Information About Tribal People (InfATriP)

04/07/2012

Moro-IP to reenact ancestral kinship ceremony
2012-03-08
Descendants of the two brothers, Mamalu and Tabunaway, the forebears of the present-day Maguindanao, Tiduray, Manobo, and other ethnic tribes in Mindanao, will start to converge in Tulugan, Sungko, Lantapan, Bukidnon on March 7 and will culminate the next day for the reenactment and renewal of kinship and cooperation traditional pacts by, among others:
1.Reading of Testimonies of the IP-Moro Kinship by Traditional Peace Pact Holders and representatives of the Moro and IP communities.
2.Execution of the Reaffirmation of Kinship by IP and Moro Elders
3.Signing of the Five Pillars of Kinship as a covenant and guiding principles of the IP-Moro Kinship
Mamalu and Tabunaway were the traditional chieftains in the present-day Maguindanao or more rightly Cotabato City at the coming of Islam towards the closing years of the 15th century.
Tabunaway, the younger brother, accepted Islam, while Mamalu, the older brother, decided to retain his traditional belief, but before they bid goodbye from each other, they made a vow to help each other in plenty or in grief. Tabunaway remained in the lowland, while Mamalu went upstream the Mindanao River (Pulangi) and then to upland areas.
The M**F through its peace panel will send one or two of its members to grace the occasion and to deliver a message of kinship and cooperation.
Actively helping in the coordination works including the holding of the ceremony are the Mindanao People’s Caucus (MPC) and the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Societies (CBCS).
This activity was briefly discussed during the 25th GPH-M**F peace negotiation in Kuala Lumpur where both the M**F and GPH peace panels agreed to extend helping hand to ensure the success of the ceremony.
The ceremony also included, among others, the presentation of the Draft Agreement on the Principles of Kinship; caucus of the Indigenous Peoples and Moros directly participating in the reaffirmation of kinship ceremony; a celebration of Kinship through songs, music and dances (optional); Exchanges of tokens of kinship among the Indigenous Peoples and Bangsamoro representatives; Signing of the Agreement on the General Principles of Kinship; unveiling of Kinship Marker; and Messages from the Support Groups, and Guests.
website: http://luwaran.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=901:moro-ip-to-reenact-ancestral-kinship-ceremony&catid=78:gggg&Itemid=477
Author: Luwaran
Source: luwaran.com
Date Published : 2012-03-07
HISTORY OF MENUVU
"Manobo" or "Manuvu" means "person" or "people"; it may also have been originally "Mansuba" from man (person or people) and suba (river), hence meaning "river people." A third derivation is from "Banobo," the name of a creek that presently flows to Pulangi River about 2 km below Cotabato City. A fourth is from "man" meaning "first, aboriginal" and "tuvu" meaning "grow, growth." Manobo " is the hispanized form.

The Manobo Belong to the original stock of proto-Philippine or proto-Austronesian people who came from South China thousands of years ago, earlier than the Ifugao and other terrace-building peoples of the northern Luzon. Ethnolinguist Richard Elkins(1966)coined the term "Proto-Manobo" to designate this stock of aboriginal non-Negritoid people of Mindanao. The first Manobo settlers lived in northern Mindanao: Camiguin, Cagayan, and some areas of Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental. Subgroups are: Agusan-Surigao, Ata, Bagobo, Banwaon, Blit, Bukidnon, Cotabato(which include the Arumanen, Kirintekan, and Livunganen), Dibabawon, Higaonon, Ilianon, Kulamanen, Manuvu, Matigsalug, Rajah Kabungsuan, Sarangani, Tboli, Tagabawa, Tigwa, Ubo, Umayamnon, and western Bukidnon. Manobo languages representative of these groups are Agusanon, Banwaon, Binukid of Mindanao, Cagayano of Cagayancillo Island, Cotabato Manobo, Dibabawon Manobo, Eatern Davao Manobo, Ilianon Manobo, Kidapawan, Kinamigin of Camiguin Island, Livunganen, Magahat, Sarangani Manobo, Southern Cotabato and Davao Manobo, Tasaday, Tagabawa, Tigwa Manobo,, Ubo of the Mt Apo region in Davao, western Bukidnon Manobo, and western Cotabato Manobo (Elkins 1966; Olson 1967).

