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99-453: Datu is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous Indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago . The title is still used today, though not as much as early Philippine history. It is a cognate of ratu in several other Austronesian languages. In early Philippine history, datus and

198-779: 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 Manobo tribes, the Higaonon, Matigsalug, Talaandig, Umayamnom, and the Tigwahanon). The Bukidnon Lumad is distinct from and should not be confused with the Visayan Suludnon people of Panay and

297-432: 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

396-494: 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 (also spelled Mamanoa ) means 'first forest dwellers', from the words man (first) and banwa (forest). They speak

495-481: A combined population of about 100.9 million (2015); thus they contain about 99% of the Philippines' total land area and total population (2015). Combined population of Luzon and Mindanao accounts for 80% of total population of the Philippines. Download coordinates as: Major islands of the Philippines ( clickable map ) Lumad peoples The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous peoples in

594-567: A council of elders ( magani ), and mabalian or female shamans. The supreme spirit in their indigenous anito religions is Eugpamolak Manobo or Manama. 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. The Bukidnon are one of the seven tribes in the Bukidnon plateau of Mindanao . Bukidnon means 'that of

693-582: A datuship elsewhere in the Philippines. In the later part of the 1500s, the Spaniards took possession of most of Luzon and the Visayas, converting the lowland population to Christianity from their local Indigenous religion. Although Spain eventually established footholds in northern and eastern Mindanao and the Zamboanga Peninsula , its armies failed to colonize the rest of Mindanao. This area

792-475: A drone without any accompanying melodic instrument. Lumad groups also have traditional stringed instruments, such as the hegalong , and various forms of wind and percussive instruments. Traditional vocal music include love songs, lullabies, funeral songs, narrative songs, and songs about nature. Music may be used to accompany dances in rituals and celebrations. Lumad peoples confront a variety of social issues. Identical with other Indigenous peoples (IPs) across

891-513: A few indigenous peoples scattered in the Visayas area who are also alternatively referred to as "Bukidnon" (also meaning "highland people"). 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 (used to be Kamiguing), Rogongon in Iligan City , and eastern parts of Lanao del Norte . The Higaonons have

990-520: A law on June 11, 1594, which commanded the Spanish colonial officials in the archipelago that these native royalties and nobilities be given the same respect, and privileges that they had enjoyed before their conversion. Their domains became self-ruled tributary barangays of the Spanish Empire. The Filipino royals and nobles formed part of the principalía (noble class) of the Philippines. It

1089-489: A more capable war leader or political administrator. Even paramount datus such as lakans or rajahs exercised only a limited degree of influence over the less-senior datus they led, which did not include claims over the barangays and territories. Antonio de Morga, in his work Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas , expounds on the degree to which early Philippine datus could exercise their authority: There were no kings or lords throughout these islands who ruled over them as in

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1188-533: A more extensive commerce than those in Visayas, having the influence of Bornean political contacts, and engaging in farming wet rice for a living. They were described by the Spanish Augustinian friar Martin de Rada as traders more than warriors. The more complex social structure of the Tagalog people was less stable during the Spaniards' arrival because it was still differentiating. In this society,

1287-492: A one enjoyed more followers and men; and the others were under his leadership, even if they were chiefs. These latter retained to themselves the lordship and particular government of their own following, which is called barangay among them. They had datos and other special leaders [mandadores] who attended to the interests of the barangay. Since the culture of the pre-colonial societies in the Visayas, northern Mindanao, and Luzon were largely influenced by Hindu and Buddhist cultures,

1386-417: A part of Davao del Norte Province). Manobo is the hispanicized spelling of the endonym Manuvu (also spelled Menuvu or Minuvu). Its etymology is unclear; in its current form, it means "person" or "people". It is believed that it is derived from the root word tuvu, which means "to grow"/"growth" (thus Man[t]uvu would be "[native]-grown" or "aboriginal"). The Manobo are considered the most diverse among

1485-416: A rather traditional way of living. Farming is their most important economic activity. The word Higaonon is derived from the word "higa" 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

