of the words Tiru meaning place of
origin, birth, or residence and Ray
from daya, meaning upper part of a
stream or river.
 Their distinct language is similarly
structured to those of the Malayo-
Polynesian family but is unintelligible
even to their immediate neighbors.
 The majority of Tiruray live in Upi,
South Upo, Dinaig, and Ampatuan in
Maguindanao. Some are scattered in
the SOCCSKSARGEN region,
particularly in Sultan Kudarat and
North Cotabato.
 The political system among the
Tiruray is still the old type with the
family as the basic unit of
government and the father as the
head.
 In the Fenuwo, composed of 10 to
30 families, the Kefeduwan is the
leader of the council of elders and
spokesman of the village.
 A kefeduwan is the person who is
well-versed in Tiruray customs and
traditional laws.
 A kefeduwan is the model person
in the community - honest, brave, and
has the ability to influence the people
with the force of his personality and
logic.
 Timuay is the highest rank and
honor given to the leader or the
Chieftain.
 Generally, Tirurays are honest
people, they respect the right of
ownership, of occupancy, and abide
by the first claim rule.
 The Tirurays, like many Mindanao
Lumad groups, use the agong in their
ensemble.
 Their kelo-agong or kalatong
ensemble has five shallow embossed
gongs in graduated sizes, producing
delicate sounds.
 The smallest of the gongs, called
segarun, leads off with a steady beat,
while the four others join in with their
own rhythms.
 The kelo-agong is used on various
occasions, such as agricultural
rituals, weddings, community
gatherings, victory celebrations,
curing rites, rituals for the dead and
entertainment of visitors.
 The primary livelihoods for coastal
Tirurays are farming, hunting, fishing,
and basket weaving.
 Those who live in the mountains
engage in dry field agriculture, along
with hunting and gathering forest
products.
 Early Tiruray costumes, including
the weaponry which form part of their
accoutrements, differ according to the
place of habitation.
 Men of the downstream people
who live near the towns and the
Maguindanao population wear long
trousers and waist-length shirts.
 Their weapons consist of a kris
carried at the side, a spear held like a
walking stick, a fegoto (wide bladed
kris) slung over the shoulders.
 And a dagger tucked at the waist,
and either a round shield called
taming or an elongated one called
kelung.
 Those who live along the coast
wear G-strings and shirts. Their
weaponry consists of kemongen, a
blade similar to the kris but smaller
than the fegoto.
 A spear, a bow and a quiver of
arrows which even children carry
around. These arrows are tipped with
kemendag, the poisonous sap of a
certain tree.
 Tiruray women in general wear a
sarong called emut, made form
abaca fiber. They wear shirt similar to
those of the men, except that the
women’s blouse is form fitting.
 Since Tiruray women never
developed the art of weaving cloth,
their dress materials come from
outside sources.
 The women also wear rinti, a series
of brass bracelets of different sizes,
extending from the wrist and up the
forearm.
 A brass cord and belt decorated
with small jingling bells which they
wear around the wrists; brass anklet
rings, necklaces of glass beads and
colored crystals, and the kemagi, a
necklace made of gold.
 They also sport wire earrings from
which they hang small shell
ornaments. The Tiruray women are
never without a knife and a small
basket, which they carry wherever
they go.
 The Tiruray are distinctive in terms
of ethnic art and craft. Their basketry
is among the most intricately woven
in the country,
 Tirurays are famous for their
craftsmanship in weaving baskets
with two-toned geometric designs.
The Weaved Fruit Basket
The Weaved Rice Basket
The Decorative Rice Basket