The Manobo have for their neighbors the Talaandig of Bukidnon, the Matigsalug of the middle Davao River area, the Attaw or Jangan of the midland area which is now within the jurisdiction of Davao City, the Tahavawa and Bilaan in the south and southeast, and the Ilianon along the Pulangi river basin . This was the site of barter dealings with the Muslim traders who travelled upriver into the hinterlands

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04/07/2012

Endangered LUMADs
LUMADs seek help from Government Historical & Museum Institutes
By: Carl Cesar C. Rebuta

The recent industrial developments in areas of Mindanao have endangered the lives and the very existence of various tribes in Mindanao, especially for the Manobo tribe in Bukidnon. Located in the area of Barangay Mikasili, Damulog, Bukidnon, is the centuries old sacred burial site of Apo Mamalu, the supreme ancestor of the Manobo, T’duray and other Lumad tribes in Mindanao. He was the brother of Apo Tabunaway, the ancestor of the Moro tribes.
According to oral traditions, Tabunaway and Mamalu were Manobo brothers. The former being the skillful forest gatherer and recognized as the Datu while the latter led the fishing chores of the village. The Manobos occupied the lower valley of the Pulangi River in Central Mindanao, which is CotabatoCity. In the 14th century, a Muslim missionary Shariff Kabungsuan, arrived and propagated Islam in Mindanao. Tabunaway was converted into the Islam faith while Mamalu remained with the Manobo tribe. Mamalu then moved into the highlands of the Pulangi river because he did not want to be converted. The Mamalu clan then became known as the Manobo, while the Tabunaway clan became the Maguindanaos.
The cause of deaths of Apo Mamalu and Apo Tabunaway were unknown. But tribal leaders from then up to now, believe that Apo Mamalu was buried in a Stonehenge-like formation, with hundreds of burial rocks and located near the riverbank of the Pulangi River.
The Manobo tribe considers this site sacred, the root of their existence and the foundation of their culture. Recently, the tribal communities initiated a tribal declaration to publicly announce the cultural and historical importance of this site. Moreover, such public declaration established the fact that the Manobo tribe has considered the site as a sacred ground, the need to protects the root of their culture and existence is essential.
But negotiations are underway for the First Bukidnon Electric Company (FIBECO) to construct a massive hydro-electric power plant. Not only it will inundate at least 22 villages from Bukidnon and Cotabato provinces, but it will also annihilate the entire Manobo communities including the sacred site of Apo Mamalu.
The LRC-KsK/Foe, being a strong advocate for the Indigenous Peoples rights and welfare believes that such conditions mentioned above will not only be detrimental and tragic to the at least 22 communities but will also annihilate beyond point, the culture, ancestry and homeland of the Manobo tribe.
Wilmar Ampuan, chair of NATABUK, Inc (Federation of Southern Menuvu Tribe) appeal to National Historical Institute (NHI), National Commission on Culture & Arts (NCCA), and National Museum through an official letter assisted by LRC-Ksk. “Being a policy-making body mandated by law to develop Filipino culture and arts and to preserve Filipino cultural heritage, to aid us in making the Apo Mamalu Burial Site of the Manobo-Pulangihon tribe be declared a national cultural site. Such declaration from your office would greatly help us in preserving the Manobo way of life, their root culture and their home. As the Apo Mamalu burial site is sacred and is forbidden in their culture from being transferred, your aid will one way recognize and protect the Manobo tribe and that proper procedures shall be applied for the facilitation of the dam-building without violating the rights and ancestral domain of the Manobo tribe”, NATABUK Chair.

Posted by The MINDANAO CURRENT at 12:12 PM

04/07/2012

THE SULTANATE OF MAGUINDANAO: AN OVERVIEW
Nov 9, '08 10:27 AM
for everyone
Category: Books
Genre: History
Author: Sultan Muhammad G M Baraguir

Introduction

One of the twin gifts of the Almighty God – Allah S.W.T. – to His human creation for their habitat use, and development is Mother Earth. And as part of said Divine gift, the island of Mindanao is also gifted with vast natural resources and is enwrapped with colorful history, the full account of which is not the aim of this brochure.