1584-478: A resolution denouncing the use of the term lumad when referring to Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC) and Indigenous Peoples (IPs). 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

1683-530: 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 Mamanwa 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

1782-622: A separate ethnic grouping," as in the case of the Bagobo or the Higaonon. Part of what makes the classification more difficult is that a dialectical subgroup's membership within a supergroup can shift depending on specific points of view regarding linguistics. The Manobo possess Denisovan admixture, much like the Mamanwa. Manobos also hold Austroasiatic ancestry. 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

1881-848: A small group of their close relatives formed the "apex stratum" of the traditional three-tier social hierarchy of lowland Philippine societies. Only a member of this birthright aristocracy (called maginoo , nobleza , maharlika , or timagua by various early chroniclers) could become a datu ; members of this elite could hope to become a datu by demonstrating prowess in war or exceptional leadership. In large coastal polities such as those in Maynila , Tondo , Pangasinan , Cebu , Panay , Bohol , Butuan , Cotabato , Lanao , and Sulu , several datus brought their loyalty-groups, referred to as barangays or dulohan , into compact settlements which allowed greater degrees of cooperation and economic specialization. In such cases, datus of these barangays selected

1980-820: A variety of deities, namely: The Kalagan, also spelled K'lagan or (by the Spanish) Caragan, are a subgroup of the Mandaya-Mansaka people who speak the Kalagan language . They comprise three subgroups which are usually treated as different tribes: the Tagakaulo, the Kagan, and the Kallao people of Samal . They are native to areas within Davao del Sur , Compostela Valley , Davao del Norte (including Samal Island), Davao Oriental , and North Cotabato ; between

2079-643: Is a term applied by historians to describe the highest ranking political authorities in the largest lowland polities or inter-polity alliance groups in early Philippine history , such as those in Maynila , Tondo , the Confederation of Madja-as in Panay, Pangasinan, Cebu, Bohol, Butuan, Cotabato, and Sulu. Different cultures on the Philippine archipelago referred to the most senior datu using different titles: In Muslim polities such as Sulu and Cotabato,

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2178-891: 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 . The Bagobo are one of the largest subgroups of the Manobo peoples. They comprise three subgroups: the Tagabawa, the Klata (or Guiangan), and the Ovu (also spelled Uvu or Ubo) 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 ( matanum ),

2277-402: Is more broadly characteristic of Malayo-Polynesian and Austronesian cultures where, as Mulder explains: " ...Social life is rooted in the immediate experience of a hierarchically ordered social arrangement based on the essential inequality of individuals and their mutual obligations to each other. " This "essential inequality of individuals and their mutual obligations to each other" informed

2376-462: Is not known, although they occupy core areas from Sarangani island into the Mindanao mainland in the regions of Agusan , Davao, Bukidnon, Surigao, Misamis, and Cotabato . A study by the NCCP-PACT put their population in 1988 at around 250,000. The geographical distribution of the subgroups is so great that some of the local groups have been noted to "assumed the character of distinctiveness as

2475-695: Is the language used by the Bagobo-Tagabawa. They are an indigenous tribe in Mindanao. They live in the surrounding areas of Mt. Apo . 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 "from

2574-734: 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. 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 ("barangays") that are close to agricultural peoples and market centers. As

2673-757: The Boxer Codex to the titled lords ( señores de titulo ) in Spain. As agalon or amo (lords), the datus enjoyed an ascribed right to respect, obedience, and support from their oripun (commoner) or followers belonging to the third order. These datus had acquired rights to the same advantages from their legal Timawa or vassals (second-order), who bind themselves to the datu as his seafaring warriors. The Timawa did not pay tribute or perform agricultural labor. The Boxer Codex calls them knights and hidalgos . The Spanish conquistador, Miguel de Loarca, described them as " free men, neither chiefs nor slaves " . In

2772-520: 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 , 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

2871-710: The Mamanwa language (or Minamanwa). They are genetically related to the Denisovans . "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

