AGUSAN DEL SUR Also called as the land of Golden Opportunities, it is one of the largest

provinces in the Philippines. The province is also home to ethnic tribes with a variety of culture and
traditions. The region is dominated by five groups this are; Aeta, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Manobo and
Bagobo.

Aeta Traditions
 They worship a supreme being the great creature Beliefs-They believe in environmental spirits
Culture-traditional dance Practices-Aeta's practice monotheism and emimist.
Higaonon Traditions
 Following the traditional way of finding food through hunting Beliefs-they believe that various places in our
environment are being governed by both good and evil spirits Culture-traditional dances and songs
Practices-Higaonon practice kaingin farming.

Mamanwa Traditions
 They wear their colorful customs and play their ritual music with gongs and kunlintangs, they dance
their indigenous dances Beliefs-They believe in supernatural beings that dwelt in mountains, forest
and trees Culture-traditional dance and wedding Practices- mamanwa weeding’s are traditionally
celebrated during summer months of March to May.

Manobo Traditions
Celebrating of "Sunggod ta Kamaya".it is a tradition of Manobo in preparation of farm activities and form
implements Beliefs-Manobo tribes believe that spirits can intrude on human activities to accomplish that
desires Culture-traditional dance Practices-Manobo practice swidden or slash-and-burn farming.

Bagobo Traditions
 Bagobo make traditional house which is Bagobo klatas that made of Bamboo Beliefs-
they believe in a supreme being who inhabits the sky world, as well as a deity who brings
sickness and death to incestous couples. Culture-Traditional method of making their
abaca clothing with beads and stitch works Practices-Practising agriculture as well as
hunting and fishing.

SARANGGANI is a province of the Philippines located in the SOCCSKSARGEN region. Its capital is
Alabel.
 Sarangani is part of the South Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-Gen. Santos City
(SOCCSKSARGEN) development cluster, and is linked by paved roads to the international airport
and harbor of Gen. Santos City. This province have three tribes communities the Blaan, T'boli and
Tagakaolo.

Blaan Traditions
  They creating art from brass and copper Beliefs -Are no nontheistic in the sense that they
believe that there is but one supreme being ruling the cosmos Culture-Creating artistic
art, traditional dance and music Practices-Wear colorful tribal outfit and traditional
weaving.

T'boli Traditions
 They worship of ancestors and their spirits Beliefs-they believe in the power of shamans and the
related rituals and practices Culture-traditional music and dancing used for religious and cultural
reasons Practices-Weaving fabrics traditionally and other items.

Tagakaolo Traditions
 They make traditional weaving Beliefs-they believe in a supreme being who live in Mt.Apo Culture-
They make artistic things like basket, bedded necklace and other Practices-Cultural Practices on
dancing.

BUKIDNON
 (The highland paradise in the heart of Mindanao.) 
Geographical features :
 Bukidnon is generally characterized as an extensive plateau but the southern and eastern boundaries are
mountainous. The province's average elevation is 915 meters (3,002 ft) above sea level. The slope
gradient peaks at 2,899 meters (9,511 ft) of Mount Kitanglad, an extinct volcano occupying the central
portion.

The Province of Bukidnon is home to Seven tribes, namely:

Talaandig,
Higaonon,
Bukidnon, Umayamnon,
Matigsalug,
Manobo and Tigwahanon. 

Talaandig Tribes
 Talaandig comes from the term 'andig' which means 'slope' 
  Occupy the slopes of Mt. Kitanglad and Mt. Kalatungan. 
 Talaandig claimed Mt. Kitanglad as their sacred “temple” and ancestral home. 
 Before they allowed visitors to enter their community, the tribal elders held a welcome ritual asking
their spirit gods to recognize their guests’ intentions. The rituals involved chewing betel leaves and
a lot of 25 centavo coins. 

Talaandig has two methods of healing illness:

1.  One is through a religious ceremony. 
2. Another is through the application of traditional herbal medicine.

DANCES
  Binanog - This dance mimics the movement of a bird called Bano.
 Dugso - is a sacred ritual and dance.

INSTRUMENT: 

Kubing
 Which sounds like a hornbill. 
 Today, the Talaandig culture is being passed on to future generations by the School for Living
Tradition founded by the Talaandig Cultural Center.

Higaonon Tribes
 The name Higaonon comes from the combination of three Bukidnon terms, 'higa' or live or reside ,
'goan' or mountain or highland, and the suffix 'onon' which means people. All together as "people of
the living mountains or "people of the wilderness". 
 Also known as 'Weavers of peace'
 Tribal Council: Supreme datu (chieftain) 11 delegates, 3 baes (women delegates), and 25
alimaong (tribal police)
 Habitual laws of (Bunkatol Ha Bulawan Daw Nang Ka Tasa ha Lana) Which means treasured unity
of love and Peace.

