The Bukidnons

The Bukidnons is an ethnic tribe in Northcentral Mindanao whose ancestors were the aborigines of the coastal places of what is now the province of Misamis Oriental (Clotet, 1889).Their major means of subsistence are food gathering and swidden agriculture.The women are skilled in making appliqué and embroidering garments. The Bukidnons speak the Binukid dialect. They have light brown complexion, straight black hair; have an average height of about five feet. Their nose bridge is not flat (NCIP, 2003).The IPs who simply identify themselves as Bukidnon are mostly found in the northern part of the province. They specifically inhabited the lower slopes of the mountains of Sumilao, around Malaybalay and those lowland areas of Central Bukidnon. Courtships and marriages among the Bukidnons are brought about by parental arrangements made since the children were eleven years old. Men practice polygamy but the women are expected to be monogamous. Marriage is done by exchanging betel with molded rice.Bukidnons art is best expressed in their dances, poetry and music, mat weaving, and basketry. The Bukidnon musical instruments consist of bamboo flutes, bamboo Jew’s harp, one-stringed violin, and the boatshaped guitar.The Bukidnon handicrafts consist of mats, hats, fishtraps, and cloth weaving. The traditional method of farming is still being practiced by the farmers in planting palay, corn, sugarcane, pineapple, coffee, cassava, abaca, and vegetables.

The Higaonons

The term Higaonon means "people of the wilderness". The term is derived from the native word "gaon" which means literally put away either from fire, heat of the sun or from the water. Hence, the Higaonon are basically the coastal dwellers who moved to the uplands (mountains). They are somewhat nomadic, that is, they travel from one mountain village to another, looking for more fertile soil and better harvest.

The Higaonon people are of medium built with average height of about 5 feet and 2 inches, they are of lighter skin complexion compared to the other tribes in the province. Quiet a number of them have a very recognizable European features, aquiline nose, deep-set eyes and prominent cheeks, a legacy of the intermarriage between the natives and the Spanish colonizers.

The higaonon have unwritten laws called Buncatol Ha Bulawan and their oral tradition is Pasig Ha Sumagubay (Opena, 1982).

According to Tajonera (2003) the Higaonons are among the least known ethnolinguistic groups that inhabit north-central Mindanao.

The Higaonons have their own system of writing. Their myths and legend speak of a great ancestor named “Suwat” who kept a list of the people who were living and dead during the great flood that took place long ago.

            The political system of the Higaonon revolves around a datu. There is usually a principal datu who rule over an entire group composed of several units that are each headed by minor datus. These minor datus form a counseling body for the whole community. The datu assumes multiple roles in the community. He is supposed to be the wisest and bravest among his people.

            With the practice of polygamy in Higaonon society, the kinship has a patrilateral bias. The husband maintains systematic supervisions over his wives who, nowadays, average three to a household, live with him under a single roof. Children are considered equal. No discrimination is made between those of the first marriage or those from later marriages. Any child grows up as one born into a monogamous family.

            Marriage is arranged mainly by the parents of the boy and girl. The arrangement is a long and tedious process. Prior to the wedding, the boy must live in the girl’s house for about a year to prove his worth).

The Talaandigs

The Talaandigs are one of the indigenous groups in the province of Bukidnon, who has continued to preserve and promote its indigenous customs, beliefs and practices despite the strong influx modernization and change. This groups is found in barangays and municipalities surrounding the mountain of Kitanglad specifically in the towns of Lantapan and Talakag (Talamdan, 2001).

The belief on the existence of the highest God called Magbabaya and the spirits who guard and protect nature is minfested in the social, economic and political aspects of the life of the Talandig. Thus, when the Talaandig establishes a farm, he performs the Talabugta and Ibabasuk rituals, after harvest, he performs the Pamamahandi 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 laws of the house: Anilaw ha Sumagda who guards the door, Sinyuda Kahibunan who keeps the hall, Diwata ha Mailib who records the activity of peole inside the house and Diwata Pinatanlay who guards the house at the ridge of the roof.

According to Tajonera (2003) 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. An aunt is called Ida or Idang. Apu is a general term grandparent. Parent-in-laws are called Ugang. A son-in-law is called Maamong while a daughter in law is called Lagambay.

The Talaandig learning system is embodied in various forms of oral tradition. This 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 Talaandig is called Gugud. It is considered sacred because it relates to the existence of the gods and spirits at the time of creation. A Talandig story to recall is called Batbat while a reference story is called Sampitan while a brain twister or riddle of the Talandig is called Antuka.

The Talaandig has two methods of healing illness. One is through a religious ceremony. Another is through the application of traditional herbal medicine.

The Talaandig are known to be dwellers of the steep places. They are the people of the slopes (andig). These IPs who ascribed themselves as Talaandig are mostly found in Lantapan and Talakag.

            Both the Talaandig and Higaonon indigenous communities claimed Mt. Kitanglad as their sacred “temple” and ancestral home. They believed that the forest was the source of life because it served all of their needs: wild animals for food; medicinal plants to cure illnesses; timber for house construction; and rattan to make baskets and other crafts. They chose an area within the forest as hunting reserve. The wild animals were allowed to propagate and multiply. Hunters were selective and conservative in numbers of animals that they killed.

The Matigsalug

According to Opena (1982) the Matigsalug are mostly small in stature with dark brown complexion and curly hair. Traditional wear is a long sleeved jacket with knee length pants and head gears embellished with horse’s hair and beads for men. Women wear mid-length blouses with a skirt and strands of beads attached to wooden disks on their ears. Their clothes are colorfully embroidered with geometric patterns.

