Mythologies of the B'LAAN Tribes

The word “Blaan” could have derived from bila, meaning “house,” and the suffix an, meaning “people,” so that the term may be taken to mean “people living in houses.” It may also be a variant on the name of the lake around which the Blaan used to reside—Lake Buluan. Other names that have been used to refer to this group are Bilaan, Bira-an, Bara-an, Bilan, Vilanes, or Bilanes. Names like Tagalagad (those inhabiting the mountainside), Tagakogon (those in cogon-filled areas), and Buluan (those around Lake Buluan) have also been used to denote the kind of site where some Blaan groups are located. The Blaan, alternatively spelled as "B'laan" inhabit the southern part of South Cotabato and the southeastern part of Davao del Sur as well as the areas around Buluan Lake in North Cotabato. Some Blaan live on Sarangani Island off the coast of Davao del Sur, although they are referred to as Sarangani Manobo. Other Blaan groups on this island have been referred to as Balud or Tumanao. Today, they may also be found in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and Cape San Agustin in Davao Oriental. The Blaan may be classified into three groups: those from the highlands are called To Lagad (high places); those from the plains, To Gutna or To Datal (plains); and those from coastal areas, To Baba (lower areas or coasts).

The Blaan people, are one of the indigenous peoples of Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Their name could have derived from "bla" meaning "opponent" and the suffix "an" meaning "people". According to a 2021 genetic study, the Blaan people also have Papuan admixture. The Blaan are neighbors of the Tboli, and live in Lake Sebu and Tboli municipalities of South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos, the southeastern part of Davao and around Lake Buluan in North Cotabato. They are famous for their brassworks, beadwork, and tabih weave. The people of these tribes wear colorful embroidered native costumes and beadwork accessories. The women of these tribes, particularly, wear heavy brass belts with brass "tassels" ending in tiny brass bells that herald their approach even when they are a long way off. Blaans speak their native language of the same name. However, over the decades, Blaans can speak and understand Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Tagalog and to the some extent, Ilocano, alongside their own native language. These languages were brought and introduced by these settlers from Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros, Panay, Tagalog-speaking regions, Central Luzon and Ilocandia, upon their arrival into Blaan homelands during the early 20th century.

The Blaan People are one of the indigenous people (IP) living in Southern Mindanao. They have their own traditional dance and music, colorful tribal wear and weaving tradition similar to the T’boli. The product of their weaving is called Tabih (T’boli call it T’nalak) and they have their own dreamweavers too! In fact, their master dreamweaver named Yabing Masalon Dulo was recognised as a National Living Treasure (Manlilikha ng Bayan)! Only Blaan women were allowed to learn weaving. But because of their desire to carry on this art for many years to come, he and another male Blaan decided to learn how to weave. It was so heart-warming to see how proud they are as Blaan.

The B’laan are composed of three subgroups from Koronadal, Sarangani, and Davao. Many B’laans speak Cebuano aside from the B’laan language. Their means of livelihood are swidden farming, weaving (the males weave baskets and the females, mats), fishing, hunting, food gathering, and tool- and weapon-making. B’laans have kept themselves culturally, politically, and economically distinct from their Muslim neighbors; they have never succumbed to the rule of the datuships. Thus, most of B’laan traditions, customs, and way of life have remained intact. It is not unusual to see B’laans still eating their mama (betel nut). The sound of bells hanging on the women’s sabitan galing(a belt of brass rings) can still be heard as they go about their daily chores. Elders continue telling stories of old times to the next generation. However, globalization has caught up with the B’laan. Logging and mining companies have devastated their lands, lands that they hold sacred — a gift from Adwata. But the B’laan remain strong against adversities and continue holding on to that which is most precious to them: their identity.

The Bilaan or B`laan are a tribal community of Southern Mindanao, the name of this indigenous group comes from the words Bla and An, meaning Opponent People. The Bilaans in South Cotabato were renowned hunters and food gatherers, they hunted wild animals and were reaping grains, rootcrops, fruits and herbs in the once vast open space of cogonal land, known as Kolon Datal, nowadys Koronadal City. The Bilaan live in in Lake Sebu and other municipalities of South Cotabato and are one of the major non-Islamic tribal groups in the Southern Philippines.They are famous for their rich and colorful cultural heritage, ethnic art and handcrafts like the brass ornaments and traditional beadwork. Colorful native costumes woven from abaca and decorated with embroidery, buttons, beads and heavy brass belts with numerous tiny bells are worn by the women of the Bilaan, making their approach heard, even from a far distance. The sequin-like capiz shells called takmon are used to give a distinct design and color to their clothes, among the women, the intricately beaded wooden comb, the swat san salah is a must. The Bilaans have their own system of weaving using abaca fiber, before weaving the typical patterns, rituals are held in accordance with the Bilaan culture, but only the weavers know about these rituals and before making any pattern or design divine guidance is first sought. It is believed that the designs were imparted to the dreamer through the l'nilong (fairies), who are considered guardians of nature. Their handicraft and traditional attires are being brought to almost every ceremony and are considered as priceless possessions that are offered as dowries during weddings and used as payment for crimes committed against a person or clan or for settling disputes among warring clans. The Bilaan culture is unique, the tribe practices indigenous rituals for almost everything that they do because of their belief on the supremacy of the great Creator named Malu or D'wata, who is the source of everything. The Bilaan are strong believers on the interdependency with the environment and must respect the will of the Creator and are not allowed to touch or destroy any creature or object without His permission. They believe that there is only one supreme being that rules the cosmos and in the existence of a soul which upon leaving the body causes illness and even death. Bilaan men wear their hair long and have tattoos on their back, chest legs and arms, some of the main characteristics practised by men and woman of this tribe is the shaving of the eyebrows and the blackening of their tongues and filed incisors.

