Lumad
The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous peoples in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning 'native' or 'indigenous'. The term is short for Katawhang Lumad, the autonym officially adopted by the delegates of the Lumad Mindanao Peoples Federation founding assembly on 26 June 1986 at the Guadalupe Formation Center, Balindog, Kidapawan, Cotabato. Usage of the term was accepted in Philippine jurisprudence when President Corazon Aquino signed into law Republic Act 6734, where the word was used in Art. XIII sec. 8 to distinguish Lumad ethnic communities from the islands of Mindanao.
Mindanao is home to a substantial part of the country's indigenous population, comprising around 15% of the Philippine population.
History
The name Lumad grew out of the political awakening among tribes during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. It was advocated and propagated by the members and affiliates of Lumad-Mindanao, a coalition of all-Lumad local and regional organizations that formalized themselves as such in June 1986 but started in 1983 as a multi-sectoral organization. Lumad-Mindanao's main objective was to achieve self-determination for their member-tribes or, put more concretely, self-governance within their ancestral domain in accordance with their culture and customary laws. No other Lumad organization had the express goal in the past.Representatives from 15 tribes agreed in June 1986 to adopt the name; there were no delegates from the two major groups of the T'boli and the Teduray. The choice of a Cebuano word was a bit ironic but they deemed it appropriate as the Lumad tribes do not have any other common language except Cebuano. This marked the first time that these tribes had agreed to a common name for themselves, distinct from that of other Mindanao native groups: the Muslim Moro peoples of southwestern Mindanao; and the sea-faring Visayans of coastal areas in northern and eastern Mindanao. All of which, in turn are distinct from the migrant majority of modern Mindanao.
On 2 March 2021, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples issued a resolution denouncing the use of the term lumad when referring to Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples. The resolution stated that elders, leaders, and members of different ICCs and IPs in Mindanao requested that they not be called "Lumad", and instead want to be referred to by their respective ethnolinguistic group names. However, anthropologists and historians pointed out errors in the commission's resolution, particularly with regard to the origin and usage of the term Lumad. Scholars and Lumad leaders stated that the resolution stems from a lack of historical awareness and the commission's ignorance of Lumad struggles in Mindanao.
Ethnic groups
The Lumad include groups such as the Erumanen ne Menuvu', Matigsalug Manobo, Agusanon [|Manobo], Dulangan Manobo, Dabaw Manobo, Ata Manobo, Blaan, Kaulo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Teduray, Lambangian, Higaunon, Dibabawon, Mangguwangan, Mansaka, Mandaya, Kalagan, Subanen, Tasaday, Tboli, Mamanuwa, Tagakaolo, Talaandig, Tagabawa, Ubu', Tinenanen, Kuwemanen, Klata, and Diyangan. Considered as "vulnerable groups", they live in hinterlands, forests, lowlands, and coastal areas.The term Lumad excludes the Butuanons and Surigaonons, even though these two groups are also native to Mindanao. This is due to their Visayan ethnicity and lack of close affinity with the Lumad. The Moros like the Maguindanaon, Maranao, Tausūg, Sangil, Sama-Bajau, Yakan, etc. are also excluded, despite being also native to Mindanao and despite some groups being closely related ethnolinguistically to the Lumad. This is because unlike the Lumad, the Moros converted to Islam during the 14th to 15th centuries. This can be confusing since the word Lumad literally means 'native' in Bisayan languages.
Bagobo
The Bagobo are one of the largest subgroups of the Manobo peoples. They comprise three subgroups: the Tagabawa, the Klata, and the Ovu peoples. The Bagobo were formerly nomadic and farmed through kaingin 'slash-and-burn' methods. Their territory extends from Davao Gulf to Mount Apo. They are traditionally ruled by chieftains, a council of elders, and mabalian or female shamans. The supreme spirit in their indigenous anito religions is Eugpamolak Manobo or Manama.Blaan
The Blaan is an indigenous group that is concentrated in Davao del Sur and South Cotabato. They practice indigenous rituals while adapting to the way of life of modern Filipinos.Bukidnon
The Bukidnon are one of the seven tribes in the Bukidnon plateau of Mindanao. Bukidnon means 'that of the mountains or highlands', despite the fact that most Bukidnon tribes settle in the lowlands.The name Bukidnon itself used to describe the entire province in a different context or could also be the collective name of the permanent residents in the province regardless of ethnicity.