The original name of the island is Maguindanao to its indigenous inhabitants. However, upon the coming of some Arabian and Malayan traders and travelers, they named the island as Manadanawe Dar Ul Islam. It is not surprising therefore that Khutbah (Book of Sermon) writers utilized said place names in their books of sermons, for Friday congregational prayers in Maguindanao.

Then on the coming of Spanish and other foreign invaders they called and recorded the name of the island in their reports and in their chronicles as Mindanao instead of Maguindanao or Mandanawe Darus Salaam/Dar Ul Islam. Incidentally, their military failure to conquer Mindanao and Sulu for over three centuries of war went with it their inability to correctly pronounce and record names of places and persons. And so today, for facility, the place names Maguindanao and Mindanao are interchangeably used by its inhabitants, especially the Maguindanaons.

Birth of the Sultanate

In available historical sources, it seems that the first recorded rulers of Maguindanao was Raja Tabunaway and his brother Mamalu who are sons of Sharif Marjan to Putri Paramaisuli, the daughter of Sharif Awliya to a woman of Maguindanao. However, Sharif Awliya left Maguindanao and his daughter soon without doing any proselytization work.

As earlier implied, Sharif Marjan later on arrived Maguindanao from Johore, married Putri Paramaisuli and bore many children with Tabunaway as the oldest and Mamalu as the youngest. Sharif Marjan began his Islamic missionary work by starting with his own family and immediate relatives but did not accomplish much due to his untimely passing away.

In the early part of the 16th century, somewhere in 1515 AD, another arrival came in the person of Sharif Kabunsuan Bin Ali Zaynal Abidin anchoring first at Natubakan, a sitio near the mouth of Maguindanao pulangi (river). Upon the verbal reports from his people under Manumbali, a henchman, Raja Tabunaway and Mamalu and some of their people went downstream to verify the new arrivals.

Ultimately, Raja Tabunaway and his brother Mamalu invited Sharif Kabunsuan to come with them upstream to Maguindanao proper but the latter denied the invitation unless the former will agree to the mass conversion of his people to the Islam religion. Having arrived voluntarily at such an agreement, Raja Tabunaway sent Mamalu upstream to summon practically all their people and followers at Maguindanao proper for mass Islamic baptismal rites by washing and bathing also near the river mouth, the place called Payguan since then up to now which means a place for bathing.

Of course, after the mass baptism Sharif Kabunsuan came along with Raja Tabunaway to Maguindanao proper passing through a shortcut creek but as the said creek is a bit shallow, he (Tabunaway) ordered his men to tow the vessel of Sharif Kabunsuan to hasten the movement of the vessel. Since that time up to now the place along side the shortcut creek is called Tinundan meaning towed and sometimes it is called Tinundanan, meaning, a place of towing.

In Maguindanao proper Sharif Kabunsuan married first Putri Sarabanon, sister of Tabunaway, who died without issue. Later on, he married Putri Tunina, the adopted sister of Tabunway and bore three daughters namely: Putri Ma’mur, Putri Milagandi, and Bai Batula. Putri Ma’mor got married to Raja Purwa the indigenous chieftain of Buayan Sultanate. In passing, it must also be mentioned that Umarmaya Tubutubu brother of Sultan Barahaman of Maguindanao married Bai Babak of Kabuntalan Sultanate, and that sometime in 1707 AD, he (Umarmaya Tubutubu) married a daughter of the Sultan of Ternate.

Afterwards, Sharif Kabunsuan proceeded to Malabang for his missionary work. At this juncture he married Bai Angintabu, a daughter of a local chieftain and begot Salipada/Sarripara Makaalang, among others. Having Islamized the populace in the area it can be surmised as it is natural for him and his family to return to Maguindanao proper, his home base. Without loss of much time, Raja Tabunaway, his henchmen and people decided to offer and voluntarily give the rulership of Maguindanao to Sharif Kabunsuan which was accepted by the latter adopting for the purpose, the office title “Sultan”, he himself a scion of a royal and noble ancestry such as Sharif Ali Zaynal Abidin, a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny) and Putri Jusul Asiqin, daughter of the Sultan of Johore thus giving birth to the Maguindanao Sultanate.

Seat of the Sultanate

Maguindanao proper refers to the present Cotabato City with the surrounding districts and was the seat of power and authority of Raja Tabunaway in pre-Islamic times.

