Lumad

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"Bukidnon people" redirects here. For the Panay Bukidnon, see Suludnon.

Lumad peoples

Women in traditional Manobo attire during the Kaamulan

Festival of Bukidnon

Total population

Unknown

Regions with significant populations

Philippines
CARAGA
Davao Region
Northern Mindanao
SOCCSKSARGEN
Zamboanga Peninsula

Languages

Manobo languages, Chavacano (in Zamboanga

region), Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Filipino, English

Religion

Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant) and Animist

Related ethnic groups

 Bajau people, Moro, Visayans, Filipinos,
other Austronesian peoples

Demographics of
the Philippines

 Philippine Statistics Authority

 Census
 Religions
 Languages
 Ethnic groups
 Country of citizenship

Filipinos
 Indigenous
 Mestizos

 v
 t
 e

The Bagobo people in their traditional attire (c. 1913).

The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term
meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad (Literally: "indigenous people"), the
autonym officially adopted by the delegates of the Lumad Mindanao Peoples Federation (LMPF) founding assembly
on 26 June 1986 at the Guadalupe Formation Center, Balindog, Kidapawan, Cotabato, Philippines.[1] It is the self-
ascription and collective identity of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.

Contents

 1History
 2Ethnic groups
 o 2.1Blaan
o 2.2Bukidnon
o 2.3Higaonon
o 2.4Mamanwa
o 2.5Mandaya
o 2.6Manobo
o 2.7Mansaka
o 2.8Matigsalug
o 2.9Sangil
o 2.10Subanon
o 2.11Tagabawa
o 2.12Tagakaulo
o 2.13Talaandig
o 2.14Tasaday
o 2.15Teduray
o 2.16Tboli
o 2.17Tigwahonon
o 2.18Umayamnon
 3Languages
 4Musical heritage
 5Social issues
o 5.1Lumad killings
 6See also
 7References
 8External links

History[edit]
See also: Prehistory of the Philippines
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 which 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.[1]
Representatives from 15 tribes agreed in June 1986 to adopt the name; there were no delegates from the three
major groups of the T'boli, 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 the Moros and different
from the migrant majority and their descendants.

Ethnic groups[edit]
A Bagobo chief.

The Lumad are the un-Islamized and un-Christianized Austronesian peoples of Mindanao. They include groups like
the Erumanen ne Menuvu', Matidsalug Manobo, Agusanon Manobo, Dulangan Manobo, Dabaw Manobo, Ata
Manobo, B'laan, Kaulo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Teduray, Lambangian, Higaunon, Dibabawon, Mangguwangan,
Mansaka, Mandaya, K'lagan, Subanen, Tasaday, Tboli, Mamanuwa, Tagakaolo, Talaandig, Tagabawa, Ubu',
Tinenanen, Kuwemanen, K'lata and Diyangan. Considered as "vulnerable groups", they live in hinterlands, forests,
lowlands and coastal areas.[2]
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 Maranao, Tausug, 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 the Visayan languages.
Blaan[edit]
Main article: Blaan people
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.[3]
Bukidnon[edit]

The colorful Kaamulan Festival celebrated annually in Malaybalay City

The Bukidnon are one of the seven tribes in the Bukidnon plateau of Mindanao. Bukidnon means 'that of the
mountains or highlands' (i.e., 'people 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 (it means
'mountainous lands' in this case) or could also be the collective name of the permanent residents in the province
regardless of ethnicity.[4]
The Bukidnon people believe in one god, Magbabaya (Ruler of All), 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[5] which are celebrated annually
in Malaybalay city's Kaamulan Festival, with other tribes in Bukidnon (the Manobo tribes, the Higaonon, Matigsalug,
Talaandig, Umayamnom, and the Tigwahanon).[6]
The Bukidnon Lumad is distinct and should not be confused with a few indigenous peoples scattered in the Visayas
area who are also alternatively called Bukidnon.
Higaonon[edit]
The Higaonon is located on the provinces of Bukidnon, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin (used to be
Kamiguing), Rogongon in Iligan City, and Lanao del Norte. The Higaonons have a rather traditional way of living.
Farming is the most important economic activity.
The word Higaonon is derived from the word "Higad" in the Higaonon dialect which means coastal plains and
"Gaon" meaning ascend to the mountains. Taken together, Higaonon, means the people of the coastal plains that
ascended to the mountains. Higaonons were formerly coastal people of the provinces as mentioned who resisted
the Spanish occupation. Driven to the hills and mountains these people continued to exist and fought for the
preservation of the people, heritage and culture.
Mamanwa[edit]

