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28-701: The Blaan are neighbors of the Tboli , and live near Lake Sebu and Tboli municipalities of South Cotabato , Sarangani , General Santos , the southeastern part of Davao and around Lake Buluan in North Cotabato . They are famous for their brassworks, beadwork, and tabih weave. The people of these tribes wear colorful embroidered native costumes and beadwork accessories. The women of these tribes, particularly, wear heavy brass belts with brass "tassels" ending in tiny brass bells that herald their approach from afar. Some Blaan natives were displaced when General Santos

56-578: A musical heritage consisting of various types of agung ensembles – ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs that act as drone without any accompanying melodic instrument. Other instruments include the hegelung . The Tboli have a tradition of a highly complex polytheistic religion. However, more recent variants of their religion have been influenced by Islam and Christianity . Nevertheless, some continue to preserve religious practices from thousands of years old traditions. Maitum, Sarangani Maitum , officially

84-457: A national historical sites). Amid Mindanao 's armed conflicts, artifacts found thereat prove settlements of pre-historic civilization in Maitum. Poverty incidence of Maitum Source: Philippine Statistics Authority The economy of Maitum is largely based on agriculture and is often called the "rice-granary" of Sarangani due to its high level production of rice . Aqua-culture

112-777: A number of archaeological - either government or privately sponsored - excavations have been conducted to recover these artifacts. These jars have characteristics that belong to the Developed Metal Age Period in the Philippines [calibrated date of 190 BC to 500 AD]. According to the laboratory results determined through radiocarbon dating , these secondary burial jars date back to the Metal Age . Two conventional dates were 1830 +/-60 B.P. [calibrated date of AD 70 to 370] and 1920 +/- 50 B.P. [calibrated date of 5 BC to 225 AD]. Experts used soot samples taken from

140-733: A river, now called Marbel River . The tribe practices Indigenous rituals while adapting to the way of life of modern Filipinos. Relations with settlers and their descendants are not always harmonious; settlers reportedly clashed with some Blaan natives in March 2015. Blaans speak their native language of the same name . However, they have additionally developed literacy in Cebuano , Hiligaynon , Tagalog and, to some extent, Ilocano . These languages were brought and introduced by settlers from Cebu , Bohol , Siquijor , Negros , Panay , Tagalog-speaking regions , Central Luzon and Ilocandia during

168-697: Is Tboli. Their whereabouts and identity are somewhat imprecise in the literature; some publications present the Tboli and the Tagabili as distinct peoples; some locate the Tbolis in the vicinity of Lake Buluan in the Cotabato Basin or in Agusan del Norte . Tbolis speak their native language of the same name . However, over the decades, Tbolis can speak and understand Cebuano , Hiligaynon , Tagalog and to

196-453: Is derived from the Visayan word maitom , literally meaning black. In 1928, Maitum became part of the municipality of Kiamba . It became a separate municipality on May 7, 1959, through Republic Act No. 2189. Maitum is politically subdivided into 19 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios . The majority of the population are of Ilocano origin. One of

224-659: Is the location where the Maitum Anthropomorphic Pottery or Maitum Jars were found. In 1991, the National Museum archaeological team discovered anthropomorphic secondary burial jars in Ayub Cave, Barangay Pinol, Maitum, Sarangani, Mindanao, Philippines. The jars are commonly known today as Maitum jars. They are made of earthenware , and are characterized by their design that suggests human figures with complete or partial facial features of

252-460: Is the second biggest income earner, notably the culture of milkfish ( bangus ), prawns (particularly giant prawns) and shrimps for export. Other agricultural products are coconuts , maize , rubber , bananas , mangoes , pork , eggs , beef , fish and cacao . Maitum is also a food basket nationally famous for its marinated flying fish. The economy has accelerated in the past decade driven by advances in global communication technology and

280-493: The Municipality of Maitum ( Cebuano : Lungsod sa Maitum ; Maguindanaon : Inged nu Maitum , Jawi : ايڠد نو مايتم; Tagalog : Bayan ng Maitum ), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Sarangani , Philippines . According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,185 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province. It is bordered on the west by the province of Sultan Kudarat , on

308-452: The fais , are made with intricately designed brass. The Blaan also sew plastic beads or shell sequins to create intricate designs on women's blouses and trousers, called the takmon . Geometric and other designs depicting the environment or the solar system are sewn using cotton yarns onto men's pants and shirts, called the msif . The Blaan tribe at the foot of Mount Matutum Protected Landscape support their livelihoods by collecting

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336-553: The Úbûs , Blàan , Blit , Tàú-Segél , and the Tasaday , they have historically been described as pagans, animists, etc., as opposed to Muslim peoples or Christian settlers. In political contexts, however, the Cebuano term " Lumad " ("native") has become an umbrella term for the various polytheistic peoples of Mindanao. In ethnographic and linguistic literature on Mindanao, their name is variously spelt Tboli, T'boli, Tböli, Tagabili, Tagabilil, Tagabulul and Tau Bilil. Their endonym

364-501: The cultural value of the jars. The interview noted the need for a public awareness campaign on the importance of the Maitum jars for the town's heritage, especially to the barangays within the caves they were found in. Some locals have said that they have sold jars to foreigners, who pay them a hefty price. Locals would sometimes throw away jar shards as well. On top of that, the caves where the jars were initially found have repeatedly been ransacked since there are no physical protections in