Upon the acclamation of Sharif Kabunsuan as the first Sultan of Maguindanao, during the first half of the 16th century, he assumed power and authority in the same seat of government at Maguindanao proper. In latter times, however, for facility and expediency some of the succeeding Sultans, especially the famous Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, have established other secondary seats of power and authority, such as those in Simuay and Ramitan, the former along the Simuay river in the southern coast of the Illana Bay and the latter in the interior of Malabang at Baras. Consequently, Sultan Kudarat holds court and office in any of these seats of the Sultanate during his reign.

Later on in the latter part of the 17th century Sultan Barahaman held court in Buayan for sometime. In the first half of the 18th century. Sultan Jafar Sadiq Manamir held court and office in Sangir and later on at Tamontaka, during his reign. Sultan Bayanul Anwar and his son Sultan Tahiruddin Malinug held court also in Buayan during their times. Later on, besides the national seat of government at Maguindanao proper, Sultan Quratullah Jamalul Alam Untung and Sultan Mangiging held courts also in Kumaladang and Sibugay in the second half of the 19th century. And in much later times, Sultan Hijaban Mastura held court in Nuling now Sultan Kudarat Municipality.

Early Recording of Ancestral Genealogy

The Office of the Sultanate of Maguindanao began recording its ancestral genealogy during the reign of Sultan Muhammad Barahaman the ninth Sultan on the line somewhere in the latter part of 17th century. The said records are in the form of manuscripts in Arabic script in Maguindanaon language with admixture of Arabic and Malaysian tongue. For a basic, concise and complete portrayal of said genealogy please see the skeletal diagram numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, herein.

Relations of Mindanao with Her Neighbors and Their Rulers

With the exception of some minor incidents between Mindanao and Sulu in the 16th century and in the beginning of the 18th century which are normal even among relatives history could bear out that Mindanao had a very cordial and commendable relations with her immediate neighbors, like Sulu, Brunei, Ternate, Borneo, Johore and others whether in times of peace or of war.

Among other things, oneness of religious faith, kinship relations through affinal ties or intermarriages, and alliances in defensive wars for a common cause, have cemented the good relations of Maguindanao with her neighbors. Of course a detailed account of every relationship aspect is not intended herein. However, it must be stated that aside from the divine command of faithful brotherhood among Muslims, kinship relations through marriage ties have existed and transpired directly between the rulers of Johore and Maguindanao, directly between Maguindanao and Sulu rulers, directly between Brunei and Sulu rulers, directly between Maguindanao and Ternate rulers, and indirectly, if not directly between Brunei and Maguindanao rulers and probably others which could be an interesting subject of further studies in the pursuit of the Divine Command of brotherhood and harmony.

Reference

1. Manuscript Nos. II-VI and VIII of the Tarsila (Genealogy) Sa Maguindanao of Sultan Mastura and other Tarsilas.
2. Paruwalan Sa Maguindanao (Maguindanao Codex) in the custody of Datu Baraguir Mamadra and/or his heirs at Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
3. The Philippine Islands (1493-1893)
by Blair and Robertson, VOL. Nos. IV, VII, VIII, XII, XVII, XVIII, ###III and ###IV.
4. Studies in Moro History, Law, and Religion
by Najeeb Saleeby
5. Muslims in the Philippines (1973)
by Cesar A. Majul
6. Muslims in the Philippines: Past, Present and Future Prospects
by Cesar A. Majul
7. A History of Malaya (Second Reprint 1988)
by Richard O. Winstedt
8. A History of Johore (1365-1895) Reprint Number Six
by Richard O. Wistredt

Tags: sultan
Next: Sayyids of Hadramaut

04/07/2012

Tribes seek protection for ‘sacred’ burial site

TRIBAL groups yesterday called on the government to declare an old burial site in Bukidnon as an important cultural treasure so that it could be protected.

The groups––Pulangiyon, Kerenteken, Arumanen, Dunggunanen, and Ilianen tribes––submitted the documents required by the National Historical Institute (NHI), National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) and the National Museum in an effort to have the Apu Mamalu burial site as an ICT or Important Cultural Treasure, said Carl Cesar Rebuta of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends of the Earth-Philippines.

The National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 has clauses that require serious actions in preserving the country’s cultural treasures.