A 1926 photograph of Bagobo (Manobo) warriors in full war regalia

The Mamanwa is 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,[7] 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 living Manobos,
exhibiting curly hair and much darker skin tones.
These peoples are traditionally hunter-gatherers[8] and consume a wide variety of wild plants, herbs, insects, and
animals from tropical rainforest. The Mamanwa are categorized as having the "negrito" phenotype with dark skin,
kinky hair, and short stature.[8][9] The origins of this phenotype (found in the Agta, Ati, and Aeta tribes in the
Philippines) are a continued topic of debate, with recent evidence suggesting that the phenotype convergently
evolved in several areas of southeast Asia.[10]
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.[11]
Currently, Mamanwa populations live in sedentary settlements ("barangays") that are close to agricultural peoples
and market centers. As a result, a substantial proportion of their diet includes starch-dense domesticated
foods.[12] 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 Mamanwa have been exposed to many of the modernities mainstream agricultural
populations possess and use such as cell phones, televisions, radio, processed foods, etc.[12]
The political system of the Mamanwa is informally democratic and age-structured. Elders are respected and are
expected to maintain peace and order within the tribe. The chieftain, called a Tambayon, usually takes over 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.[13] They believe in a
collection of spirits, which are governed by the supreme deity Magbabaya, although it appears that their contact with
monotheist communities/populations has made a considerable impact on the Mamanwa's religious practices. The
tribe produce excellent winnowing baskets, rattan hammocks, and other household containers.
Mamanwa (also spelled Mamanoa) means 'first forest dwellers', from the words man (first)
and banwa (forest).[14] They speak the Mamanwa language (or Minamanwa).[15] They are genetically related to the
Denisovans.[16]
Mandaya[edit]
A hat from the Mandaya people made up of palm, bamboo, feathers, cotton, fiber and beads, housed at
the Honolulu Museum of Art.

"Mandaya" derives from "man" meaning "first," and "daya" meaning "upstream" or "upper portion of a river," and
therefore means "the first people upstream". It refers to a number of groups found along the mountain ranges of
Davao Oriental, as well as to their customs, language, and beliefs. The Mandaya are also found in Compostela and
New Bataan in Compostela Valley (formerly a part of Davao del Norte Province).
Manobo[edit]

A Bagobo (Manobo) woman of the Matigsalug people from Davao

Datu Manib, a bagani of the Bagobo, with family, followers, and two missionaries (c. 1900)

The Manobo are an Austronesian, indigenous agriculturalist population who neighbor the Mamanwa group in
Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur (Garvan, 1931). They live in barangays like the Mamanwa; however,
population size is dramatically larger in the Manobo settlements in comparison to those of the Mamanwa.[citation
needed]
The two groups interact frequently although the amount of interaction varies between settlements and
intermarriage is common between them (Reid, 2009).
Manobo is the hispanicized spelling of Manuvu. Its etymology is unclear; in its current form it means 'person' or
'people'.
The Manobo are probably the most numerous of the ethnic groups of the Philippines in the relationships and names
of the groups that belong to this family of languages. Mention has been made of the numerous subgroups that
comprise the Manobo group.[by whom?] The total Manobo population is not known, although they occupy 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.
The Manobo are genetically related to the Denisovans, much like the Mamanwa.[16]
Mansaka[edit]

A group of Mansaka tribeswomen in their formal attire.