The Bukidnon people believe in one god, Magbabaya, though there are several minor gods and goddesses that they worship as well. Religious rites are presided by a baylan whose ordination is voluntary and may come from any sex. The Bukidnons have rich musical and oral traditions, which are celebrated annually in Malaybalay City's Kaamulan Festival, with other tribes in Bukidnon.
The Bukidnon Lumad is distinct from and should not be confused with the Visayan Suludnon people of Panay and a few indigenous peoples scattered in the Visayas area who are also alternatively referred to as "Bukidnon".
Higaonon
The Higaonon are mainly located in the entire province of Misamis Oriental, as well as northern parts of Bukidnon, western parts of Agusan del Norte, western parts of Agusan del Sur, Camiguin, Rogongon in Iligan City, and eastern parts of Lanao del Norte. The Higaonons have a rather traditional way of living. Farming is their most important economic activity.The word "Higaonon" means 'people of the coast' and is derived from the word higa in the Higaonon language, which means 'coastal plains' or 'shore'. Higaonons were formerly coastal people of the provinces, as mentioned. They resisted the Spanish Reducciones policies and were displaced by incoming Dumagat migrants during the Spanish colonial period. Most Higaonon moved to the interior highlands of Misamis Oriental and northern Bukidnon.
The Higaonon people believe in a variety of deities, namely:
- Magbabayà – The supreme god who has minor gods and goddesses beneath him to do specific jobs and take care of certain things, he is also the god of the west.
- Domalondong – The god of the north.
- Ongli – The god of the south.
- Tagolambong – The god of the east.
- Ibabasok – He watches over the crops and their growth in a simple ceremony at the center of the rice field.
- Dagingon – They worship this deity in an elaborated celebration complete with songs and dances which will last for nine nights during planting and after harvest seasons.
- Bulalakaw – The spirit who watches the rivers and takes care of the fishermen's catch.
- Tumpaa Nanapiyaw or Intumbangol – Watches the base of the earth night and day lest it crumbles.
- Tagabugtà – The spirit who watches the farm or the forest
Kalagan
Kamigin
A subgroup of the Manobo from the island of Camiguin. They speak the Kamigin language and are closely related to the Manobo groups from Surigao del Norte.Mamanwa
The Mamanwa are a Negrito tribe often grouped together with the Lumad. They come from Leyte, Agusan del Norte, and Surigao provinces in Mindanao; primarily in Kitcharao and Santiago, Agusan del Norte, though they are lesser in number and more scattered and nomadic than the Manobos and Mandaya tribes who also inhabit the region. Like all Negritos, the Mamanwas are phenotypically distinct from the lowlanders and the upland Manobos, exhibiting curly hair and much darker skin tones.They are traditionally hunter-gatherers and consume a wide variety of wild plants, herbs, insects, and animals from tropical rainforests. The Mamanwa are categorized as having the "negrito" phenotype: dark skin, kinky hair, and short stature. The origins of this phenotype are a continued topic of debate, with recent evidence suggesting that the phenotype convergently evolved in several areas of southeast Asia.
However, recent genomic evidence suggests that the Mamanwa were one of the first populations to leave Africa along with peoples in New Guinea and Australia, and that they diverged from a common origin about 36,000 years ago.
Currently, Mamanwa populations live in sedentary settlements that are close to agricultural peoples and market centers. As a result, a substantial proportion of their diet includes starch-dense domesticated foods. The extent to which agricultural products are bought or exchanged varies in each Mamanwa settlement with some individuals continuing to farm and produce their own domesticated foods while others rely on purchasing food from market centers. The Mamanwas have been exposed to many of the modernities mainstream agricultural populations possess and use, such as cell phones, televisions, radio, and processed foods.
The political system of the Mamanwas is informally democratic and age-structured. Elders are respected and expected to maintain peace and order within the tribe. The chieftain, called a Tambayon, usually takes on the duties of counseling tribal members, speaking at gatherings, and arbitrating disagreements. The chieftain may be a man or a woman, which is characteristic of other gender-egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies. They believe in a collection of spirits, governed by the supreme deity Magbabaya, although it appears that their contact with monotheist communities and populations has made a considerable impact on the Mamanwa's religious practices. The tribe produces winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers.
"Mamanwa" means 'first forest dwellers', from the words man 'first' and banwa 'forest'. They speak the Mamanwa language. They are genetically related to the Denisovans.