NOTE TO READERS Every citizen is born equal. Native Americans are still Americans, BritishIndians are still British and Indians. No matter where you’re situated, no matter what civil status you have, no matter what financial status you are in now; As long as you’re a citizen of a certain nation, simply with living and following their folkways, should you not be disobeying said nation’s policies MADE BY THE
and ideals, you can still have the rights and obligations of one [citizen].
ABM12 STUDEN TS
But this certain thought lingers on: Why can’t the indigenous and native folk have these (seemingly universal) privileges? Aren’t they also citizens of the nation they’re in? Take the Lumad for example. THE LUMAD is a collective of tribal, indigenous, and native groups situated
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STAFF )
in the Mindanao Island of the Philippines. This group consists of the Mano-
bo, T’Boli, Bagobo, Tiruray, and many more. Living in seclusion, the indigenous people of the Philippines, especially the Lumad groups, are often de-
E I C: Jhoanna Dumangon
ART DIRECTOR: Jhanell Desquitado COPY EDI TOR: Carl Javin Rondolo
prived of their citizenship rights to the country, often displaced as terrorists of the subversive kind. With this overly-exaggerated events triggered by the discrimination of people and abuse of human welfare by military means. It’s so overly pitiful
when you learn about the disposition of your countrymen from their ancestral land. Dear Readers, regardless of your beliefs and ideals, I want you to understand this: people deserve the rights to live like the other citizens that live with them, and not be deprived of it. Accepting all citizens as the same is one of the most important things that a fellow citizen can do to another.
M AG A Z I N E EDI TOR: Prinz Dela Cruz
-EDITOR IN CHIEF On the cover: “Tinun-an” by Kate Gotis We do not own the images used in this publication. Each owner of visual art is credited accordingly.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS I. NOTE TO READERS
II. CONTENTS
WHAT ARE LUMAD? ……….1
Pg. 2 ECONOMIC IMPACT ………….3
LIFESTYLE …………………………..5
Pg. 4
HISTORY OF THE LUMAD …..7
ADVOCACY/AWARENESS …...9
ECONOMIC PRODUCTS………... 10
Pg. 10
II
WHAT ARE LUMAD?
What Are
LUMAD? THE LUMAD are an indigenous group of native people hailing from the Mindanao Island of the Philippines. The name lumad is a Cebuano word meaning “native” , and the indigenous group’s name is officially adopted on 1986 in the Lumad Mindanao Peoples Federation (LMPF) founding assembly. They are a non-Christian, nonMuslim collective, mostly animists and pagans. As their roots hail from the earliest remnants of Philippine society, even before the Spanish Inquisition and colonization of the Philippines. [The Lumad] are also noted to also take part of the Revolution The Bagobo in their traditional attire of 1896, particularly in the Marawi City (1913), Wikipedia Mutiny , to name a few. Some of the members of the Lumad indigenous group are:
These are some of the languages that they speak:
MANOBOS
BAGOBOS
BLAAN
BUKIDNON
MAMANWA MANDAYA
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MANOBO SUBANON SOUTH MINDANAO LANGUAGES MANSAKAN MAMANWA SANGIRIC
Sources: Wikipedia, GOVPH
WHAT ARE LUMAD?
A group of Mansaka women in their formal attire (2015), Wikipedia
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ECONOMIC IMPACT
ECONOMIC I M PA C T HOW IS THE LUMAD AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMIC CLIMATE OF THE PHILIPPINES? The case in point now is globalization’s assault to nature and the country-sides in Mindanao. To the Lumads, this is an attack to their lives and livelihood while others see this as opportunities for job placement and employment. The reasons why the Lumads felt it very badly is that, nature being the source of knowledge, power and life by providing job and employment opportunities to the Lumad people in the olden days are now deformed and controlled by economic chieftains with global trading capabilities. According to Lumad elders, “this is a part of history where the Lumad peoples are put in place of wild games in early history when farm-lots in animal-kingdoms are harvested where these animals posed as merely on-lookers on products taken out of their kingdom”. This concept is in fine tune with the struggle of the working class for job security; for fair employee and employer working relations; demand for fair salary and other benefits to the workers. But what bothers the Lumad people is that they are dealing not with nature or the spirits but with fellow human being now in power but who do not recognize the tribal rituals as messengers of peace, justice and freedom in times of conflicts or at times that there is un-peacefulness, injustices, oppression and exploitation. Gone are the days where rituals and symbols are accepted tools to prevent evil influence in society. In effect, the level of disorder keeps on growing every now and then. And since rituals and tribal symbols are not recognize, we take steps now to transform these into effective tools of negotiation, of dialogue, and of building agents of solidarity, solidarity in vision, in principles and solidarity in action.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT Thousands March Against Killings of Indigenous Peoples in Philippine ‘Mining Capital’ (2015); H. Rhoades, Indigenous Environmental Network
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LIFESTYLE
MANOBO
MANSAKA Picture of the Lumad playing Dula Kadayawan
THE LUMADS HAS MANY MORE INTERESTING TRADITIONS WITH THEM JUST LIKE; they have their own religion which greatly influences a good treatment with the environment. They also believe in Almighty which is called Taginiit, with the spirits called Tagbanwa and Sugojun.