The term "Mansaka" derives from "man" with literal meaning "first" and "saka" meaning "to ascend," and means "the
first people to ascend mountains/upstream." The term most likely describes the origin of these people who are found
today in Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur. Specifically in the Batoto River, the Manat Valley,
Caragan, Maragusan, the Hijo River Valley, and the seacoasts of Kingking, Maco, Kwambog, Hijo, Tagum,
Libuganon, Tuganay, Ising, and Panabo.[17]
Matigsalug[edit]
Main article: Matigsalug
Bukidnon groups who are found in the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando in Bukidnon province, Philippines. Their
name means "people along the Salug River (now called the Davao River)". Although often classified under the
Manobo ethnolinguistic group, the Matigsalug are a distinct sub-group.[18]
Sangil[edit]
Main article: Sangirese people
The Sangil people (also called Sangir, Sangu, Marore, Sangirezen, or Talaoerezen) are originally from
the Sangihe and Talaud Islands (now part of Indonesia) and parts of Davao Occidental (particularly in the Sarangani
Islands), Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and North Cotabato. Their populations
(much like the Sama-Bajau) were separated when borders were drawn between the Philippines and Indonesia
during the colonial era. The Sangil people are traditionally animistic, much like other Lumad peoples. During the
colonial era, the Sangil (who usually call themselves "Sangir") in the Sangihe Islands mostly converted to Protestant
Christianity due to proximity and contact with the Christian Minahasa people of Sulawesi. In the Philippines, most
Sangil converted to Islam due to the influence of the neighboring Sultanate of Maguindanao. However, elements of
animistic rituals still remain. The Indonesian and Filipino groups still maintain ties and both Manado
Malay and Cebuano are spoken in both Indonesian Sangir and Filipino Sangil, in addition to the Sangirese
language. The exact population of Sangil people in the Philippines is unknown, but is estimated to be around 10,000
people.[19][20][21][22]
Subanon[edit]
Main article: Subanon people
The Subanon people of Misamis Occidental living in the mountains of Mount Malindang.

The Subanons are the first settlers of the Zamboanga peninsula. The family is patriarchal while the village is led by
a chief called Timuay. He acts as the village judge and is concerned with all communal matters.
History has better words to speak for Misamis Occidental. Its principal city was originally populated by the Subanon,
a cultural group that once roamed the seas in great number; the province was an easy prey to the marauding sea
pirates of Lanao whose habit was to stage lightning forays along the coastal areas in search of slaves. As the
Subanon retreated deeper and deeper into the interior, the coastal areas became home to inhabitants from
Bukidnon who were steadily followed by settlers from nearby Cebu and Bohol.
Tagabawa[edit]
Tagabawa is the language used by the Bagobo-Tagabawa. They are an indigenous tribe in Mindanao. They live in
the surrounding areas of Mt. Apo.[23]
Tagakaulo[edit]
Tagakaulo is one of the tribes in Mindanao. Their traditional territories is in Davao Del Sur and the Sarangani
Province particularly in the localities of Malalag, Lais, Talaguton Rivers, Sta. Maria, and Malita of Davao Occidental,
and Malungon of the Sarangani Province.Tagakaulo means living in mountain. The Tagakaulo tribe originally came
from the western shores of the gulf of Davao and south of Mt. Apo.[24] a long time ago.
Talaandig[edit]
Talaandig are originally from the foothills of Mount Kitanglad in Bukidnon, specifically in the municipalities
of Talakag and Lantapan.[25]
Tasaday[edit]
Main article: Tasaday
The Tasaday is a group of about two dozen people living within the deep and mountainous rainforests of Mindanao,
who attracted wide media attention in 1971 when they were first "discovered" by western scientists who reported
that they were living at a "stone age" level of technology and had been completely isolated from the rest of
Philippine society. They later attracted attention in the 1980s when it was reported that their discovery had in fact
been an elaborate hoax, and doubt was raised both about their status as isolated from other societies and even
about the reality of their existence as a separate ethnic group. The question of whether Tasaday studies published
in the seventies are accurate is still being discussed.[26][27]
Teduray[edit]
Main article: Teduray people
The Teduray/Tiruray people live in the municipalities of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Upi, and South Upi in
southwestern Maguindanao Province; and in Lebak municipality, northwestern Sultan Kudarat Province. They speak
the Tiruray language, which is related to Bagobo, B'laan, andT'boli. Coastal Tirurays are mostly farmers, hunters,
fishermen, and basket weavers; those living in the mountains engage in dry field agriculture, supplemented by
hunting and the gathering of forest products. Tirurays are famous for their craftsmanship in weaving baskets with
two-toned geometric designs. While many have adopted the cultures of neighboring Muslims and Christians people,
a high percentage of their population still believe and practice their indigenous customs and rituals.[28]
Tboli[edit]
Main article: Tboli people
A Tboli dance performed during colorful street dancing competition on the Tnalak Festival in Koronadal, South
Cotabato.

