Manobo

Manobo is the hispanized spelling of Manuvu (since there is no difference between the pronunciation of orthographic ‹b› and ‹v› in Castilian Spanish, the /v/ sound was lost when translated to Spanish). Its etymology is unclear but in its current form it means 'person' or 'people'.

The Manobo are probably the most numerous of the ethnic groups of the Philippines in terms of the relationships and names of the various groups that belong to this family of languages. Mention has been made of the numerous subgroups that comprise the Manobo group. The total national population including the subgroups is 749,042 (NM 1994); occupying core areas from Sarangani island into the Mindanao mainland in the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Davao provinces, Bukidnon, and North and South Cotabato. The groups occupy such a wide area of distribution that localized groups have assumed the character of distinctiveness as a separate ethnic grouping such as the Bagobo or the Higaonon, and the Atta. Depending on specific linguistic points of view, the membership of a dialect with a supergroup shifts

Surce: Wikipedia

Andy Maluche
Photographer

10.19.2011

Manobo Weapons

The warlike mangajow raiders were brave people and adept at tribal battles. They were much advanced in native warfare and weaponries compared to the Mamanwas and the other Cantilangnons of old.

For distanced battles, the tunod (bow and arrow) was the most effective weapon. They even used these at strangers who entered their settlements without prior notice. The arrows were mostly poisoned at the tips.The Manobos were chiefly reliant on their native skills in making weapons. Before iron for arrow tips were obtained from foreign traders in the earlier centuries, and lately from the enterprising Manobo blacksmiths, their arrows simply consisted of straight sticks or hard bamboos which were sharply pointed and fire-tempered. The tunod was used for tribal battles or ambuscades. It was also used for hunting. Practice made the Manobos good marksmen with the tunod.The spears were the most deadly medium-distance weapons. There were four kinds of these and were known in different names. The panganop was used for hunting wild pigs, deers and tougher animals for food like big snakes or pythons. It was also used for fighting the enemies or intruders in tribal rites. The budjaks were ordinary weapons which could be used even by young boys who took them to hunting trips or while they visited their lit-ag (trap) for wild chickens or the bathajan trap for birds.The tabi which was sharpened and honed into an iron blade was also used. It was seldom taken outside of the house; it was always hanged at the sleeping quarters of the family head. And, the last kind was the javelin-like su-ob which was made of bong-bong, a specie of bamboo that did not grow in size but in strength only. It was deadly as the other spears and the same was used for short distance warfare.In a close fight, the lambitan, the complement of the tabi was the most reliable weapon that Manobos had. It was a long, slender single-bladed and sharply-pointed bolo which the Manobos preferred to call sable or sabile. It was made of hard steel like the Muslim kris, and it was tempered to cut hard objects.

In actual combats or even in war dances like the panujo, the Manobos displayes their k’sag or kiasag (shield). It was shaped into two popular forms. One was rectangular while the other was round. Both had concave structures inside the handle and they protruded outside. It was usually chiseled into form from a hard and solid wood. It had decorative engravings and looked like the designs of the tattoos in some ways.This weapons was inseparable with the lambitan whose snake’s head design and engraving at the tip of the handle was attractive. The snake carving had an open mouth with exposed tongue as if it lapped at a prey. The lambitan’s scabbard was also made of wood, well-polished and shiny. It was glued by sayong (the sap of a tangile wood and tied securely with nito – a black specie of fern) splits. Sometimes, it carried engraved designs associated with the tattoos and the k’sag arts.These weapons of long ago were not of current uses. The Manobos were keeping them in their mountain homes to be utilized only for protection or fighting.

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Howard Aliquam vel rhoncus duis, aliquet? Quis? Rhoncus platea ac augue et, augue, magna a eros! Mus egestas adipiscing? Non sit diam diam rhoncus turpis arcu augue aliquam nunc! Sagittis elementum a sed, vel, mid rhoncus, sed. Diam amet sed nascetur, cursus, amet! Mid et? Sit mus augue porta! Turpis lorem.

