The lumad who live within the southern highland ranges are swidden farmers, and

practice little trade. Like many of its neighbors, Bagobo society is ruled by a class of
warriors known as magani or bagani. The Bagobo’s elaborate dress and personal
adornment are well known among anthropologists. The T’boli and Teduray are also known
for their baskets, trinkets, bracelets, and earrings made of brass. The T’boli’s t’nalak are
prized fabrics believed to be inspired by the dreams of the woman weavers.
The Mandaya, Agusan Manobo, and Ata share numerous cultural traits and social
institutions such as in clothing and religious rituals. They practice slash-and-burn farming
and trade with neighbors. Warriors, headed by the datu, are greatly valued and respected.
On the mountains and plateaus of Bukidnon live a number of ICC collectively known
as Bukidnon (from a Bisayan word for “mountain people”) but who call themselves
Higaonon, or “mountain dwellers.” The mountains and ravines had separated them from
their neighbors, and may account for why many of their traditions and practices have been
maintained. In recent years, however, the Higaonon are slowly being assimilated into the
prevailing lowland culture.
The Subanen also refer to a several ethnolinguistic groups found in the hills and
coastal lowlands of Zamboanga. They are slash-and-burn farmers who fish, hunt, gather,
and practice little trade.
The Minoritization of the Indigenous Communities of Mindanao and the Sulu
Archipelago outlines “what the Lumads (sic) desire,” which can also be said to reflect the
struggles of the lumad throughout history up to the present. According to the book, the
lumad want:
● the return of all lands taken from them through deceit, harassment, illegal
manipulation, or simply grabbed;
● the government to cancel permits secured by individuals and companies operating
logging, mining, pastures, rattan gathering, and other agri-based industries within
lumad territories. These businesses may operate within areas of ancestral domain
only with the permission of individual “tribes”;
● the migration of settlers into ancestral domain controlled;
● their culture to be learned, respected, and taught as part of the DepEd curriculum;
● the government to stop militarization in lumad territories, stop the recruitment of
lumad into paramilitary units, and stop the improper use of the lumad pangayaw
(revenge raids); and
● the government to stop recognizing “fake Lumad organizations and fake datu which
has become standard practice not only to foil or diffuse legitimate Lumad aspirations
but also to advance selfish interests among government officials and their influential
friends.”