Bla-an

SYNONYMS.

(a) TAGALÁGAD—"dwellers in the back country" is the name generally applied to this tribe by the coast natives.
(b) TAGKOGON—"dwellers in the cogon"—The group living on the grass plains west of Malalag.
(c) BULÚAN, BULUÁNES—The members of this tribe dwelling near to Lake Buluan. This group is sometimes identified with the Tagabili or Tagabulú who also reside in that region.
(d) BIRA-AN, BARA-AN—Synonym for BILA-AN, often used by the neighboring Bagobo.
(e) VILANES, BILANES.
(f) BALUD or TUMÁNAO—name sometimes applied by early writers to the Bila-an who live on the Sarangani Islands.

Source: The wild tribes of Davao District, Mindanao, by Fay-Cooper Cole

The Blaan are one of the indigenous peoples of Southern Mindanao in The Philippines. Their name could have derived from "bla" meaning "opponent" and the suffix "an" meaning "people". Other terms used to refer to this group are Blaan, Bira-an, Baraan, Vilanes, and Bilanes.

The Blaan, are neighbors of the T'boli, and live in in Lake Sebu and T'boli municipalities of South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos City, the southeastern part ofDavao and around Buluan Lake in North Cotabato. They are famous for their brassworks, beadwork and t'nalak 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 even when they are a long way off.

Some Blaan natives were displaced when General Santos City 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 – koron or kolon meaning cogon grass and nadal or datal meaning plain, which aptly described the place to 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 a river, now called Marbel River.

The tribe practices indigenous rituals while adapting to the way of life of modern Filipinos.

The tribe received some press when they gave Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao a tribal rank.

Source: Wikipedia