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Andy Maluche Nunc et augue? Odio odio tincidunt, mus est, adipiscing et turpis ac purus nec? Hac pellentesque enim. Platea ac elit pulvinar mus turpis ut purus urna sed, ut non non. Elementum cursus aliquam, lectus scelerisque sit tincidunt vut enim vut, eros ac, aliquet! Pid vel, ultrices massa vel! Parturient? Rhoncus.

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Howard is this an ancient artifacts?

Andy Maluche oh yes it is!

Andy Maluche
Photographer

10.19.2011

Manobo Sword and Knife

The Manobo occupy the Compostela and Agusan River valleys, an area that lies to the north and west of the Mandaya who largely occupy the peninsula on the eastern side of Davao Gulf. Garvan notes that the Manobo were inferior to the Mandaya in many aspects of technology, and they admired and feared the Mandaya for their superior culture. For their part, the Mandaya were very wary of their volatile and unpredictable neighbors. So there was a standoff, with the two tribal groups staying out of each other's way as much as possible, and engaging only in activities of mutual benefit (such as trade). Intermarriage between the two tribal groups did occur, but was uncommon.

Garvan devotes Chapter 9 of his treatise to Weapons and Implements. I have transcribed below what he has to say about the bolo and its sheath (pp 84-86) and the dagger and its sheath (pp 89-90).

Here is a picture of the bolo from the earlier post. The dimensions of this sword are as follows:

Overall length (tip to tip) = 19 5/8 inchesLength of hilt = 6 inchesThickness of blade in front of hilt = 5/16 inchesLength of blade = 13 3/4 inchesNarrowest width of blade = 1 inchWidest width of blade = 2 3/8 inchesDistance from hilt to "notch" at start of cutting edge = 2 1/4 inchesDistance from tip to maximum width = 3 3/8 inches

(Compare these dimensions with those specified below)

THE BOLO AND ITS SHEATH

"[The bolo is the Manobo man's] inseparable companion by day and, in regions where the influence of civil or military authority is not strongly felt, also by night.

As there are but two Manobo blacksmiths that I know of, all bolos are imported, either from the Mandayans or the Banuaons, though from time to time one sees a weapon that has made its way from the Bagobo. The prevailing bolo is of Mandaya workmanship and merits a more detailed description.

It is a substantial steel blade varying in length from 30 to 45 centimeters [about 12 to 18 inches]. At its juncture with the handle it is about as broad as the handle but narrows gradually on top, and less so on the lower edge, to a breadth of 25 millimeters [1 inch] at a point one-sixth of the length of the blade from the handle. At this point the back of the bolo changes its direction, running off at an angle to its previous direction of 15 degrees. The lower part or edge of the weapon gradually bellies out until the blade, at a point one-fourth of its entire length from the tip attains its maximum breadth (7 to 10 centimeters) [about 3 to 4 inches] whence it curves like the segment of a circle to the point of the weapon.

The type of bolo that is considered more pretentious, and that is more common on the upper Agusan River, has a thin straight back up to within 6 or 7 centimeters of the handle, at which point the direction of the handle is slightly changed. In other respects this bolo is similar to the one described above.

At the narrowest part of the bolo and on the underside there is occasionally a serrated decoration in the steel, the significance of which I do not know.

The handle is occasionally of ebony, but more commonly of some other wood. The grasp for the handle is cylindrical. The handle is often bound with a braid of rattan, or a band or two of steel or of brass, to prevent splitting, or less commonly with silver bands for ornament's sake. Curving downward beyond the grasp is a carved ornamentation that suggests remotely the head of a bird with an upturned curving bill. This is one continuous piece with the grasp. It is rare to find brass ferrules and hand guards at the juncture of the blade with the handle.

