Mythologies of the Matigsalug Tribes
The Matigsalug are an Indigenous group who live in the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando in Bukidnon province, Philippines. "Matigsalug" means "people along the Salug River" (now known as the Davao River). Although often classified under the Manobo ethnolinguistic group, the Matigsalug are a distinct subgroup from the Manobos. The Matigsalug previously practiced a hunting-and-gathering lifestyle with minimal agriculture. Recently, influenced by migrant farmers and traders from the northern Philippines and the island provinces, the Matigsalug shifted to sedentary land cultivation with more or less permanent villages. Signs of their earlier lifestyle are now found in their cultural and artistic expression, as evidenced by their costumes of bright colored mid-rib blouses and short skirts, and skilled hunting and gathering techniques. This early lifestyle is also depicted in their music, songs, dances, poetry, epic, and spiritual expressions. Matigsalug men wear knee-length tight-fitting pants and turbans decorated with beads and fringed with goat or horse hair. The traditional Matigsalug house has modest windows which is used as part of a early warning system against mangayaw (lit. 'someone seeking justice').
The Matigsalug are known for their skills in hunting and gathering, though they subsequently shifted to farming due to the influence of the migrant farmers from the Northern Philippines. Around 50,000 Matigsalug inhabit the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando, an area certified by the Philippine government as their ancestral domain. They are mostly small in stature with dark brown complexion and curly hair. Although their traditional lifestyle has not been preserved, much of it is still evident in their cultural and artistic expression. Their colorful costumes, songs, and dances demonstrate the tribe’s previous way of life. The landlocked province of Bukidnon located at the southern part of the Philippines is known as the highland paradise at the heart of Mindanao. It is the region’s main source of agricultural products, particularly rice, corn, coffee, pineapple, and sugar. Hence, Bukidnon is known as the region’s “food basket.” Its panoramic landscape of rolling grassland plateaus as well as its cool climate makes it an ideal place for locals and tourists alike. Deep in the region’s highland between the boundary of Davao and Bukidnon, the Matigsalug tribe flourished. This tribe is a distinct sub-group of the indigenous people known as the Manobos. They are the original inhabitants of the Salug River (now called the Davao River). Thus, their name comes from the words matig, meaning “from,” and salug, meaning “river.” Over the years, the tribe moved upstream of the Salug River due to constant raids and harassment. They were pushed further inland because of the influx of various groups, such as the Ilocanos, Batangueños, Ilonggos, and Cebuanos in the area.
Derived from the words matig (place of origin) and salog (river), the Matigsalug tribe of Davao City are found in Marilog, Paquibato, Tala-ingod, and Calinan. They are also found in Kitaotao and San Fernando in Bukidnon; Arakan, North Cotabato; and Cotabato. They are the people who reside by the banks and tributaries of the great Davao River (Salug). According to the tribe's historical profile, the Matigsalug people believed in Manama as the creator of all. For them, Manama enacted the Magbavaye, the commandment the tribe follows for self-governance. In terms of their traditional wear, the Matigsalugs wear a bandera, sinalapid, tangkulo, benanos, ampitpranela, balaren, sangked, tekos, buloso, bali-eg, babat, sal-ey, and tenuhol. The Matigsalugs primarily plant a variety of palay (rice), cash crops, vegetables, and fruits. The tribe source their meat from fish, pig, chicken, monkey, deer, and lizard, among others. Despite the progressiveness of Davao City, the Matigsalug tribe has been able to preserve its rich culture with the help of the local government unit and their very own initiatives. Datu Carlito Guinto, deputy mayor of the Matigsalug, said they are constantly making efforts to teach the younger generation the tribe's culture and traditions. "Dunay jud maglisod kung mawala na mi katigulangan, sigurado ko nga kalimtan jud sa mga kabataan (There will be a challenge if we the older generation leave this world. I am sure that without us, the younger generation may soon forget about our traditions)," Guinto said.
Members of Davao City’s Matigsalug tribe now have a smart and innovative way of preserving their culture and enhancing their next generation’s literacy – the Matigsalug App. A first of its kind in the Philippines, the recently launched mobile application that promotes basic literacy in the Matigsalug language is a project of PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications. The mobile app has interactive features that teach users to read, write and recite the tribal alphabet. It also teaches word association and how to count in Matigsalug. Moreover, it lets users sing along to Matigsalug songs for children. It also features tribal dances and chants. The app is now available for free download on Android devices. Datu Robert Siawan of the Matigsalug tribe in Sitio Contract expressed gratitude to the people behind the project as it helps in addressing their problem of keeping their culture and traditions alive. “We are more than thankful that we are chosen as the tribe beneficiary of this project. It is also a way of enhancing learning and promoting our tribe’s culture to the rest of the world,” he said in vernacular during the app’s launching at Datu Salumay, Marilog District, Davao City. Traditionally, elders write down their history and traditions in a logbook, and then let their young tribe members read it. Siawan shared that the app is an effective way of capturing today’s generation’s attention to learning, as the traditional way is becoming less appealing to the youth.
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