The Talaandig VICTORINO L.

SAWAY The Talaandig are one of the indigenous groups in the province of Bukidnon, Mindanao Philippines who has continued to preserve and promote its indigenous customs, beliefs and practices despite the strong influx of modernization and change. The Talaandig population is roughly estimated to be at about 100,000 people or more. The members of the group are found in barangays and municipalities surrounding the mountain of Kitanglad, the historic domain of the Talaandig people. 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.

Source: http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?igm=4&i=242

Who are the Talaandig?

Northern Luzon Bureau First Posted 19:40:00 03/01/2008 Filed Under: indigenous people

THE TALAANDIG, a subtribe of the Banwaon tribe, are among 110 groups of indigenous peoples in the Philippines. The Talaandig (approximate population: 100,000) are mostly concentrated in the northern and western part of Bukidnon province. The ancestral domain of the Talaandig is marked by the Mt. Kitanglad range whose highest peak of 2,938 meters above sea level is found in Dulangdulang Mountain. The Mt. Kitanglad range covers some 47,270 hectares and the Talaandig consider the area their "remaining marker" from which their history emanates. The peak of Dulangdulang was where Apu Agbilin, the ancestor of the Talaandig people, took refuge during a great flood thousands of years ago, said Datu Victorino Migketay Saway, citing oral history. To the Talaandig, the Mt. Kitanglad range is also an important watershed where many rivers begin. "If there's no Mt. Kitanglad, there's no Talaandig," Saway told ECO, a newsletter of an alliance of environmental groups monitoring developments under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Talaandig used to practice a traditional rotation method of farming. But this changed after logging was introduced in the community in the 1970s. Although some still practice rotational upland farming, others have embarked on high-value crop production for the market. Some also still hunt wild game and gather honey, which they sell to lowlanders. They also sell or barter woven handicrafts with other communities. All resource activities before such as hunting and gathering were regulated by laws that came from religious beliefs, and extended to everything, including economic and political life, according to Saway. These customary laws governed and regulated the cultural practices and traditions of the Talaandig community. But these customary laws weakened after foreign concepts of law and government were imposed, Saway said. He said the "foreign" laws permitted massive logging and the collection of forest products for business. "Under the new laws, many of our activities became illegal and destructive activities became legal," he said. "For example, the environment office legally gives licenses to cut trees and issues logging permits. It is very ironic, as the institution that is supposed to protect the environment actually destroys it. They 'legally' destroy millions of trees. But when one of our community members destroys only one tree, he is sent to court. It is 'illegal' for us to use even abandoned logs," he said. The Talaandig are among the indigenous peoples in the Philippines who are asserting that their customary laws apply to local governance. They are also asserting the right of indigenous peoples to free and prior informed consent before any development or undertaking is done in their communities. Maurice Malanes, Inquirer Northern Luzon

Livunganen-Aromanen Manobo Tribe The Manobo are probably the most numerous of the ethnic groups of the Philippines in terms of the relationships and names of the various groups that belong to this family of languages. Mention has been made of the numerous subgroups that comprise the Manobo group. The total national population including the subgroups is 749,042 (NM 1994); occupying core areas from Sarangani island into the Mindanao mainland in the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Davao provinces, Bukidnon, and North and South Cotabato. The groups occupy such a wide area of distribution that localized groups have assumed the character of distinctiveness as a separate ethnic grouping such as the Bagobo or the Higaonon, and the Atta. Depending on specific linguistic points of view, the membership of a dialect with a supergroup shifts. Distribution of Ethnic Groups by Provinces (Arrangement: Population count) MANOBO GROUP (Manobo, Bagobo, Banuanon, Kulaman. Note: Other Manobo groups identified in sub-group names) Total National Population 213,209 + 220,973 434,182

Surigaonon (144123), Higaonon (125490), Matigsalug (26700), Dibabaon (17996), Kamiguin (Higaonon)(551) Total MANOBO Agusan del N. Agusan del S. Bukidnon Camarines S. Davao del S. Davao Or. Iloilo Maguindanao Negros Occ. N. Cotabato Pangasinan Rizal S. Cotabato S. Kudarat Surigao del S. Zamboanga N. Zamboanga S. Kalookan Mandaluyong Marikina 1,251 49,445 (NM 1992:159700) 14499 (NM 1991:56450) 20 41058 (NM 1991:24145) 5850 (NM 1991:4000) 50 2256 (RC1991:1000) 9 23696 (RC1991:55758) 11 50 1,872 9558 (NM 1993:14300) 7152 (NM 1990:26510) 11 31 11 11 10 749,042

Manobo, Pulangiyen
Manobo simply means people or person; alternate names include Manuvu and Minuvu. The term may have originated from Mansuba, a combination of man (people) and suba (river). Manobos are concentrated in Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Misamis Oriental, and Surigao Del Sur. The Manobo usually build their villages near small bodies of water or forest clearings, although they also opt for hillsides, rivers, valleys, and plateaus. The communities are small, consisting of only 412 houses. They practice slash-and-burn agriculture.

The Pulangiyen mainly reside along the Pulangi River in southern Bukidnon.

