Lumad People Facts

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“Lumad” is a Cebuano term for “native” or “indigenous”. It is a

collective term used to describe the indigenous people of Mindanao. It
is short for Katawhang Lumad (literally: “indigenous people”), which
was officially adopted by the delegates of the Lumad Mindanao
Peoples Federation (LMPF) to distinguish them from the other
Mindanaoans, Moro, or Christians.

HISTORY OF IDENTITY
 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.
 The choice of a Cebuano word was slightly ironic, but they considered
it most appropriate as the Lumad tribes do not have any other
common language except Cebuano.
 This was the first time in their history that these tribes agreed to a
common name for themselves, different from the Moros and from the
migrant majority.
 The name Lumad was spurred on by a political awakening among
tribes.
 The united Lumad people of Mindanao sought and still seek to
achieve self-determination for their member-tribes or, more concretely,
self-governance within their ancestral domain in accordance with their
culture and customary laws.
 The organization, Lumad Mindanao, is no longer intact, but the name
remains and is gaining more adherents.

ETHNIC GROUPS
 The Lumad are the non-Muslim indigenous people in Mindanao.
 The collective term is used to describe the about 13 ethnic groups of
Mindanao, including the Blaan, Bukidnon, Higaonon, Mamanwa,
Mandaya, Manobo, Mansaka, Sangir, Subanen, Tagabawa,
Tagakaulo, Tasaday, and T’boli.
 The Manobo tribe includes further large ethnic groups, in particular the
Ata-Manobo, Agusan-Manobo, and Dulangan-Manobo.
 Considered as “vulnerable groups”, Lumad people live in hinterlands,
forests, lowlands, and coastal areas.
 Despite the fact that the Butuanons and Surigaonons are also native
to Mindanao, the term Lumad excludes these groups. This is because
of their Visayan ethnicity and lack of close affinity with the Lumad.
 The Moros, such as the Maranao, Tausug, Sama-Bajau, and Yakan,
are also excluded, despite also being native to Mindanao and despite
some groups being closely related ethnolinguistically to the Lumad.
This is because, unlike the Lumad, the Moros converted to Islam in
the 14th and 15th centuries.
 This might be confusing as the word Lumad literally means “native” in
the Visayan languages.

LANGUAGES
 The Lumad people speak various Philippine languages such as
Manobo languages, Chavacano (in Zamboanga), Cebuano,
Hiligaynon, Filipino, and English.

MUSICAL HERITAGE
 The Lumad tribe is commonly known for tribal music produced by
musical instruments they made.
 Most of their musical heritage consists of various types of Agung
ensembles – ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended, or
held, bossed/knobbed gongs that act as a drone without any
accompanying melodic instrument.

WAY OF LIVING
 Lumads still prefer to live a traditional life.
 They are non-Muslim or non-Christian; instead, they believe in spirits
and gods. There is a god for land, water, and for the harvest, to name
a few. Lumads believe that the mountain is sacred.
 They also believe that death and illness or bad faith are God’s way of
showing anger.
 The offering of live animals such as pigs and chicken are common
during tribal ceremonies for them to have a good harvest, health and
protection, and thanksgiving.
 The Lumad people who reside within the southern highland ranges
are swidden farmers and exercise little trade. Like many of its
neighbors, the Bagobo community is ruled by a class of warriors
known as magani or bagani. The elaborate dress and personal
adornment of Bagobos are famous among anthropologists.
 The T’boli and Teduray are also acknowledged for their baskets,
trinkets, bracelets, and earrings created of brass. The T’boli’s t’nalak
are prized fabrics deemed to be inspired by the dreams of the woman
weavers.
 On the mountains and plateaus of Bukidnon live those who call
themselves Higaonon, or “mountain dwellers”.
 The mountains and valleys parted Higaonon from their neighbors and
may account for why many of their traditions and customs have been
maintained.
 The Mandaya, Agusan Manobo, and Ata share various cultural traits
and social institutions like clothing and religious rituals. They exercise
slash-and-burn farming and trade with neighbors. Warriors,
commanded by the datu, are greatly valued and respected.

SOCIAL ISSUES
 For many years, the Lumad were forced to physically defend their
right to control their ancestral territories against corporate plunder and
militarization.
 When the migrants came, numerous Lumad groups went into the
mountains and forests.
 These places are also the sites of the armed conflict between the New
People’s Army (NPA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
 Caught in the conflict, the education, property, and security of the
Lumad people were endangered because of the increasing amount of
violent confrontations by the armed parties.
 On August 9, 2018, Lumad evacuees in Surigao del Sur formally
returned to their homes after days or indeed months in evacuation
camps.