The Blaan or B`laan (are an indigenous group that is concentrated in Davao del Sur and South Cotabato. They are neighbors of the Tboli, and live in Lake Sebu and Tboli municipalities of South Cotabato, Sarangani, General Santos City, the southeastern part of Davao and around Lake Buluan in North Cotabato. They are famous for their brassworks, beadwork, and tabih weave. The Blaan wear colorful embroidered native costumes and beadwork accessories. The women of these tribes, particularly, wear heavy brass belts with brass “tassels” ending in tiny brass bells that herald their approach even when they are a long way off. “In the beginning was MElú—a being of such great size as to be beyond comparison with any known thing; who was white, having gold teeth, and who sat upon the clouds, and occupied all space above.”He was very cleanly and was constantly rubbing himself with his hands in order that he might keep his skin quite white. The scurf or dead skin which he thus removed, he placed to one side where it accumulated at last to such a heap that it annoyed him. To be rid of this annoyance he made the earth, and being pleased with his work, he decided to make two beings like himself only much smaller in size. This he did from remnants of the material from which he made the earth.”

The Blaan traditionally live in the hills near the Davao gulf in territory abutting that of the Bagobo, and in the Davao and Cotabato watersheds; more recently they have moved into the coastal area. Their culture has been changing very rapidly. Houses are scattered about the swidden fields, generally within sight of each other, and neighborhoods are ruled by hereditary datus. The lebe is the Blaan equivalent of the Bagobo magani.

The B’laan had no knowledge of the system that the Spanish were imposing on their land and because of the hostility of the Spanish the B’laan were forced up the mountains. During the next five hundred years the B’laan were pushed off the land over and over again. They have been pushed by missionaries seeking the riches and prestige of owning land and they were pushed by Dole Inc. for their soil. In the name of peace the B’laan often moved away from the struggle, because the opposition was often heavily armed, so they forfeited their right to self-determination. In the last twenty years their awareness of the rights they have as Indigenous People to determine there own destiny has been illuminated by acts of a local leader, Suya Buan. In the early 1990s, he was convinced by big business people and powerful politicians to allow logging within the Ancestral Land of the B’laan people around Mt. Matutum in the province of South Cotabato. He sincerely believed it was a path to alleviate his people from poverty. At first, he enjoyed the rewards of logging in terms of wealth and power among his people. But such rewards were short lived. Soon, Suya Buan realized that while the owners of the logging companies and the politicians were getting extremely rich, his people’s economic life was not improving and their Ancestral Land was being desecrated and destroyed. Through community consultations and spiritual discernment processes, he decided it was time to stop logging within the B’laan land.

The B'laan practice giving of sunggod or bride price wherein the bride price wherein brides family especially the father and close raltives demand valuable things and animals such as agong, carabao, horse from the grooms family. The wedding is officiated by a Fulong with the presence of the elders in the community. For them, wedding is the merriest celebration which usually lasts for four days. The people in the community enjoy the saf kain, aparty prepared by the groom's family at the bride's wife. A muli agno ( welcome party) is also being held by the groom for his wife. The men especially the Bong Fulong and the Dad Tua are polygamous, men are allowed to have many wives for as they are capable to give sunggod (dowry) and can feed his family/ies. Having many wives is a symbol of power and influence. To be a Bong Fulong's wife who is able to give birth to many sons symbolizes prestige and high status. Fulong ad malol is a person who assists the B'laan woman in giving birth. Before delivery, the pregnant woman sits in closed young banana or cogon leaves for easy delivery. The umbilical cord is cut using a shapened bamboo or bagakay/ pawa. The child can only be named after cutting the umbilical cord. The mother takes a bath after giving birth. She takes herbal medicine as boiled roots of different herbal plants to avoid strain. The B'laans do not use chemicals to preserve their dead instead the dead body is wrapped with tadtad or broken bamboo then tied with uway (rattan) and hang in the tree. It should be done within 24 hours from the time the person dies. They believe that hanging the cadaver in a tree is a form of respect to the dead person because if it is buried underground, the earthworms and other soil organisms will feed on the flesh of the person while if it hanged the cadaver will decompose in a natural way.