Community profile
A collection of brief notes describing the various aspects that make up the Bendum community. These cover the topics of:

Language Religion Culture Health care Livelihood Tribal council Education Language The local dialect of the Pulangiyen is Binukid, which is widely spoken in Bendum to this day. The Visayan migrants have learned to speak the language while the Pulangiyen, in turn, have accepted the Visayan dialect as their second language. Religion Strongly adhering to culture and tradition, a great majority of the households in Bendum (76%) engage in traditional religious practices while a small but significant number (24%) of households have joined religious denominations. Of those who continue to perform traditional rituals, 46% identify themselves also as Catholics. Those who practice other religions are either Baptist (22%) or Pentecostal (2%). The fall-out from the traditional religious practices could be traced as resulting from outside influences and intermarriages with lowlanders. Culture The Bukidnon-Pulangiyen is governed by a set of customs and traditions handed down to the people through generations. These customary laws are based on principles of harmony with nature and the interconnectedness of people and environment.

Greatly interwoven in the Pulangiyen tradition is their religious beliefs. The people of Bendum believe that the spirits of their ancestors (gimukid) live in their natural surroundings - in the trees, large rocks, and bodies of water - and both the good and bad

spirits reside in the forest. They believe that indiscriminate use or exploitation of resources would anger the gods and bri ng ill fortune to the community. Thus, In order to appease the spirits, the Pulangiyen would invariably perform rituals, known as pangapug or pamuhat, to request for something or give thanks for the blessings received from nature. An example is the belief surrounding land cultivation. In Bendum, the planting and harvesting of rice and corn is interspersed with religious rituals: Pulangiyen land use activities includes brushing (sakum); clearing (bunglay); cutting of trees (pamilay); removal of branche s (panalata); burning (bigsul); digging holes (Pangedek); planting (pamula) of corn, rice, aglay, and rootcrops; ritual for protection and abundant harvest (panlindug hu migbaya hu pamulahon); weeding (panghilamun); harvest of young corn (panggangi); thanksgiving for first harvest of corn (tilagun hu kamais); harvesting of mature corn (sanggi); first rice harvest (tilagun hu hemay); thanksgiving ritual (panalangin); harvest of rice (panlegtay) and aglay (panggati); and ceremonial rite for the farm (kaliga-en). The integration of nature and environment in the Pulangiyen belief system can also be observed in gender roles, the moral values they adhere to and the importance of reciprocity. For instance, if a member of the community does something considered taboo, they believe that the repercussion will come in the form of heavy rains that will destroy their crops. Similarly, roles of men and women are defined traditionally according to their task in the field - i.e. men do the cutting, burning, clearing and cultivation of land while the women do the planting and harvesting. Health care There are basically two groups of people assisting the community in their health needs. These are the German Doctors Mission and the City Health Department of Malaybalay. Prior to 1997, there have been cases of child death every year caused by severe diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. A few years ago, cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and leprosy were diagnosed in children living in the community. These medical problems were immediately given attention by the assisting health organizations. A potable water system was set-up in Bendum. Medical consultations were conducted and local health programs were implemented. The community organized a Committee on Health (Kumitiba hu Panlawa) which was tasked to monitor common illnesses and diseases in the area. For a time, the Committee was responsible in accessing medical services from external groups and partnering with the City Governments Rural Health Unit (RHU). An herbal garden was also set -up by the committee to propagate traditional medicinal herbs. Communities in the Upper Pulangi area, including parts of Agusan Province looked up to the committee as their link to external medical assistance. Sources of livelihood As stated in the Bukidnon-Pulangiyen Ancestral Domain Management Plan (2001), the Bendum community is entirely dependent on land and forest resources for livelihood. Land cultivation and cottage industry are the major sources of livelihood. About 66% of their livelihood activities depend on forest resources: rattan, baluy, sedsed, tiger grass, timber, and abaca fiber. Some even continue to practice traditional methods of hunting and gathering food from the forest where they get wild boar, freshwater fishes, and forest rats. Tribal council The Tribal Council of Bendum was formed to provide collective leadership for the community and a forum for the exchange of ideas. Their group was formally registered in 1994 with the Office of the Southern Cultural Communities (OSSC) to earn legitimacy and be recognized by the government and other external groups. The Tribal Council is recognized as the head governing body in Bendum. They collectively decide on matters affecting the socioeconomic and political structures of the community and acts as its representative in dealing with external groups such as institutions and other tribal communities. The Council also handles conflict resolutions whether internal or external in nature. Education In a survey conducted in 2001, data revealed that less than half (40%) of the total adult population of Bendum finished primary education and even less than this (23.7%) graduated from elementary school. Expectedly, only 9% finished high school and 1.5% attended college. Informal literacy classes were attended by 1.5% of the population. There were no schools in Bendum prior to 1991 and this has resulted in non-literacy of a fourth of the population (24.6%), 95% of which belongs to the above-40 age group. The nearest school in Bendum is the public elementary school and the parish-run high school in Barangay St. Peter. The schools are 6kms and 8kms away from Bendum, respectively.