2970-598: The Muslim Moro peoples of southwestern Mindanao; and the sea-faring Visayans of coastal areas in northern and eastern Mindanao ( Butuanon , Surigaonon , and Kagay-anon , collectively known as the "Dumagat" or "Sea People" by the Lumad). All of which, in turn are distinct from the (mostly Visayan) migrant majority of modern Mindanao. On 2 March 2021, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples issued

3069-550: The New People's Army . Datus continue to act as the community leaders in their respective tribes among a variety of indigenous peoples in Mindanao today. Moros, Lumads and Visayans now share with new settlers a homeland in Mindanao. In more affluent and powerful territorial jurisdictions and principalities in the Visayas, such as Panay, Cebu and Leyte(which were never conquered by Spain but were accomplished as vassals using pacts, peace treaties, and reciprocal alliances),

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3168-672: 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

3267-592: The Umayam River watershed and the headwaters of the Pulangi River . They are a subgroup of the Manobo. The Lumad peoples speak Philippine languages belonging to various branches. These include: 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

3366-569: The Visayas and Mindanao. Other titles still used today are lakan in Luzon, apo in central and northern Luzon, and sultan and rajah , especially in Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. Depending upon the prestige of the sovereign royal family, the title of datu could be equated to royal princes, European dukes , marquesses and counts . In large ancient barangays , which had contacts with other Southeast Asian cultures through trade, some datus took

3465-510: The datu class was at the top of a divinely sanctioned and stable social order in a sakop or kinadatuan ( kadatuan in ancient Malay; kedaton in Javanese; and kedatuan in many parts of modern Southeast Asia), which is elsewhere commonly referred to also as a barangay. This social order was divided into three classes. The kadatuan (members of the Visayan datu class) were compared by

3564-472: The datu provided aid in emergencies and advocacy in disputes with other communities, and warfare through the Agama and Maratabat laws. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lumad peoples controlled an area that 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. Heavy migration to Mindanao of Visayans, who have settled in

3663-447: The datus against the exercise of sovereign political authority . Although the datus and paramount datus of early Philippine polities were a " birthright aristocracy" and were widely recognized "aristocratic" or "noble", which were comparable to the nobles and royals of the Spanish colonizers, the nature of their relationship with the members of their barangay was less asymmetrical than monarchic political systems in other parts of

3762-431: The datus of pure descent (four generations) were called "potli nga datu" or "lubus nga datu" , while a woman of noble lineage (especially the elderly) are addressed by Panay inhabitants as uray (meaning: pure as gold). The different type of culture prevalent in Luzon gave a less stable and more complex social structure to the pre-colonial Tagalog barangays of Manila, Pampanga and Laguna. The Tagalog people enjoyed

3861-532: The datus who ruled these principalities (such as Butuan Calinan , Ranau Gandamatu, Maguindanao Polangi , Cebu , Bohol, Panay , Mindoro and Manila ) also shared many customs of royalties and nobles in Southeast Asian territories, especially in the way they used to dress and adorn themselves with gold and silk. The measure of the prince's possession of gold and slaves was proportionate to his greatness and nobility. The first Western travellers, who came to

3960-431: The de facto owners of agricultural products and sea resources within a district, the primary supporters of attached craft specialists, the overseers of intra-district and external trade, and the pivotal centers of regional resource mobilization systems. Anthropologists like F. Landa Jocano and Junker, historians, and historiographers like William Henry Scott distinguish between the nobility and aristocratic nature of

4059-661: The Buluan Lake in the Cotabato Basin or in Agusan del Norte. The T'boli, then, reside on the mountain slopes on either side of the upper Allah Valley and the coastal area of Maitum, Maasim, and Kiamba. In former times, the T'boli also inhabited the upper Allah Valley floor. The Tigwahonon are a subgroup of Manobo originally from the Tigwa River basin near San Fernando, Bukidnon . The Umayamnon are originally from

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4158-592: The Christianized datus by the Spanish Empire . For example, the gobernadorcillos (elected leader of the cabezas de barangay or the Christianized datus) and Filipino officials of justice received the greatest consideration from the Spanish Crown officials. The colonial officials were under obligation to show them the honor corresponding to their respective duties. They were allowed to sit in

