BANWAON AND BAGOBO TRIBE
REPORTED BY: SYLANIE SULTAN
BANWAON
One of the tribes that remains faithful to
its traditions amidst the threat of
modernity is the Banwaon tribe that can
be found in the deep forests of Agusan
del Sur in Mindanao, particularly in the
quaint village of Mahagsay. These
people that count to approximately
11,500 are largely concentrated in and
around San Luis, Maasam, and Libang
river valley. Some other names they are
called by are Adgawanon, Banuaonon,
Banwanon, Higaonon-Banwaon, and
Manobo.
Banwaons are speakers of the Agusan
Manobo language, consisting of the
Umayam, Adgawan, Surigao, and
Omayamnon dialects. Also, similar to
most languages in the Philippines, it is
under the Malayo-Polynesian family of
languages.
The Banwaon People
These faithfully traditional people used
to be nomadic. However, they were
eventually forced to settle down in
Agusan del Sur.
A subgroup of the Manobo tribe,
Banwaons are the second largest group
in the said area. Their name literally
translates to “mountain people.” More
specifically, Banwaon is derived from
the word banwa, which means village or
country.
Now that they are no longer nomadic,
the traditional Banwaon people settle
with their kin and extended families.
They are described as having a great
sense of community and are a very
close-knit group.
There are approximately 23% literate
Banwaons. Physically, they are
described as medium built, with an
average height of about five feet two.
Of Oral Traditions and
Traditional Music
Oral traditions are also a pivotal part of
the culture of the Banwaons. They
exhibit these strongly through their
stories that depict war and heroes that
are orally passed down to the next
generations. An example of a famous
series of sacred verses that they have is
the tud-om, which they perform to ask
for blessings and peace. It is also
expressed whenever they have to
institute a new chieftain, for
thanksgiving, as well as when they need
a prayer for the departed.
Banwaons are also fond of music and
use it for special occasions. Whenever
they have festivities or celebrations,
they would play their musical
instrument kuratung, and indulge in
listening to song
speeches limbay accompanied by their
traditional dance steps.
As for other celebrations,
their budyung is used to make sounds
during their marriages and other cultural
events. This instrument is made out of a
big shell and is also called lungga.
Banwaons versus Higaonons
Disputes among neighboring groups are
a common theme among tribe people,
especially if it pertains to land domain.
This is exactly what the conflict is about
between the Banwaon group and their
neighboring tribe, Higaonon. Hitherto,
the way they dealt with this conflict was
by the two tribes mutually deciding to
accept a marriage treaty.
In this treaty, the datus from each tribe
will marry someone from the other tribe.
This is done largely in the hopes that
this would expand each datu’s authority
and power while extending a personal
relationship to the other tribe.
For other members of the tribe, the
males of both tribes are allowed to
marry as many times as they want, so
long as the community elders and their
respective wives give consent.
These intermarriages propelled the
interaction between the two tribes and
extinguished the animosity they had with
each other. It then eventually led them
to coexist peacefully. Combined, they
are called the Higaonon-Banwaon tribe.
BAGOBO
The Bagobo constitute one of the
largest groups among the indigenous
peoples of southern Mindanao. They are
composed of three (3) sub-groups,
namely the TAGABAWA, the CLATA or
GUIANGAN and the UBO. Although
they belong to one socio-linguistic
group, BAGOBO, they also differ in
some ways, such as the dialects, dance
steps, costumes and their color
preferences to mention a few.
They are referred to as ethnic because
they are the people whose distinctive
identity is rooted in history. From the
beginning and up to the present, the
Bagobo are the predominant inhabitants
of the vast areas extending from the
west coast of Davao Gulf to the high
reaches of Davao’s famous and
significant mountain ranges of Mt. Apo
or Apo Sandawa to the tribal people.
Apo Sandawa happens to be the sacred
grounds of the Bagobo since time
immemorial, valued as one among the
group’s richest cultural heritage. It is the
homeland of the world-known Philippine
eagle as well.
Today, changes can be easily observed
and it is due to the influences of foreign
cultures such as those of the Spaniards,
Japanese, Americans and other
neighboring countries. Lately, the
existence and encounters between the
CPP-NPA, the military forces and other
armed groups in their ancestral
domain/lands forced them to adapt and
accept realities surrounding them in
their struggle for survival.
These encounters also ended or
drastically diminished some of the
traditions, beliefs and practices and
even the culture itself.
In the foothills of the highest mountain of
the archipelago remains the ancestral
settlement of the Bagobo – Tagabawa.
In the Bagobo vernacular, “Bawa”
means “south” thus Tagabawa are the
people of the South – manifesting a
historical settlement south of Mt. Apo.
The Bagobos are the earliest settlers of
Davao and composed of three distinct
dialectical groups: the Bagobo – Klata,
Bagobo – Obo, and the Bagobo –
Tagabawa which forms part of the
greater Bagobo ethnic group.

Characterized by their well-defined

social structure, the Bagobo –
Tagabawa community appoints
communal roles according to an
individual’s strengths and recognized
skills. The special affinity of the Bagobo
– Tagabawa to their environment and
nature is reflected to the various facets
of their everyday life. Evident to this is
their high regard to Apo Sandawa, the
native name of Mt. Apo. Such deep
reverence is being manifested until
today for the mountain is considered as
a sacred ground – home to
Mandarangan, a Bagobo deity.