392-456: The early 20th century. Some of the deities in the Blaan pantheon include: The Blaans have a system of weaving using abaca fiber. The art of abaca weaving is called mabal or mabal tabih , while the cloth produced by this process is called the tabih . Blaan weavers do not use spinning wheels. Instead, they join together by hand strands of the abaca fiber, which are then used to weave

420-570: The east by the municipality of Kiamba , on the north by the province of South Cotabato , and the south by the Celebes Sea . According to local folklore, "Maitum" refers to the black stones in the Saub River. It is believed that the river stones turned black when the local native princess and her warrior lover passed through it as they eloped and escaped from the wrath of the princess's father who disapproved of their marriage. The town's name

448-489: The feces of the Philippine palm civet for processing into wild civet coffee . Sitio 8 village, Barangay Kinilis, Polomolok is famous as a civet coffee-producing settlement . Tboli people The Tboli people ( IPA: ['tʔbɔli] ) are an Austronesian indigenous people of South Cotabato in southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Tbolis currently reside on the mountain slopes on either side of

476-510: The finishing of a modern highway that tremendously improved trade and transport. Tarsiers have been discovered in Maitum's mountainous areas. Caves and the rainforest of Maitum are the natural habitat of a rare fruit bat species called giant golden-crowned flying fox ( Acedoron jubatus ), also known as "silent planter," since it contributes greatly to forest regeneration, because of eating many fruits and their seeds. The rare writhed-billed hornbill and Mindanao hornbill are also found in

504-631: The first inhabitants in Mindanao. Furthermore, they give emphasis to the Filipinos’ popular belief of life after death. According to Dr. Eusebio Dizon , head of the archaeological team, this type of burial jars are “remarkably unique and intriguing” because they have not been found elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Thus, many archaeologists from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Indonesia gained interest on this initial find and

532-402: The government for proper conservation for future generations, and must not be sold to collectors. Violating the law that safeguards the Maitum jars will lead to imprisonment of up to 20 years and payment for damages up to 250,000 pesos. Unfortunately, despite the high regard of scholars on the Maitum jars, in an interview of townsfolk in 2012, majority of the residents of Maitum town are unaware of

560-597: The indigenous peoples living in mountainous areas of Maitum is known as T'boli . The annual Binuyugan Festival is celebrated in May. Internationally, Maitum is known for the discovery of very old cave artifacts called Maitum Anthropomorphic Potteries in one of the caves nearby. Ancient burial jars were discovered by archaeologists from the National Museum in Ayub Cave, Maitum, in 1991 and in 2008, at Sagel Cave, Maitum (now declared by National Historical Institute as

588-468: The museum from the national government is scarce. Museum researchers have speculated that many Maitum jars have been looted before their initial discovery, as many jars have been seen in the black market. The Maitum Jars have been declared as National Treasures of the Philippines and Important Cultural Properties of the Philippines , meaning, they must never get out from the country and should be conserved by all means. Found jars should be directly given to

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616-439: The site. There are no site guards or a conservation station located within the vicinity of the cave despite being discovered around 3 decades ago. Many jar shards exist in the caves and are left unprotected, despite the caves being declared as a heritage site. Due to these factors, despite many scholars wanting to campaign the declaration of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , such declaration would be hard to achieve due to

644-459: The some extent, Ilocano , alongside their own native language. These languages were brought and introduced by these settlers from Cebu , Bohol , Siquijor , Negros , Panay , Tagalog-speaking regions , Central Luzon and Ilocandia , upon their arrival into Tboli homelands during the early 20th century. They are considered to be an indigenous people in Philippine law. The Tboli have

672-524: The surrounding rainforest. The Philippine eagle (a monkey -eating eagle ) also thrives in the area. Endangered hawksbill turtles have their nesting grounds in Maitum's former main village called "Old Poblacion". Other wild animals are wild boar , deer , monkeys, and various species of snake . Sea turtles or pawikan can also be found in Maitum, Sarangani specifically at the Pawikan Nesting Sanctuary founded in 2003. The town

700-523: The tabih. Fu Yabing Dulo was one of two surviving master designers left of the mabal tabih art of ikat weaving. Estelita Bantilan , who was given the National Living Treasures Award in 2016, is a master weaver of traditional mats known as igêm . The Blaan have a tradition of creating art from brass and copper. The Blaan smelt brass and copper to produce small bells and handles of long knives. These knives, called

728-515: The upper Alah Valley and the coastal area of Maitum , Maasim and Kiamba in the province of Sarangani. In former times, the Tbolis also resided in the upper floor of the Alah Valley. After World War II and the arrival of settlers from other parts of the Philippines, they have been gradually pushed to the mountain slopes. As of now, they have almost been expelled from the fertile valley floor. Like their immediate neighbouring ethnic groups,

756-527: The walls of a small earthenware vessel found inside one of the larger burial jars. Most of the jars are now on display at the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila . The town has a museum with Maitum jars, however, the jars are only replicas. According to the town government, they intend for the Maitum jars to be returned to Maitum town from Manila once a proper museum with high-tech conservation capabilities has been established. Unfortunately, funding for

784-400: Was founded in 1939. Others settled in the city. Their language is said to be the source of the name for Koronadal City , from two Blaan words – kalon meaning cogon grass and nadal or datal meaning plain, which aptly described the place for the natives. On the other hand, Marbel, which is another name for the poblacion , is a Blaan term malb-el which means "murky waters" referring to

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