The life of an animistic revolves around a spirit world. They maintain that spirits live in water, land, trees, and rocks. Tragedies like illnesses, drought and death are caused by angry spirits. Events like planting crops and revenge-taking (called “pangayaw”) are preceded by rituals. Life is preoccupied with appeasing the spirits by offering sacrifices. Eggs, rice, corn, coins bracelets, anklets and betel nuts are placed on an altar, and the Datu, while calling on the spirits, slits the throat of a chicken and offers the blood. It is very difficult to convince people who been practicing such things for many generations that it is wrong.

The name “Matigsalug” is a construction of Matig and Salug. Matig means from (a place of origin or residence) in various Filipino languages, followed by the specific place of origin or residence. Hence, Matigsalug means from Salug (River). The Matigsalug epic Ulod, provided a definite identity of these IPs which was documented by Manuel(1956).

The Tigwahanon

The Tigwahanon Manobo are found along the watershed of Tigwa River in the place where the municipality of San Fernando is located namely in the following places, Tugop, Little Bagiou, Kumawas, Halapitan, Iglusad, Bunacao, Katipunan, Kiboncog, Namnam, Matimbus, Sabangan, Lumbayao, and Don Cesar plain; Kalagutay, Palacpacan, Dao, Tag-alas-as and Abehid.

The catch and games in these communal food getting are equally shared that even the unborn child in his mother’s womb gets a share as long as the mother has done her share of participation in the communal fishing and hunting.

The giving of equal share to unborn child reflects the esteem and value that these people gave to the human person by making the unborn child have equal rights with the adult human being. This is how much the Tigwahanon values human life.

These people have tree houses called batangan built among the branches of a growing tree with the tree trunk as its solitary post. Their fishing implements are bu-o (bamboo fish traps) in varied forms they have learned to fish using hook and line called banowit.

The staples are rice during harvest time, occasional corn grits are available and most of the year round they subsist on camote (sweet potato) and other crops like cassava.

The Tigwahanon are scattered all over the Municipality of San Fernando in Bukidnon close to the border of Davao del Norte. The term Tigwahanon may have been derived from the Tigwa River where the Tigwahanon inhabits its banks and watersheds (NCIP, 2003).

The Umayamnon

These Indigenous peoples dwell along the watershed of Umayam River in the Mountains of Pantaron in the Eastern side of the province of Bukidnon. They are fair in complexion five feet or above in height.  Their eyes are set closed enough to each other with an average height of nose bridge. They are proud and reserved people.

The Umayamnon is synonymous to fierceness for their group is regarded as warlike and forest experts. But according to Opena (1982), these people are just suspicious and wary of strangers for whenever there are crimes committed in places that are easily reached by law enforcing agencies, the criminals often flee to the Umayam region hence criminals are often hunted in Umayam and almost always these hunts are futile.

They chew betel nut very frequently and their teeth are filed to uniform length which are mostly blackened. Purposes for making the teeth black are two namely: for medicinal purposes and for decoration. The black dye that they used to blacken the teeth means one distinction of being a human (who knows how to dye his teeth black) for according to them only monkeys have white teeth. Umayamnon are excellent makers of bead jewelry like the necklaces called ginakit and inboy, beautiful beaded men’s bag called suning and unisex beaded bracelets called binuklad.

The Umayamnon traces their kinds bilaterally, that is the blood relations of both father and mother are esteemed as close relatives. Reciprocal roles are expected from them like helping raise a ransom or a bride price, sharing games or catch for the day or participating in a communal field clearing the kagsakum.

The Manobo

According to Opena (1985), Manobo is a generic term which refers to people who are still in the subsistence level economy and are generally in the mountains and who practice the slash and burn agriculture. Further she qualified that the term Manobo is very derogatory for it connotes to be backward, uncivilized, ignorant, boisterous, unwashed, unkept, rough and lawless. Hence, she opined that the use of the term must be used with discreetness, tact and prudence. The term can also mean a slave (magdul) or a person destined to do all the menial jobs in the house and farm.

According to Elkins (1977) the Manobo belongs to the original stock of proto-Philippines or proto-Austronesian people who came from South China thousands of years ago. He later coined the term Manobo to designate the stock of aboriginal non-negeritoid people of Mindanao. They mostly inhabit the hinterlands of Bukidnon specifically on the boundaries of Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao and Misamis Oriental (NCIP,2003).

The Western Manobos are in the Southwestern part of Bukidnon in Mulita, Kalilangan and Pangantucan. These people speak a quaint language with Marawi influence which cannot be understood by other ethnic groups in Bukidnon.

Marriage is traditionally by parental arrangement, which begins when each of the two families chooses a spokesperson, preferably a datu or bai, who is known for eloquence and knowledge of custom law. Marriage is an alliance system in which reciprocity and mutual obligation between the groom’s and bride’s kinship groups are expected. It is, therefore, a means of maintaining peace and order, for the Manobo’s practice of retaliation does not extend to one’s kindred or allies.

Poligamy, although rarely practiced, was allowed. A datu might resort to it, usually for economic and political reasons. Several wives allowed for more foelds that could be cultivated, since the Manobo women did all the work in the fields. Poligamy also multiplied one’s alliances and expanded them to several communities. However, they could take another wife only if the first wife and her parents consented. The first wife remained the head wife.

Traditional fabric for clothes was abaca or hemp, weaved by the ikat process, but is now cotton cloth obtained through trade. Dyes were acquired from plants and trees. Ginuwatan are inwoven representational designs such as flowers. If cotton trade cloth is bought, big floral designs are preferred. Typical colors are red, black, yellow, green, blue and white. Manobo ancestors had blankets of abaca fiber which were linetungan if these had multicolored design, and bayas if plain white.