According to Rebuta, the area is a centuries-old burial site of Apu Mamalu, the ‘‘supreme ancestor’’ of the Manobo, T’duray and other Lumad tribes in Mindanao. He was a brother of Apo Tabunaway, said to be the ancestor of the Moro tribes.

Based on oral tradition, Tabunaway and Mamalu were Manobo brothers. The former being the skillful forest gatherer and recognized as the Datu while the latter led the fishing chores of the village.

Rebuta said the Manobos occupied the lower valley of the Pulangi River in Central Mindanao, which is Cotabato City.

In the 14th century, a Muslim missionary Shariff Kabungsuan, arrived and propagated Islam in Mindanao. Tabunaway was converted into the Islam faith while Mamalu remained with the Manobo tribe, said Rebuta.

He said Mamalu then moved to the highlands of the Pulangi River because he did not want to be converted.

The Mamalu clan then became known as the Manobo, while the Tabunaway clan became the Maguindanaos and Maranaos, said Rebuta.

The cause of deaths of Apo Mamalu and Apo Tabunaway remains unknown. But tribal leaders from then up to now, believe that Apo Mamalu was buried in a stonehenge-like formation, with hundreds of burial rocks and located near the riverbank of the Pulangi River.

Rebuta said the Manobo tribe considers the site sacred, the root of their existence and the foundation of their culture.

Last October, the tribal communities (Moros and Lumads) initiated a tribal declaration to publicly announce the cultural and historical importance of this site.

One of the tribes, the Pulangiyon, has many members who are living along the Pulangi River. The tribespeople consider the river and the Apu Mamalu burial grounds ‘‘sacred’’.

Rebuta said they survived primarily by farming like planting maize, upland rice and root crops.

The secondary source of livelihood is fishing in the river. Pulangi is famous also as the biggest
watershed area in Mindanao located strategically at the heart of the island.

Rebuta said Pulangi is a ‘‘sacred water of the tribe, it’s a gift from Magbabaya (the Supreme Being).’’

He added, ‘‘When Magbabaya created the island, he placed a landmark at the center of the land.

‘Impamulangi’ is the Monobo term for ‘center of the island’ which the name of the river was coined. If you check your map, Pulangi River lies at the center of Mindanao Island.

‘‘The river is a historical place for the tribe. This is where their ancestors lived and became part of their life for centuries. But today, Pulangi is famous because it is the biggest tributary to the largest and longest river in Mindanao, the Rio Grande de Mindanao.

Datu Polao, a tribal leader, said he believes that the land was submerged during the Great Flood.

Based on oral tradition, he said a young lady, unmindful of the water continuously rising, planted root crops on the top-most part of the mountain. Those who survived the flood called that mountain Pinamula, a Monobo term for the only place left that can be planted.