The Tboli are one of the indigenous peoples of South Mindanao. From the body of ethnographic and linguistic
literature on Mindanao, they are variously known as Tboli, Teboli, Tau Bilil, Tau Bulul or Tagabilil. They term
themselves Tboli. Their whereabouts and identity are to some extent confused in the literature; some publications
present the Teboli and the Tagabilil as distinct peoples; some locate the Tbolis to the vicinity of the Buluan Lake in
the Cotabato Basin or in Agusan del Norte. The Tbolis, then, reside on the mountain slopes on either side of the
upper Alah Valley and the coastal area of Maitum, Maasim and Kiamba. In former times, the Tbolis also inhabited
the upper Alah Valley floor.
Tigwahonon[edit]
The Tigwahonon are a subgroup of Manobo originally from the Tigwa River basin near San Fernando, Bukidnon.[29]
Umayamnon[edit]
The Umayamnon are originally from the Umayam River watershed and the headwaters of the Pulangi River. They
are a subgroup of the Manobo.[30][31]

Languages[edit]
The Lumad peoples speak Philippine languages belonging to various branches. These include:

 Mindanao languages
o Manobo languages
o Subanon language
 South Mindanao languages
 Mansakan languages
 Mamanwa language
 Sangiric languages

Musical heritage[edit]
Main articles: Music of the Philippines and Agung
Most of the Mindanao Lumad groups have a musical heritage consisting of various types of Agung ensembles –
ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone without any
accompanying melodic instrument.[32]

