Indigenous People and the Environment

1. Identify any indigenous people or tribe in the city or municipality of your individual
case study. If there is none, look for the nearest province in your individual case study
location where an indigenous people or tribe is located. Show a picture of these group
of people.

Manobo Tribe in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

2. Describe their population, language, livelihood, and history.

According to yodisphere.com, Manobo may have been initially "Mansuba," from

man (person or people) and suba (river), meaning "river people." A third derivation is from
"Banobo," a brook that currently runs to Pulangi River a little more than two kilometers
below Cotabato City. The Hispanized form "Manobo" is derived from the words man,
which means "first, aboriginal," and tuvu, which means "grow, growth."

The Pangasananan is the entirety of the Manobo people's homeland in the

Philippine province of Mindanao, namely in the city of Bislig in Surigao del Sur, Region
XIII (Caraga). Its borders are Bunawan, Agusan del Sur in the west-northwest, Trento,
Agusan del Sur in the southwest, Pamaypayan, Surigao del Sur in the southeast, and Bislig
City in the north, northeast, and east. It has a total area of 69.96 km2. It is around 152 miles
from Butuan City in Agusan del Norte and 208 km from Davao City in Davao del Sur.
 Indigenous people known as the Manobo tribe reside in the province of Surigao del
Sur. Minanuvu languages are used in their speech, according to SciePub. The many
Manobo languages are members of the Austronesian language superfamily's Philippine
subfamily (Malayo-Polynesian in the old literature). According to one school of thought,
the Mindanao languages are a subset of the Philippine languages known as proto-Manobo.
But no reconstruction or dating of this protolanguage has yet been done. Languages spoken
in the subgroups of the Manobo people include Agusanon, Ata Manobo, Banwaon, Binukid
of Mindanao, Cagayano of Cagayancillo Island, Kidapawan, Kinamigin of Camiguin
Island, Livunganen, Magahat, Obo Manobo, Sarangani Manobo, Southern Cotabato and
Davao Manobo, Tagab.

According to ICCA Registry, 1,344,077 Manobo people were counted between

1987 and 2010, with the following distribution: 60,000 Agusan Manobo, 26,700 Ata
Manobo, 100,000 Binukid, 34,500 Butuanon, 30,000 Cotabato Manobo or Dulangan
Manobo, 147,000 Davawenyo, 10,000 Dibabawon, 55,000 Jangan, 30,000 Higaonon,
14,600 Ilianen Manobo, In addition, there are 717 Manobo migrants who are officially
registered in Capiz province on Panay island in West Visayas. Many people have also wed
migrant settlers from Luzon and the Visayas.

The Pangasananan is all the Manobo people require. It gives them identification,
food, shelter, healthcare, and water. Their failure is also their annihilation. Therefore, to
secure their existence, it is crucial that they maintain, conserve, and manage it. Rural
agriculture is the Manobo people's most prevalent way of life. Unfortunately, they use very
ancient farming techniques. For instance, the main crops grown by the Bukidnon are maize
and rice. Manobo who lives in the uplands engages in swidden or slash-and-burn farming,
while those who live in the lowlands engage in wet-rice cultivation. There are more than
60 different names for rice types, and many agricultural ceremonies revolve around it
because rice is an essential part of Manobo culture. However, the steady depletion of
swidden sites led many Manobo communities to switch to maize production in the late
1950s. Fishing, hunting, bee hunting, and trapping are other important subsistence
methods. The Manobo have these jobs; hence they have a seminomadic lifestyle. Hunting
activity has, however, significantly decreased because of the loss of forest cover brought
on by huge enterprises' quick resource exploitation.
3. Determine any practice that they have relevant to natural resources and
environment (e.g., use of plants, animals, minerals, soil, or water for livelihood,
rituals, and other cultural rites).