The sheath, which is of Manobo production, consists of two pieces of thin light wood a little broader than the bolo. It is almost rectangular in form for a distance equal to the length of the blade, and then the edges become gradually narrower up to a point that is about 3 centimeters from the end; at this point they expand into a small square with incurving sides.

The two pieces are held together closely by bands of rattan coiled around them at equal intervals. A coating of beeswax serves to preserve the wood and at the same time to impart a finished appearance to the sheath. Frequently pot black is mixed with the beeswax, and on the upper and central parts, and on the ends and edges, symmetrical bands of this black paint are applied according to the fancy of the wearer.

The girdle, which is nearly always of braided abaka fiber, frequently multicolored, and which holds the weapon to the left side of the wearer, passes through a hole on the outer side of the sheath. The hole is made through the central embossed part of the outer piece of the sheath.

A noteworthy feature of the sheath is that it is so made that by pushing the handle to the lower side of the aperture of the sheath, the weapon remains locked and cannot fall out or be withdrawn until the handle is pushed back to the upper side of the aperture."

[A picture of a Manobo man wearing his bolo in the locked position is included with the article. I will scan this and forward it to Lee for inserting into this thread.]

[There then follows an interesting description, which I am not transcribing but will photocopy for anyone interested, on A Magic Test for the Efficiency of a Bolo ]

And here are pictures of the dagger in an earlier post.

image restored from archive

image restored from archive THE DAGGER AND ITS SHEATH

"A weapon, whose distribution is limited almost exclusively to Manobos south of 8 degrees of latitude, is the Mandaya dagger, of Mandaya workmanship, and indicative of Mandaya influence.

Its component parts are a thin laminated piece of steel from 15 to 25 centimeters [6 to 10 inches] long with a thin, tapering rod somewhat shorter, projecting in the line of the axis, and a hilt of banati through which the projection of the blade passes. It is carried in a sheath which is held at the wearer’s right side by a girdle.

The blade is two-edged, widening from a sharp point to two shoulders from 3 to 4 centimeters apart [1.2 to 1.6 inches], whence the edges incurve gradually and finally end in two projecting spurs 3 or 4 centimeters apart. The rod for the reception of the hilt extends from this point along the line of the axis for a distance of 6 to 8 centimeters [2.2 to 3.2 inches].

From time to time one finds a blade that is inlaid with tiny pieces of brass or silver, but there is never any kind of ornamentation.The handle is of a type that is unique, as far as I know, in the Philippine Islands. In using the dagger the body of the hilt is seized in the right hand, the index finger is inserted between one horn of the crescent and the central steel tang, and the thumb between the latter and the other point of the crescent, while the other three fingers hold the weapon within the palm. This method seems clumsy but nevertheless it is the orthodox way of holding it. Fastened to the right side of the wearer in a more or less horizontal position and with the handle projecting forward, it is always at the owner’s disposal for prompt and deadly action, especially so as only a mere thread or two of abaka fiber running from the handle to the upper part of the sheath retains the weapon in its sheath.

The handle is usually strengthened at its neck with plaited rings of nito fiber and may have ornamental silver work, both at that point and on the horns, or even at times on the whole outer surface of it.

The sheath consists of two pieces of wood of an elongated rectangular shape, spreading out at the extremity. Strips of rattan wound at intervals hold the two pieces together and a paint of blended beeswax and pot black is ordinarily employed to give a finish to it. But occasionally one sees bands of beaten silver at the head of the sheath, and, less frequently, a profusion of beautiful, artistic silverwork set over the whole sheath."