4257-738: The Island for centuries, spurred by government-sponsored resettlement programmes, turned the Lumads 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%, and then 14%. There are 18 Lumad ethnolinguistic groups: Ata people, Bagobo, Banwaon, B'laan, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaonon, Mamanwa , Mandaya , Manguwangan, Manobo , Mansaka , Subanon, Tagakaolo, Tasaday , Tboli , Teduray and Ubo. Lumad datus have protected their homeland forests from illegal loggers in previous decades; some joined

4356-420: The Mamanwa 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

4455-484: 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 (found in

4554-519: The Manobo groups from Surigao del Norte . 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,

4653-642: The Manobo into several major groups: (1) The Ata subgroup: Dugbatang, Talaingod, and Tagauanum; (2) The Bagobo subgroup: Attaw (Jangan, Klata, Obo, Giangan, Guiangan), Eto (Ata), Kailawan (Kaylawan), Langilan, Manuvu/Obo, Matigsalug, (Matigsaug, Matig Salug), Tagaluro, and Tigdapaya; (3) The Higaonon subgroup: Agusan, Lanao, and Misamis; (4) North Cotabato: Ilianen, Livunganen, and Pulenyan; (5) South Cotabato: Cotabato (with subgroup Tasaday and Blit), Sarangani, Tagabawa; (6) Western Bukidnon: Kiriyeteka, Ilentungen, and Pulangiyen; (7) Agusan del Sur; (8) Banwaon; and (9) Bukidnon and others. The total current Manobo population

4752-457: The Philippines is unknown but is estimated to be around 10,000 people. The Subanons are the first settlers of the Zamboanga peninsula. The family is patriarchal while the village is led by a chief called a 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

4851-459: 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

4950-817: The Salug River (now called the Davao River )". Although often classified under the Manobo ethnolinguistic group, the Matigsalug are a distinct subgroup. 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

5049-569: The Song dynasty traders who came to the Philippines and referred to the ruler of Ma-i as a huang , meaning king – an appellation later adopted by the Ming dynasty courts when dealing with the Philippine archipelago cultures of their own time, such as Botuan and Luzon. The Spanish expeditions of Ferdinand Magellan in the 1520s and Miguel López de Legazpi in the 1570s initially referred to paramount datus (lakans, rajahs, sultans, etc.) as kings, though

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5148-428: The Spanish occupation and later avoided contact with southward migrants from Luzon and Visayas during the late Spanish colonial period and since American colonial and postwar eras seeking better economics opportunities awaiting them in Higaonon homelands. Driven to the hills and mountains, these people continued to exist and fought for the preservation of their people, heritage, and culture. The Higaonon people believe in

5247-537: The Spanish stopped using this term when those under the command of Martin de Goiti first travelled to the polities in Bulacan and Pampanga in late 1571 and realized that the Kapampanan datus had the choice to not obey the wishes of the paramount datus of Tondo (Lakandula) and Maynila (Rajahs Matanda and Sulayman), leading Lakandula and Sulayman to explain that there was "no single king over these lands", and that

5346-482: 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

5445-409: The Visayas and Mindanao, there was no separate name for the most senior ruler, so the paramount ruler was called a datu , although one datu was identifiable as the most senior. The noble or aristocratic nature of datus and their relatives is asserted in folk origin myths, was widely acknowledged by foreigners who visited the Philippine archipelago, and is upheld by modern scholarship. Succession to

5544-494: The Visayas. Proof of Filipino royalty and nobility ( dugóng bugháw ) could only be demonstrated by clear blood descent from ancient native royal blood, and in some cases adoption into a royal family. Datu is the title for chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especially in Mindanao , Sulu and Palawan , but it was used more extensively in early Philippine history, particularly in central and southern Luzon ,

5643-458: The ancestors of datus and other nobles as being created by an almighty deity, just like other human beings, but the behavior of these creations determined the social position of their descendants. This conception of social organization continues to shape Philippine society today despite the introduction of western, externally democratic structures. The "authority, power, and influence" of the datu came primarily from his recognized status within

