LUMAD (Born from the Earth): Exploring

the Cultures and Arts of Lumad Tribe

Andrada, Aleah Joy S., Balderas, Rhian S., Castroverde, MJ P., Guanzon, Alyka
Noynay, Girlann G., Sibbaluca, Rovina B.
Group 2
noynay.gag@stud.pnu.edu.ph,sibbaluca.rb@stud.pnu.edu.ph,andrada.ajs@stud.pnu.ed
u.ph,castroverde.mp@stud.pnu.edu.ph, balderas.rs@stud.pnu.edu.ph ,
guanzon.amg@stud.pnu.edu.ph
Abstract:

Lumad is a Visayan term which means "born of the earth". They are about 18% of the country's population. This
study shows the benefits and implications of the lumad. Lumad communities are generally situated in
geographically-isolated areas with lack of access to social services, mainstream economic opportunities,
education and political participation. The use of the collective term Lumad resulted from a desire among
Mindanao’s indigenous minorities to free themselves from the derogatory labels and names otherwise attributed
to them, such as paganos (pagans) or nitibo (natives).The Lumads are one of the biggest indigenous groups in
our country. They nourished and guarded their diverse culture and existing heritage lands.They are one of the
significant people why our cultures, beliefs, and traditions have started. This would only be understood, the
Lumad would be able to see and feel any damaging practices utilized to obtain resources and generate from of
the land. Over the years, the Lumad have nurtured and protected their traditional ancestral lands, and their
individual cultures. Lumad culture is rich and diverse, with a wide range of languages, chants, rituals, dances,
and other.

Keywords: Lumad, ethnic group, indigenous group, arts, culture

INTRODUCTION
The word "Lumad" is a Visayan term which means "born of the earth." They are the largest
indigenous population in the Philippines. They are about 18% of the country's population. A
collective term used to describe the indigenous people of Mindanao (Rappler, 2017).
There are 14-17 million indigenous peoples (IPS) in the Philippines. 61% of those are
Lumad.There are 17 ethnic groups that belong to Lumad tribes these are Ata, Bagobo, Blaan,
Bukidnon, Dibabawan, Higaanon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manguwangan, Manobo, Mansaka,
Subanen, Tagakaolo, Tasaday, T'boli, Tiruray, and Ubo. Majority of them are in Mindanao
(61%), while 33% are concentrated in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Lumad communities are generally situated in geographically-isolated areas with lack of
access to social services, mainstream economic opportunities, education and political
participation (Alave, 2021). In the earliest oral traditions, social ties amongst Lumads
stretched across settlements from the coast to the interior, with upriver and downriver
communities linked politically according to river systems. Given that Lumad ties to their land
are profoundly visualized according to rivers, the salt-water origins of dumagats locate
Filipino settlers as interlopers at the moral edge of the Lumad world, in their minds entirely
beneath the Lumad in terms of culture, morality, and legitimacy (Cambridge, 2016).
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROBLEM
This paper aims to highlight the culture and the arts of Lumads, and their implications and
benefits to their selves and even to the entire society specifically this study intends to answer
the following questions
1. What are the social, economic and ecological implications and benefits of all the cultures
and arts express by the Lumads?
2. What are the geometric figures that highlighted and Showcase in all the arts and all forms
of Lumads?
METHODOLOGY
The Lumad of Mindanao encompass many different indigenous cultures of the Philippines.
These cultures offer a rare window into the everyday life and the precolonial cultures of the
Philippines. In this study, Descriptive Method is used. Lumad people’s identity grew out of a
response to the martial law during the reign of President Ferdinand Marcos. In June 1986,
delegates from 15 tribes agreed to adopt a common name in a congress that also established
Lumad-Mindanao. Lumad is a collective term, used since 1986, for a large number of
indigenous peoples of the Mindanao island group in the Southern Philippines.
The Lumad population in Mindanao is about half the total population of all indigenous groups
in the Philippines.The use of the collective term Lumad resulted from a desire among
Mindanao’s indigenous minorities to free themselves from the derogatory labels and names
otherwise attributed to them, such as paganos (pagans) or nitibo (natives). Lumad culture is
rich and diverse, with a wide range of languages, chants, rituals, dances, and other traditions.
Fundamentally, the data used in this study is gathered from the internet.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The lumad’s culture and tradition is well preserved and promotes the well-being of the Lumad
people society. The Lumads are one of the biggest indigenous groups in our country. They
nourished and guarded their diverse culture and existing heritage lands.They are one of the
significant people why our cultures, beliefs, and traditions have started. Without them we
cannot progress and improve as a society and country. Their history and contributions in
Mindanao as well in our country have contributed a lot. They have believed that they are one
with their environment. Before the Spanish colonizers reached the Philippines, the Lumad
tribes were already in control of their territory (Abanes, 2014); their generations had lived and
died there, and their tribal and individual identities were already tied to the soil. This would
only be understood, the Lumad would be able to see and feel any damaging practices utilized
to obtain resources and generate from of the land.
The benefits and implications of Lumad’s art and culture economically:
 Figure 1.