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Andy Maluche
Photographer

10.19.2011

Manobo History

Oral tradition and records about the introduction of Islam into Mindanao give us a clue to the history of pre-Spanish Manobo. Their ancestors inhabited the lowervalley of the Pulangi River in central Mindanao. In the 14th century, Sharif Kabungsuan, a muslim missionary, arrived from Johore, to convert the people. According to oral tradition, the Manobo's leaders were two borthers:Tabunaway and Mumalu. They lived by a creek, Banobo , which flowed into the Mindanao River near the present site of Cotabato City. Tabunaway rejected Islam but advised his younger brother to submit to conversion. Tabunaway and his followers fled up the Pulangi River to the interior and, at a certain stop, they decided to part ways. Tabunaway and his group who went to Livungan became the Livunganen. Others became the Kirinteken, Mulitaan, Kulamanen, and Tenenenen. The Kulamanen split into the Pulangian and Metidsalug/Matigsalug. Branches of the Tenenenen were the Keretanen, Lundugbatneg, and Rangiranen. A group stayed along the river in Lanuan and built an ilian (fort) and so became the Ilianon. Those who went to divava (downriver), Became the Dibabawon, some of whom branched into the Kidapawanen. But because ali these groups retained their indigenous beliefs and practices, they retained the name of their original site, Banobo, which eventually became Manobo. On the other hand, Mamalu's descendant's became the Maguindanao.

Magellan landed in Butuan in 1521 and planted a cross at the mouth of the Agusan River to commemorate the first mass celebrated there. By 1591 Butuan had become an encomienda and tributes were collected. However, Spanish garrison towns and forts had to be erected because of Moro and Manobo resistance to colonization. In 1648, a rebellion that caused the death of many Spaniards was led by a Manobo chieftain named Dabao, a historical figure who became a hero of legends recounting his fantastic feats by a giant. Records of Christian conversion probably refer to the Visayan lowlanders, since all attempts made by the Spaniards to make Manobo conform to the pueblo or town system was futile. Christianized Manobo towns were established bye 1877, but these would shortly after be abandoned and razed to the ground bye the converted Manobo themselves, who would then flee to the mountains and revert to their old ways. By 1896, at the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in other parts of the archipelago, the missionaries and troops had already withdrawn from the hinterlands because the Manobo constantly engaged them in warfare.

It was during the American colonial period that significant changes occurred in the Manobo way of life. Patrols of Philippine Constabulary with American officers in command aimed to put a stop to the intertribal raids and feuding among the Manobo. AT the same time, the civil government tried to persuade the people, through their datu, to live in villages instead of dispersed settlements, and to send their children to school. Consequently, more or less permanent Manobo barrios began to be established in the lower areas.

WWII hastened acculturation because lowlanders evacuated to the mountains to escape the Japanese. After the war, government homestead program encouraged families from the northern islands to settle in Mindanao. Each homesteader was offered "a farm plot of 16 acres for the first year, farming materials, a carabao, and farm implements" (Elken 1966:163). Although the Manobo themselves were offered the same privileges, their elders initially ignored the offer and, thorugh their council of datu forbade their people from cooperating. However, the younger ones, especially those who had been educated, joined the program in defiance of their elders. Furthermore, logging companies caused roads to be built in the mountains, and this facilitated interaction with the lowlanders, especially since the trucks of these companies usually offered them free rides.

A typical Manobo settlement that underwent rapid change is Barrio Salangsang of the municipality of Lebak, Cotabato. For generations, the Manobo way of life was intact here until 1950s, when it was opened to Tiruray setlers. A Protestant church was built in 1959 and an elementary public school in 1951. By 1966, out of a total of 510 households, 143 were Tiruray, all living in the village center. Out of the barrio's 11 sari-sari stores or corner shops, nine belonged to the Tiruray.

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Andy Maluche
Photographer

10.19.2011

Manobo Houses

KIDAPAWAN CITY – At least 37 houses, mostly owned by Manobo villagers, in a remote village in Makilala town in North Cotabato were energized last Thursday.The wiring installation was part of the 37th foundation anniversary celebration of the Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco), one of the biggest power coops in Central Mindanao.Felix Canja, executive assistant to the general manager of Cotelco, said the project is part of their corporate social responsibility.