5742-404: The archipelago, observed that there was hardly any "Indian" who did not possess chains and other articles of gold. The Spanish colonizers who came in the 1500s acknowledged the nobility of the aristocratic class within early Philippine societies. De Morga, for example, referred to them as principalities. Once the Spanish colonial government had been established, the Spanish continued to recognize

5841-447: The beginning of the 20th century, the Lumad controlled an area that 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 programs, 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

5940-480: The central power diminished their significance. However, in distant territories, where the central authority had less control and where order could be maintained without using coercive measures, hereditary succession was still enforced until Spain lost the archipelago to the Americans. These distant territories remained patriarchal societies, where people retained great respect for the principalía . The principalía

6039-823: 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. The Lumad include groups such as 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. The term lumad excludes

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6138-509: The concept of the principalía : The Spanish term seňor (lord) is equated with all these terms, which are distinguished from the nouveau riche imitators scornfully called maygintao (man with gold or hidalgo by gold, and not by lineage). Upon the Christianization of most parts of the Philippine archipelago, the datus retained their right to govern their territory under the Spanish Empire . King Philip II of Spain , signed

6237-427: The descendants of pre-colonial datus as nobles, assigning them positions such as Cabeza de Barangay. Spanish monarchs recognized their noble nature and origin. When travelers came to the Philippines from cultures which were under a sovereign monarch, these travelers often initially referred to the rulers of Philippine polities as monarchs, implying recognition of their powers as sovereigns . Some early examples were

6336-428: The duties of both judges and notaries with defined powers. They also had the rights and powers to elect assistants and several lieutenants and alguaciles , proportionate in number to the inhabitants of the town. By the end of the 16th century, any claim to Filipino royalty , nobility , or hidalguía had disappeared into a homogenized, hispanized and Christianized nobility through the principalía . This remnant of

6435-586: The express goal in the past. 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 other Mindanao native groups:

6534-841: The globe, the IPs in the Philippines represent the country's poorest sector who endure disproportionate access to healthcare, education, and human rights. There are claims that Lumad social issues arise from ethnic grievances that develop into an issue of economic greed. They face loss of ancestral lands due to land grabbing or militarization, economic and social exclusion , and threats to their traditional culture and identity. Lumad groups contend with displacement, extrajudicial killings , harassment of Lumad rights defenders, and forced closure of Lumad schools. Lumads face loss of ancestral lands due to land grabbing or militarization. Some communities have been forced out of their lands for resisting encroachment by mining, logging, and energy companies. At

6633-542: The head(waters)". The Tagakaulo tribe originally came from the western shores of the Gulf of Davao and south of Mt. Apo . a long time ago. Talaandig are originally from the foothills of Mount Kitanglad in Bukidnon , specifically in the municipalities of Talakag and Lantapan . 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

6732-415: The houses of the Spanish provincial governors, and in any other places. They were not left to remain standing. Spanish parish priests were forbidden from treating Filipino nobles with less consideration. The gobernadorcillos exercised the command of the towns, and were port captains in coastal towns. Their office corresponded to the alcaldes ' and municipal judges' of the Iberian Peninsula, and performed

6831-414: 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 self-identify as T'boli. 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

6930-438: The influence of Tondo and Maynila over the Kapampangan polities did not include either territorial claim or absolute command. Philippine archipelago As an archipelago , the Philippines comprises about 7,641 islands clustered into three major island groups : Luzon , the Visayas , and Mindanao . Only about 2,000 islands are inhabited, and more than 5,000 are yet to be officially named. The following list breaks

7029-408: The islands down by region and smaller island group for easier reference. Below is a list of the largest Philippine islands. There are discrepancies in the area estimates across various sources, which would change the rankings of some smaller islands. The areas given may not be definitive. The 50 largest islands have a combined area of around 321,000 square kilometers (124,000 sq mi) and