http://www.goldstardailynews.com/content.php?id=9906

04/07/2012

THE HISTORY OF THE TEDURAY AND DULANGAN MANOBO
Certified thru copy from the documents byTimuay Melanio Ulama OTLAC Chairman to Alih Anso of DXUP FM April 2, 2007)
The history of the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo is shared by the Maguindanaon, that until the coming of Islam inMindanao estimated by many scholars that happened between 1450-1475 AD, the Maguindanaon, Teduray and Dulangan Manobo to name a few were one and the same people. These people traced their roots from brothers Mamalu and Tabunaway who practiced one and the same tradition of self-rule, culture and economic activities whose title holders are called Baglalan under a Timuay system of governance.
The term or word Timuay came from the root word TIMU that literally means COLLECT or UNITE/UNION. The Timuay is a tribal title and at the same time- understood by the Teduray as a system .of tribal based self-rule characterized by a collective form of leadership and free participation of the maginged (citizens) through attendance to assemblies and forums called for by the Baglalan in the different lines of work in the Timuay governance.
The highest structure of governance reached by the Timuay system in its historical development is in the tribal level. This meant that every tribal group who embraced the Timuay system of governance has its own territory, center of governance, laws, defense and programs to follow.
But this development was first interrupted when Sharif Mohammad Kabungsuan came and introduced the Islamic faith and the Sultanate system of governance where the brothers Mamalu and Tabunaway were called for to embrace. Mamelu and Tabunaway at that time were the known tribal chieftains in command or the neighboring villages with center of governance based at Mt. Tawan-tawan now popularly called PC Hill in Cotabato City.
The division came after the historic decision of Tabunaway to embrace Islam end the Sultanate system of governance while Mamalu remained faithful to his traditional way of life and system of self rule. With this major turn in their lives, the brothers made a pact or treaty.
The treaty covered the following conditions: recognition and respect of the territory, system of governance and religious beliefs of each group; the continuing and non limit circulation of the means of livelihood and “sawit” system or gifts among communities; unity against’ common enemy; and lifetime treatment as brothers and sisters. This treaty was publicly sworn to by both parties thru a ritual and mutually agreed that the treaty must be observed by the leaders induding the coming generations to come and the brothers went their separate ways with their respective followers. From the elder brother, came the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo and from the younger brother came theMaguindanaon.
But as years passed by, the Sultanate system of governance became superior over the Timuay system because the Muslim controlled the strategic places such as the plains and the coastal villages. They have connections too to tile global trade and the expansion of Islamization was done rapidly as ideological basis and means for tactical consolidation among their leaders and followers while the Timuay system is isolated in intact villages to ensure none disturbance in the implementation of their traditions and customary laws.
The solemnized treaty between the two groups was gradually forgotten pushed by dissimilar concept of living. On this point, it emerge that the Bultanate system is superior over the Timuay system. The Sultanate system considered the leaders of the Timuay system as their subjects. They don’t mind them as their equal in leadership.
On the other hand, from the north of the archipelago, another form of civilization is spreading southward. This time introduced by the Spanish colonizers and then followed by the Americans. This civilization resulted finally to the emergence of the Philippine Republic as a Nation State.
Under the new Republic, the tribal communities experienced far worst than that of the Sultanate system because of the State’s slogan calling for “one nation, one people and one government”. This means that there is no other government having the authority to govern over the people of the Philippine Republic except the Philippine government. This finally meant that the Sultanate, the Timuay systems of governance and other forms of tribal based self-rule were not given full authority to govern over their own people.
Surprising however, despite the wave upon wave entry of the different forms of civilization, the tribal people stand steadfast in their own mode of community management A concrete example is the emergence of the Lambangian tribe into being.
Lambangian is a tribe that traced their origin from the historic war between the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo hundreds of years ago in a place called Binusugan near the Tran River now called Barangay Villamonte in Lebak, SultanKudarat Province. The tribal war was caused by abduction of Dulangan Manobo expert in collecting honey bees by the Tedurays and sold out to the MaguIndanaon brothers. The Maguindanaon then enslave the Dulangan Manobo captives in honey collection to be sold to Chinese traders.
The tribal war lasted for ten cropping seasons, an equivalent of years continued conflict. The Teduray warriors came from as far as Santek, Senigang and Balalaen while the Dulangan Manobo warriors came from Buyaan, Mrawir and Upper Tran. As a result, both party succumbed casualties and this was only neutralized when a long drought called “lenggob” started to inflict damage to the agricultural of the whole populace both Dulangan Manobo and Teduray. The lenggob brought food and water crisis for almost three years. At that time, the only place without food shortage was in tuduk Mrawir, the place of datu Midtu of the Dulangan Manobo.
Knowing the abundance of food at tuduk Mrawir, one Teduray Chieftain and his family tried to cross the war torn areas in Binusugan going to Mrawir to look for food. With all his wisdom, he succeeded to pe*****te tuduk Mrawir without any untoward incidents and the Teduray Chieftain was able to explain to datu Midtu the negative effects of war and the lenggob. The two leaders concluded that God punished them because of the tribal war they engage so they decided to stop the war but datu Midtu ask to marry the daughter of the Teduray Chieftain.
After the drought, the Teduray chief went back to his place bringing with him seeds of rice, corn and other agricultural products. His fellow chieftains were surprised because they taught that he and his family were already executed by their Manobo enemy. Knowing that he’s still alive and was able to pe*****te the Dulangan Manobo territory, they called him datu Dikalawahan, a tribal title which means supreme datu. From then on, a formal negotiation took place until such time that the relationship was normalized.