Rituals are performed before or after farming and other livelihood-related activities like
hunting and resource extraction in line with their belief in the existence of spirits in nature.
The Lumads undertake the panalabugta ceremony to request approval from Talabugta, the
land spirit, before they begin to cultivate a plot of land. Chickens, betel nuts, colored pieces of
fabric, and a few cash are among the offerings. They then perform pangingibasuk to petition
Ibabasuk, the spirit of the crops, for healthy yields. The entire community gathers for a
pamahandi ritual to express gratitude to the spirits and Magbabaya (Supreme Being) in the
event of a plentiful harvest. In keeping with their conviction that spirits are present in nature,
rituals are performed before or after farming and other livelihood activities like hunting and
resource extraction. (Talamdan, 2007)

The benefits and implications of Lumad’s art and culture socially:

Figure 2

Since there are different social issues that the Lumad people have faced. It creates the spark
for them to fight for their rights. Their arts and culture symbolizes their faith with each other.
They created a safe space around their community. Their arts and culture helps them to
protect one another and their ancestral domains. The right of Lumads to education is by the
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international human rights
instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Balane, 2012)

The benefits and implications of Lumad’s art and culture ecologically:

Figure 3
The Lumad people have develop and created a system that can assist them with its nature. The
Kaingin system will help them to have an abundance towards their ecological diversity. The
Lumad tribes' practices demonstrate a high regard for the land they were utilizing; they
recognized that it is not there for them to dominate, but rather for them to coexist with. They
engaged in various forms of farming to prevent the soil from being overworked; they
performed rituals to seek guidance; and they stopped farming if the signs and omens were
unfavorable. The Lumad people took advantage of their working knowledge of their ecology
and adopted sustainable living practices.
Objective 1:

Figure 4
The benefits and implications of Lumad people have a great impact towards in their
community and in society as well. It is surrounded by the culture, traditions, and arts which
give them their livelihood and stabilize community. Even though, they have been through
worst because of the social issues and violence that they have been experience. The Lumad
people have become more strong and wise. They have been now excercising their rights
peacefully and absorbing the knowledge that they need and deserve. Today they been now
promoting their culture in the world.

Objective 2:

Figure 5
This fabric exemplify all kinds of people in the Lumad community. The geometric figures
that has shown in figure are lines, patterns, and shapes. These figures has illustrated the
beauty of culture and art of Lumad people. This can be seen during their rituals, festivals, and
clothing. This symbolizes the undivided communities of Lumad people.

CONCLUSION
Lumad-Mindanao's main objective was to achieve self-determination for their member tribes,
meaning self-government within their ancestral domains and in accordance with their
customary laws under the sovereignty of the Republic. The decision to have a common name
was crucial and historic. No other Lumad association had the express thing in the history.
They face loss of ancestral lands due to land grabbing or militarization, economic and social
exclusion, and threats to their traditional culture and identity. Precisely, the Lumad are
fighting to protect their land from this extractive industry based on mining, logging, corporate
plantations of pineapple and banana, construction of dams, etc. Over the years, the Lumad
have nurtured and protected their traditional ancestral lands, and their individual cultures.
Lumad culture is rich and diverse, with a wide range of languages, chants, rituals, dances, and
other Lumad groups contend with displacement, extrajudicial killings, harassment of Lumad
rights defenders, and forced closure of Lumad schools. These people are very significant as
we progress to a balanced and peaceful society.

REFERENCES
Ethnology: Lumad Mindanao – National Museum. (n.d.).

https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/ethnology-lumad-mindanao/

(2020, April 24). Lumad (Indigenous). Kababayang Pilipino.

https://kababayangpilipino.org/lumad+-indiginous/

30 Mar The Lumad of Mindanao. (2023, March 30).

https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/the-lumad-of-mindanao/

The Lumad Cultures of Mindanao. (n.d.). Pagdiriwang 2022.

https://www.festalpagdiriwang.com/lumad-cultures-of-mindanao?

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