 Practice an ancient ritual called Tampudashu Balagun, which means “treaty of the green vine
branch;”
  Practice kaingin farming (rice, corn, camote, taro, coffee, and bananas) and are also hunters and
gatherers. 
 Higaonons believed in supernatural beings that dwelt in mountains, forest, trees, or simply existed
in some portion of the Universe. 

Traditional dances of the Higaonon namely:  

 Anahaw
 Kagmalaki 
 Kagsabona
 Kapangamote
 Talapak

Bukidnon tribes
 “Bukidnon,” from bukid (mountain) and non (people), means “mountain people.”
 The Bukidnon traditional embroidery process is called panulam and the embroidered cloth is called
pinamulaan.

Bukidnon is traditionally monotheistic. They believe in one God “Magbabaya'' (the ruler of all) who
has minor gods and goddesses under his command. Spirits who have significance to farming would be
asked for a successful harvest. 

Customary ritual practices:

Panalabugta – ritual for the spirit guardian of the land or soil
Pangibabasuk – ritual for the spirit guardian of plants. 
Talutambu hu Salangsang – ritual for the spirit guardian of food. 
Kagsad-ang – ritual for the spirit of the place where preserved corn is hanged . 
Kagbugawan – ritual for the spirit of the container with abundant food. 
Kagbungkad – ritual asking permission to get food from the container or bugawan. 
Kagbahin hu mangangalawat – sharing food to others who are needy. 
 

 Major means of subsistence are food gathering and swidden agriculture. The
men fish and hunt; The women gather shellfish and jungle roots.
Traditional agricultural practice was done through a cooperative labor
system called huliga or hunglos. 
Kaamulan Festival is an ethnic cultural festival held annually in Malaybalay City. 

Umayamnon tribes
Culture, Traditions, beliefs and practices 
 The Umayamnon (or Umajamnen) dwell along the Umayam River watershed in the Mt. Pantaron
range Cabanglasan, near Agusan. 
 They are proud and reserved people.
 The Umayamnon is synonymous to fierceness for their group is regarded as warlike and forest
experts.
 They chew betel nuts very frequently and their teeth are filed to uniform length which are mostly
blackened.
  Purposes for making the teeth black are two namely: for medicinal purposes and for decoration.
 The black dye that they used to blacken the teeth means one distinction of being a human (who
knows how to dye his teeth black). 
 According to them only monkeys have white teeth. 
 They are excellent makers of bead jewelry like the necklaces called ginakit and inboy, beautiful
beaded men’s bags called suning and unisex beaded bracelets called binuklad.
 Believe in the existence of the Almighty SuperNatural being who created everything and controls
everything.

Matigsalug tribes
 Matigsalug are the original inhabitants of the Salug River (now called the Davao river) "Matig"
means "from" and "salug" river.
 Matigsalug is known as the highland paradise. 
 Matigsalug Tribe are famous in terms of weaving, bead making and patchwork.
 Engaged in various weaves, they identified the 3 different kinds of – Tinilogas (one over one),
Tigdaruwa (two over two) and Tigtatulo (two over one).
 Matigsalug are mostly small in stature with dark brown complexion and curly hair. 

TRADITIONAL WEAR

Men - long sleeved jacket with knee length pants and head gears embellished with horse’s hair and
beads. 
Women - wear mid-length blouses with a skirt and strands of beads attached to wooden disks on their ears. 
Marriage in Matigsalug is almost always through parental arrangements.
  A kaula-an (bride price) is to be paid by the groom to the bride's family.
 They maintain the spirits that live in water, land, trees, and rocks. Tragedies like illnesses, drought
and death are caused by angry spirits. 
 Events like planting crops and revenge-taking (called 'pangayaw') are preceded by rituals. 

Manobo tribes
 The name Manobo simply means 'people'. It is believed to have originated from the words man or
people and suba or river. 
 They usually live at rivers or forest clearings by the river or creek.
 The upland Manobo practice swidden or slash-and-burn farming, whereas those inhabiting the
valleys practice wet-rice farming.
 Rice culture is so central to the Manobo way of life that there are more than 60 different names for
rice varieties, and all agricultural rituals center around it.
 Other major means of subsistence are fishing, hunting, bee hunting, and trapping. 
 They believed in many unseen spirits interfering in the lives of humans. 

Tigwahanon tribes 
 Tigwahanon may  have been derived from “guwa” (scattered) or from the Tigwa River. 
 They were originally living in the nearby mountains of San Fernando. 
 These people have tree houses called batangan built among the branches of a growing tree with
the tree trunk as its solitary post.
 Their fishing implements are bu-o (bamboo fish traps) in varied forms they have learned to fish
using hook and line called banowit.
 The staples are rice during harvest time, occasional corn grits are available and most of the year
round they subsist on camote (sweet potato) and other crops like cassava.
 The primary religion practiced by the Tigwahanon Manobo is ethnoreligion. 
 The giving of equal shares to unborn children reflect the esteem and value that these people gave
to the human person by making the unborn child have equal rights with the adult human being.
This is how much the Tigwahon values human life. 
 They practice swidden agriculture and live off the forest.