The negotiation took place in the war zone area called Binusugan, a Dulangan Manobo term for a battle field using bow and arrow but the name was corrupted by the present settlers and called it Villamonte, a barangay located east ofLebak.
In the negotiation, both parties agreed to stop the conflict and swear not to do it again and instead maintain “8 friendly relationships. The agreement was sealed with intermarriage of four (young men and women) from both the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo as a symbol of unity and oneness of the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo.
This was finally concluded with a ritual and prayer calling the coming off-springs of the newly wed men and women as LAMBANGIAN, a cross breed of the Teduray and Dulangan Manobo and should there any violation thereof of the peace pact, the Lambangian shall be cut into pieces signifying that the agreement is null and void.

(Note: ang topic na ito ay tinalakay sa programang Kapayapaan- 5:30-6:30 morning Anchor: Kaka Ali at ang guest ay ang presidente ng Ogranization of T'duray and Lambangian Organization Conference o OTLAC na Timuay Melanio Ulama)

04/07/2012

Apu Mamalu Burial Site Listed as National Cultural Treasure
Posted April 26th, 2010 by whit

Manila, Philippines – The National Museum is now finalizing the declaration of Apu Mamalu Burial in the tribal Barangay of Mikasili, Damulog, Bukidnon as a National Cultural Treasure. “It’s on the 3rd of our list for approval after Maribojoc Church of Bohol, and Manila Metropolitan Theater in Manila” an update made by Angel Bautista, Curator from the National Museum today to LRC-KsK. Maribojoc Church and Metropolitan Theater are classified as important cultural property as enshrined in the R.A. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 1999 which will protect cultural property against exportation, modification or demolition added by Bautista.
The recent industrial developments in areas of Mindanao have endangered the lives and the very existence of various tribes in Mindanao, especially for the Manobo tribe in Bukidnon. Located in the area of Barangay Mikasili, Damulog, Bukidnon, is the centuries old sacred burial site of Apu Mamalu, the supreme ancestor of the Menovu, T’duray and other Lumad tribes in Mindanao. He was the brother of Apo Tabunaway, the ancestor of the Moro tribes. The burial site is one of the sacred sites affected by the proposed Mega dam project in Bukidnon which will submerge at least 23 villages of the Menuvo tribe in Souther Bukidnon.
According to oral traditions, Tabunaway and Mamalu were Menovu brothers. The former being the skillful forest gatherer and recognized as the Datu while the latter led the fishing chores of the village. The Manobos occupied the lower valley of the Pulangi River in Central Mindanao, which is Cotabato City. In the 14th century, a Muslim missionary Shariff Kabungsuan, arrived and propagated Islam in Mindanao. Tabunaway was converted into the Islam faith while Mamalu remained with the Manobo tribe. Mamalu then moved into the highlands of the Pulangi river because he did not want to be converted. The Mamalu clan then became known as the Manobo, while the Tabunaway clan became the Maguindanaos.
The cause of deaths of Apo Mamalu and Apo Tabunaway were unknown. But tribal leaders from then up to now, believe that Apo Mamalu was buried in a Stonehenge-like formation, with hundreds of burial rocks and located near the riverbank of the Pulangi River.
The Manobo tribe considers this site sacred, the root of their existence and the foundation of their culture. Recently, the tribal communities initiated a tribal declaration to publicly announce the cultural and historical importance of this site. Moreover, such public declaration established the fact that the Manobo tribe has considered the site as a sacred ground, the need to protect the root of their culture and existence is essential.
The LRC-KsK/Foe, being a strong advocate for the Indigenous Peoples rights and welfare believes that such conditions mentioned above will not only be detrimental and tragic to the at least 23 communities but will also annihilate beyond point, the culture, ancestry and homeland of the Manobo tribe.
Wilmar Ampuan, chair of NATABUK, inc (Federation of Southern Menuvu Tribe) said “This is what our traditional leaders have been longing for, such declaration from the government agency would greatly help in preserving the Menovu way of life, our root culture and our home. As the Apo Mamalu burial site is sacred and is forbidden in our culture from being transferred or desecrated, the declaration is one way recognition and protection our heritage as the proponent of the Mega Dam is now fast-tracking the social preparation of the project without respecting the traditional consent process of the IP in the areas”.
Carl Cesar C. Rebuta
Project Development Officer
LRC-KsK [email protected]
09053272676