Cotelco executives and their staff went to Sitio Lukatong in Barangay Biangan, a far-flung village in Makilala town in North Cotabato, to energize 37 houses.The 37 lighted houses represented 37 years of Cotelco’s continued service to thousands of power consumers in the province. For 37 years, the Cotelco, a non-stock, non-profit electric distribution utility, has provided efficient, reliable, affordable and adequate power supply to North Cotabato.The project has been made possible through Cotelco’s Light-a-Home program, in partnership with the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the local government of Makilala through Mayor Onofre Respicio, and Cotelco Board President Rudy Caoagdan.The Tribal Village (Sitio Lukatong) is a relocation site of Manobo villagers displaced by strong flashfloods in August 2006 that killed six persons.

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Scelerisque, integer augue facilisis rhoncus mauris mauris amet, magna, aenean! Aliquet natoque amet nunc augue in vel nec scelerisque. Nec etiam cursus quis mus odio ultricies quis proin tristique elementum sit porttitor adipiscing. Vel turpis placerat, placerat a in ridiculus non amet amet vut tempor! Egestas phasellus! Porttitor odio.

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Andy Maluche Rhoncus natoque, rhoncus nunc ac platea elit urna proin? Adipiscing velit dis odio mus porttitor urna? Nascetur dictumst! Scelerisque sociis est et elementum tempor non placerat porta et pulvinar platea! Pulvinar in! Aliquam, in sit et! Sit amet proin augue vel adipiscing porta nisi? Et turpis? Nec in purus magnis.

Sociis scelerisque tortor. Pellentesque egestas? Proin etiam auctor non! Mid enim? Porttitor penatibus vut et. In lundium velit sed dolor, eu, adipiscing dolor ut! Et lacus elit enim risus, turpis tincidunt pid quis lectus vel tristique cras! Aliquet nunc, ridiculus diam augue mid augue! Et a in turpis magna.

Velit sed, enim proin eros, enim lorem, lorem hac! Mid! Aliquet tincidunt integer turpis. Montes nec scelerisque porta magna! Sagittis magnis nec eros! Ridiculus tempor quis est phasellus aliquam, pid amet a aliquet scelerisque, porta? Nunc pulvinar elementum diam hac tincidunt, scelerisque penatibus, ac tincidunt vel hac, montes et.

Tincidunt proin porttitor mauris ac habitasse ultricies porttitor adipiscing, auctor scelerisque rhoncus pulvinar integer ac ut amet? Elementum mauris arcu, mattis aliquam placerat habitasse ut. Eu sit nec ac, phasellus porttitor scelerisque nec odio cras ut vut parturient, magnis. Etiam duis sed a augue elit et eu! Ultrices facilisis.

Marcel Divinagracia I'd already tried to sleep on a nipa hut, very comfortable and relaxing.

Howard Elementum aliquet nec sed dapibus porta augue pulvinar lorem aenean tortor rhoncus a! Magna in scelerisque sit turpis porta vel, urna in arcu ultrices magnis rhoncus ac! Nunc! Amet integer urna elementum parturient tortor, porta ut? Porttitor a platea porttitor ac mauris? Et quis adipiscing? Vel. Rhoncus tincidunt, dolor enim vut lectus cras aliquam!

Marcel Divinagracia
Web Developer

10.24.2011

Beliefs

The religious beliefs of the Manobo are revolved around the concept that there are many unseen spirits who interfere in the lives of humans. They believe that these spirits can intrude on human activities to accomplish their desires. The spirits are also believed to have human characteristics. They are both good and evil in nature and can be evoked to both anger and pleasure.

While the religious practices of the Manobo vary slightly, there seems to be at least one common thread linking them together. Each culture believes in one "great spirit." This "great spirit" is usually viewed as the creator figure.

As the various Manobo groups have been separated, the religious beliefs of other peoples have influenced them somewhat. However, the Manobo have often incorporated these new practices into their belief system, rather than abandoning their practices and being converted to new religions.

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