7128-538: The late 1600s, the Spanish Jesuit priest Francisco Ignatio Alcina classified them as the third rank of nobility (nobleza). To maintain the purity of bloodline, datus marry only among their kind, often seeking high ranking brides in other Barangays, abducting them, or contracting brideprices in gold, slaves and jewelry. Meanwhile, datus kept their daughters secluded for protection and prestige. These well-guarded and protected highborn women were called binokot ,

7227-413: The manner of our kingdoms and provinces; but in every island, and in each province of it, many chiefs were recognized by the natives themselves. Some were more powerful than others, and each one had his followers and subjects, by districts and families; and these obeyed and respected the chief. Some chiefs had friendship and communication with others, and at times wars and quarrels... When any of these chiefs

7326-452: The many indigenous peoples of the Philippines , with the largest number of subgroups within its family of languages. The Philippines' National Commission on Culture and the Arts has been able to develop a tentative classification of Manobo subgroups, but notes that "the various subgroupings are not sufficiently defined" as of the time the classification was developed. The classification divides

7425-451: 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

7524-403: The members of their barangays. The Filipino worldview has had a conception of the self or individual being deeply and holistically connected to a larger community, expressed in the language of Filipino psychology as kapwa . This Indigenous conception of self strongly defined the roles and obligations played by individuals within their society. This differentiation of roles and obligations

7623-531: The most senior or most respected among them to serve as what scholars referred to as a paramount leader or paramount datu . The titles used by such paramount datu varied, but some of the most prominent examples were: sultan in the most Islamized areas of Mindanao; lakan among the Tagalog people; thimuay among the Subanen people ; rajah in polities which traded extensively with Indonesia and Malaysia; or simply datu in some areas of Mindanao and

7722-421: The mountains engage in dry field agriculture, supplemented by hunting and the gathering of forest products. Tedurays 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. The Tboli are one of

7821-560: 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. 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

7920-605: The noble class. A datu's political legitimacy was not only determined by birth, but was also dependent on one's "personal charisma, prowess in war, and wealth". The office of datu was normally passed on through heredity, and even in cases where it was not passed on through direct descent, only a fellow member of the aristocratic class could ascend to the position. In large settlements where several datus and their barangays lived in close proximity, paramount datus were chosen by datus from amongst themselves more democratically, but even this position as most senior among datus

8019-735: The origin of these people who are found today in Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro and some parts of Davao Oriental, 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. Bukidnon groups are found in the Valley in Kitaotao in Bukidnon province, Philippines. Their name means "people along

8118-581: The paramount ruler was called a sultan ;in Tagalog communities, the equivalent title was lakan ; in communities which historically had strong political or trade connections with Indianized polities in Indonesia and Malaysia, the paramount ruler was called a rajah ; among the Subanon people of the Zamboanga Peninsula , the most senior thimuay is referred to as the thimuay labi , or sulotan in more Islamized Subanon communities. In some other portions of

8217-579: The position of datu was often (although not always) hereditary, and datus received their mandate to lead from their membership in an aristocratic class . Records of Chinese traders and Spanish colonizers describe datus or paramount datus as sovereign princes and principals . Travellers who came to the Philippine archipelago from kingdoms or empires such as Song and Ming dynasty China, or 16th-century Spain, even initially referred to datus or paramount datus as "kings", even though they later discovered that datus did not exercise absolute sovereignty over

8316-467: The pre-colonial royal and noble families continued to rule their traditional domain until the end of the Spanish regime. However, there were cases when succession in leadership was also done through the election of new leaders (i.e., cabezas de barangay ), especially in provinces near the central colonial government in Manila where the ancient ruling families lost their prestige and role. Perhaps proximity to

8415-519: The reciprocal relationships (expressed in the Filipino value of utang na loob ) that defined the three-tiered social structure typical among early Philippine peoples. In some cases, such as the more developed sakop or kinadatuan in the Visayas (e.g., Panay, Bohol and Cebu), origin myths and other folk narratives placed the datu and the aristocratic class at the top of a divinely sanctioned and stable social order. These folk narratives portrayed

8514-447: The rich and received Austronesian local nobilities. From these unions, a new cultural group was formed: the mestizo class. Their descendants emerged later to become an influential part of the government and the principalía . Anthropologist Laura Lee Junker's comparative analysis of historical accounts from cultures throughout the archipelago, depicts datus functioning as primary political authorities, war leaders, legal adjudicators,