The four realms in the Manobo cosmology are the multi-layered langit (skyworld),
pasak or yongsud to mamasak (earthworld), yongsud ni maybowan (underworld), and
kulaguan, the Paradise where the heroic heroes of the epics reside. The Manuvu think there
are nine strata in the skyworld, compared to seven for the Ilianon, according to
yodisphere.com. There are three different types of people that live in Langit: the umli, a
group of gods who keep themselves separate from human activities; the diwata, minor gods
who govern various living things and are patrons of human activity; and the busaw, evil
spirits who bring sorrow and disease. In specific communities' eyes, the umli and the
dayawag are divine messengers. The Manobo engage in various ceremonies, from the most
basic and private to the most lavish feasts that span several days and include singing and
dance. There are rituals intended to appease the diwata or the busaw, but none are directed
toward the supreme god. Most ceremonies center on animal sacrifice because blood is the
most revered gift to the spirits. However, the gift of betel chew frequently marks the start
of a ceremony since this is how all forms of interaction, whether social or religious, are
introduced. It is also regarded as the preferred diet of the spirits.

The forest holds significantly more significance for Surigao's indigenous Manobo
people. In addition to meeting their everyday necessities, woods retain and symbolize their
culture and identity. The forest serves as the Manobo people's lifeblood and an excellent
resource. They had a humble existence, practicing cultural and traditional woodland
harmony. They engaged in agricultural work, animal hunting, and tribal festivals for the
Magbabaya (the Creator).
4. What do you think is the role of these indigenous people on our environment?

The Manobos think that one of the most excellent methods to improve community-
based forest conservation is to empower its members via capacity-building, planting trees,
and enacting legislation linked to the protection of forests. The Forest Governance Project
(FOGOP) with the Haribon Foundation, which aims to increase community participation
and action in forest governance, includes the Manobo tribe. The European Union (EU) and
BirdLife International are partners in this five-year effort. They are more knowledgeable
than us when it comes to the environment. They live off natural resources they know how
to value and take care of all their life.

Manobos are a component of a particular ecology. They have specific knowledge

of the area. This crucial section is never paid attention to. Indigenous peoples are among
the most disadvantaged and marginalized communities in nations all over the world.
Indigenous people may contribute to preserving natural resources by safeguarding historic
structures, minimizing environmental degradation, and making handicrafts that will draw
tourists and improve the local economy.
5. What lessons can you get or learns from the practices of the indigenous people
towards the environment?

The main thing that I have learned is to live sustainably. We all desire more in
today's contemporary environment. Greater is better because progress is acquiring wealth
and authority and moving on to greater and better things. Not with these civilizations, as is
evident by the fact that they continue to follow the same customs that have been followed
for many years. They lead sustainable lives that have withstood the test of time and the
encroachment of other cultures. How many of us can concur? As quoted in HuffPost, we
are "committed to development at all costs," says Nina Wegner, co-founder of the
Vanishing Cultures Project, "but we find ourselves with weird new issues. Use of energy,
land, agricultural methods, population growth, climatic change, cultural deterioration,
pollution, and even international relations appear to be on fragile ground. How
environmentally friendly are our highly automated, computerized lives? For years or
perhaps millennia, most indigenous civilizations throughout the world could maintain their
way of life.

Respect for the environment is another thing. Climate change poses a severe and
immediate threat to our planet and the development of our civilization, which is difficult
to dispute. Many people have lost sight of the value of protecting and preserving the
environment; if we don't change that, our planet may not be around for very long. Although
each of these cultures has its customs and beliefs, they all share the general conviction that
"the land is the source of the life-a gift from the creator that nourishes, nurtures, and
educates," according to UNESCO. Although the rituals, cultures, and effects on the land of
different groups of people vary greatly, they all regard the Earth as a parent and cherish it
as such. The term "Mother Earth" refers to the planet as a whole, the foundation of their
civilization, and the source of their identity as a people. She establishes a connection
between them and their past (as the location of their ancestors), present (as the source of
their material needs), and future (as the legacy they are leaving to their offspring and
grandchildren). We would all be better if we all operated in our everyday lives with a bit
more regard for the environment.
Reference:
• What We Can Learn from Indigenous Cultures - Indigenous People | Mamiverse
• Indigenous people and their role in environmental conservation (alrasub.com)
• Peoples of the Philippines: Manobo - National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(ncca.gov.ph) Manobo tribe shows why forests should be valued - The Haribon Foundation
• The Manobo Tribe of the Philippines: History, Culture, Customs and Tradition [Philippine
Indigenous People | Ethnic Group] - yodisphere.com
• ICCA Registry