Social issues[edit]
Norma Capuyan, vice chair of Apo Sandawa Lumadnong Panaghiusa sa Cotabato (ASLPC) speaking out in a press
conference to defend the ancestral domains of the Lumad.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lumad controlled an area which now covers 17 of Mindanao’s 24
provinces, but by the 1980 census, they constituted less than 6% of the population of Mindanao and Sulu.
Significant migration to Mindanao of Visayans, spurred by government-sponsored resettlement programmes, turned
the Lumad into minorities. The Bukidnon province population grew from 63,470 in 1948 to 194,368 in 1960 and
414,762 in 1970, with the proportion of indigenous Bukidnons falling from 64% to 33% to 14%.
Lumad have a traditional concept of land ownership based on what their communities consider their ancestral
territories. The historian B. R. Rodil notes that ‘a territory occupied by a community is a communal private property,
and community members have the right of usufruct to any piece of unoccupied land within the communal territory.’
Ancestral lands include cultivated land as well as hunting grounds, rivers, forests, uncultivated land and the mineral
resources below the land.
Unlike the Moros, the Lumad groups never formed a revolutionary group to unite them in armed struggle against the
Philippine government. When the migrants came, many Lumad groups retreated into the mountains and forests.
However, the Moro armed groups and the Communist-led New People’s Army (NPA) have recruited Lumad to their
ranks, and the armed forces have also recruited them into paramilitary organisations to fight the Moros or the
NPA.[citation needed]
For the Lumad, securing their rights to ancestral domain is as urgent as the Moros’ quest for self-determination.
However, much of their land has already been registered in the name of multinational corporations, logging
companies and other wealthy Filipinos, many of whom are, relatively speaking, recent settlers to Mindanao. Mai
Tuan, a T'boli leader explains, "Now that there is a peace agreement for the MNLF, we are happy because we are
given food assistance like rice … we also feel sad because we no longer have the pots to cook it with. We no longer
have control over our ancestral lands."[33]
Lumad killings[edit]
The Lumad are people from various ethnic groups in Mindanao island. Residing in their ancestral lands,[34] they are
often evicted and displaced due to the Moro people's claim on the same territory.[35] The Lumad have lost parts of
their ancestral land due to a failure to understand the modern land tenure system.[36] Some NGOs have established
schools in their communities, purportedly to supply essential knowledge for the tribe members that would protect
their rights, property and culture.[37] However, the Lumad communities are located in mountains that are distant from
urban areas. These areas are also the location sites of armed conflict between the New People's Army (NPA) and
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Caught in the conflict, the Lumad people's education, property, and
security are endangered because of the increasing amount of violent confrontations by the armed
parties.[36] In Surigao del Sur, a barangay was evacuated to shelter sites in Tandag City due to increasing military
and NPA activity.[38]
Manila-based activist groups claim that the Lumad territory were being militarized by the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and that community leaders and teachers were being detained by the military on suspicion of being
rebels.[39] They also say that alternative schools within the communities (aided by NGOs and universities) face
concerns of closing down or demolition of their property, with some buildings converted by the military for their
use.[40] They have staged demonstrations to gain the public's attention, calling for the halt of the alleged militarization
of Lumad communities.[41] Groups like the Manilakbayan supported the movements through recruitment and the
handing out of national situationers to students to spread awareness about the Lumad's dilemma.[42] The Philippines'
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has been investigating the incidents in regard to the 2015 murder of Lumad
leaders and a school official by a paramilitary group called Magahat/Bagani[43] (in line with the idea of CAFGU)
created by the AFP to hunt for NPA members. The AFP denies the allegation and attributes the killings to tribal
conflict.[44] However, the AFP has admitted that CAFGU has Lumad recruits within its ranks while asserting that the
NPA has also recruited Lumad for the group.[45][46] There is also delay of a decision on the CHR investigation due to
the noncooperation of the Lumad group after the interruption of the investigation by the spokesman of Kalumaran
Mindanao, Kerlan Fanagel. Fanagel insists that the group need not have another 'false' dialogue with the CHR since
CHR has yet to present the results/findings of the investigations from the past months when Lumad leaders were
killed. Because of the lack of data, CHR decided to postpone the presentation of their initial report to the second
week of December 2015.[47]
In December 8, the Karapatan group asked the United Nations to probe the killings, after eight T'boli and Dulangan
Manobo farmers were allegedly killed by members of the Philippine Army.[48][49]
However, these accusations were refuted by some Lumad leaders who instead claim that it is the NPA who are
responsible for the killings and that none of the alleged "militarization" is actually happening. Datu Malapandaw
Nestor Apas of the Langilan Manobo people in Davao del Norte said, "There are no armed government forces in the
community. The NPA rebels are the ones occupying our area to control indigenous peoples and seize ancestral
lands."[50][51] They also accuse protesters in Manila of pretending to be Lumad by wearing Lumad clothing, denying
that the Lumad participating in rallies in Manila were members of Lumad tribes.[52] They have also held anti-NPA
rallies in Mindanao.[53] There have also been several assassinations on Lumad leaders sympathetic to the
government blamed on NPA members.[54] Some of which are acknowledged by NPA members.[55][56]
In 2018, Duterte threatened to shut down or destroy NGO-funded community schools because of suspicions that
they radicalize Lumad students into joining the NPA communist rebels.[57][58] This was supported by some Lumad
leaders, who also felt that they were being infiltrated by the NPA and their children being exploited.[59][60][61]
In August 9, Lumad evacuees in Surigao del Sur formally returned to their homes after days to months in evacuation
camps.[62]