8613-550: The seventies are accurate is still being discussed. The Teduray 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 Teduray language , which is related to Bagobo , B'laan , and T'boli . Coastal Tedurays are mostly farmers, hunters, fishermen, and basket weavers; those living in

8712-666: 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 . Usage of the term was accepted in Philippine jurisprudence when President Corazon Aquino signed into law Republic Act 6734 , where

8811-470: The term datu , lakan , or apo refers to the chief, but the noble class (to which the datu belonged or could come from) was the maginoo class. One could be born as part of the maginoo , but could also become a datu through personal achievement. The datu class (first estate) of the four echelons of Filipino society at the time of contact with the Europeans (as described by Juan de Plasencia ),

8910-568: The territories of the Blaan people and the coastline. The Caraga region is named after them. Their name means "spirited people" or "brave people", from kalag , ("spirit" or "soul"). They were historically composed of small warring groups. Their population, as of 1994, is 87,270. A subgroup of the Manobo from the island of Camiguin . They speak the Kamigin language and are closely related to

9009-508: The title of rajah or sultan . The oldest historical records mentioning datus are the 7th-century Srivijayan inscriptions such as Telaga Batu to describe lesser kings or vassalized kings. The word datu is a cognate of the Malay terms dato or datuk and to the Fijian title of ratu . In pre-Islamic times, the political leadership office was vested in a rajahship in Manila and

9108-466: The word was used in Art. XIII sec. 8(2) 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. 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

9207-531: The world. Their control over territory was a function of their leadership of the barangay and, in some local pre-colonial societies (mostly in Luzon), the concept of ruling was not a "divine right". Furthermore, their position was dependent on the common consent of the members of the barangay's aristocratic Maginoo -class. Although the position of datu could be inherited, the maginoo could choose someone else to follow within their own class if that person proved to be

9306-406: Was larger and more influential than the pre-conquest Indigenous nobility . It helped create and perpetuate an oligarchic system in the Spanish colony for over three hundred years. The Spanish colonial government's prohibition for foreigners to own land in the Philippines contributed to the evolution of this form of oligarchy. In some Philippine provinces, many Spaniards and foreign merchants married

9405-460: Was more courageous than others in war and upon other occasions, such a one enjoyed more followers and men; and the others were under his leadership, even if they were chiefs. These latter retained to themselves the lordship and particular government of their own following, which is called barangay among them. They had datos and other special leaders [mandadores] who attended to the interests of the barangay. The term paramount datu or paramount ruler

9504-439: Was often passed on through heredity. In Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas , Antonio de Morga noted this succession through heredity: These principalities and lordships were inherited in the male line and by succession of father and son and their descendants. If these were lacking, then their brothers and collateral relatives succeeded... When any of these chiefs was more courageous than others in war and upon other occasions, such

9603-602: Was populated by Islamized peoples ( Moros to the Spaniards) and by non-Muslim Indigenous groups now known as Lumad peoples . In the traditional structure of Moro societies, the sultans were the highest authority followed by the datus or rajah , with their rule being sanctioned by the Quran , though both titles predate the coming of Islam. These titles were assimilated into the new structure under Islam. Datus were supported by their tribes, and in return for tribute and labor,

9702-508: Was referred to by the Spaniards as the principalía . Loarca, and the canon lawyer Antonio de Morga , who classified the society into three estates (ruler, ruled, slave), also affirmed the usage of this term and also spoke about the preeminence of the principales . All members of the datu class were principales , whether they ruled or not. San Buenaventura's 1613 Dictionary of the Tagalog Language defines three terms that clarify

9801-469: Was the class that constituted a birthright aristocracy with claims to respect, obedience, and support from those of subordinate status. With the recognition of the Spanish monarchs came the privilege of being addressed as Don or Doña . – a mark of esteem and distinction in Europe reserved for a person of noble or royal status during the colonial period. Other honors and high regard were also accorded to

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