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Indigenous people are known for being connected with nature and someone who is faithful to their tradition. Lumad’s culture and lifestyle are the same way, they are connected to the land they grew in, so losing their ancestral domain which they are used into are a huge set back to them since they can’t be able to practice their usual (Lumad’s) way of life. Lumad’s practiced different ways of farming to have enough knowledge to their own land and to keep it safe and not overuse it. they perform rituals to ask guidance and if there are signs that the omens did not approve, they would stop the farming.
ARE YOU GETTING MORE CURIOUS ABOUT THE LUMAD’S WAY OF LIFE? WELL, HERE’S MORE TO READ ABOUT THEM: MANOBO MANSAKA
(part of a lumad tribe) also depends on omens to guide them in their planting. These signs may come through nature or dreams. They continue their activity though an approval from Kalayag, the spirit of the plants. They do it through the turtle dove, if it didn’t come from the direction to the right, they will leave the place and if it came from the left, they make sure to take part in a ritual and go home to observe their dreams.
(another lumad group) hold a harvest festival called “Pyagsawitan”, They give thanks to Magbabaya, their Almighty, and the other spirits to give them a plentiful harvest. It’s their tradition to move from one area to another to help the soil to rest and regain its minerals.
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LIFESTYLE
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LUMADS
LUMAD TIMELINE
HISTORY OF THE LUMAD By timeline
1521 • Pigafetta and Magellan discovers the existence of native groups that live in the island of Mindanao
1896 • Some Lumads joined the siege of Marawi during the Revolution of the Katipunan.
1900S TO 1930s • The Lumads also participated in the resistance against the Americans and the Japanese.
• Rebel accusations and killings are still ongoing.
2015
1960s
• Military-led Lumad Disposition begins.
• Lumads now get better treatment with more schools opened and support are now given frequently.
• Foreign agribusinesses began its rise with the DOLE Plantations covering most of the Lumad ancestral lands.
LUMAD TIMELINE
2020
• President Duterte threatens to bomb Lumad schools, believing it to teach subversion of authority.
ADVOCACY/AWARENESS
SAVE THE ENDANGERMENT OF LUMADS Lumads are put down in from all sides by superior forces that covet their rich ancestral lands. Their crisis is not just living space, but also identity since they’re losing their heritage and ethno-culture. In last two decades the Lumads are being massacred just like what happened on September 2015, the community leaders of the Lumads, Dionel Campos and Juvello Sinzo were executed by a band of armed men from Magahat Bagani paramilitary group. Emerito Samarca’s body was also found near the alternative secondary school.
THE LAND The Lumads claims that their domain is now being scattered with development projects for tourist spots from the government, like repair of sea and airports; putting up of communication facilities; operation of agro-industrial plantations; mining operations, power stations and etc. A lot of people who are unfamiliar about the Lumads tradition may be happy about these happenings but indigenous people like Lumads didn’t like it. Nature is their source of knowledge, power and life since it provides them job and taking it away from them is just inhuman.
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LUMAD DOLLS & FOLKLORE THEMED CRAFTS Made with indigenous weaves They are dedicated to telling the stories of old while patronizing local artisans and sustainable materials. Each ornament is handcrafted by the mothers of Home Plush toys using indigenous weaves from ANTHILL Fabric Gallery The hand-woven textiles are leftover scrap fabrics originally sourced from ANTHILL’s weaving community .
Lumad dolls are some of the oldest toys that children have ever played with. Their There’s good reason for these toys to be so long lasting through human history. They are a representation of the child themselves, and allow for a child to gain a greater understanding of themselves as well as those around them.
they have created the PANIGTOLO from the Western Visayas, Aklan. It is the favored beast of the Aklanon god, Gamhanan. The other is the TIGMAMANUKAN from Tagalog beliefs. It is a bird of omen, usually letting travelers know to expect good or bad luck.
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ECONOMIC PRODUCTS
LUMADS!