Blaan people

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Blaan
Blaan women music.jpg
A Blaan woman from Sarangani playing the jew mouth harp.
Total population
373,392 [1] (2020 census)
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines:
Soccsksargen, Davao
Sarangani 120,954 [2]
Davao del Sur 89,949 [3]
South Cotabato 48,391 [4]
General Santos 20,769 [5]
Sultan Kudarat 9,078 [6]
North Cotabato 5,988 [7]
Davao City 3,285 [8]
Languages
Blaan, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Filipino
Related ethnic groups
Lumad, Visayans, and other Austronesians

The Blaan people, [9] [lower-alpha 1] 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. [11]

Contents

A Blaan girl. T'nalak Festival B'laan girl.jpg
A Blaan girl.
A Blaan offering tribe dance during colorful street dancing competition on the T'nalak Festival in South Cotabato. T'nalak Festival B'laan.jpg
A Blaan offering tribe dance during colorful street dancing competition on the T'nalak Festival in South Cotabato.

Classification

The Blaan are neighbors of the Tboli, and live near 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.

History

Some Blaan natives were displaced when General Santos was founded in 1939. Others settled in the city.

Their language is said to be the source of the name for Koronadal City, from two Blaan words – kalon meaning cogon grass and nadal or datal meaning plain, which aptly described the place for the natives. On the other hand, Marbel, which is another name for the poblacion, is a Blaan term malb-el which means "murky waters" referring to a river, now called Marbel River.

The tribe practices Indigenous rituals while adapting to the way of life of modern Filipinos. [12]

Relations with settlers and their descendants are not always harmonious; settlers reportedly clashed with some Blaan natives in March 2015. [13]

Arts and culture

Language

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. [14]

Indigenous Blaan religion

Some of the deities in the Blaan pantheon include:

Weaving tradition

The Blaans have a system of weaving using abaca fiber. [15] The art of abaca weaving is called mabal or mabal tabih, while the cloth produced by this process is called the tabih. [16]

Blaan weavers do not use spinning wheels. Instead, they join together by hand strands of the abaca fiber, which are then used to weave the tabih. [16]

Fu Yabing Dulo was one of two surviving master designers left of the mabal tabih art of ikat weaving. [16] Estelita Bantilan, who was given the National Living Treasures Award in 2016, is a master weaver of traditional mats known as igêm. [17]

Brass and copper work and beadwork

The Blaan have a tradition of creating art from brass and copper. [15] [18] The Blaan smelt brass and copper to produce small bells and handles of long knives. These knives, called the fais, are made with intricately designed brass.

The Blaan also sew plastic beads or shell sequins to create intricate designs on women's blouses and trousers, called the takmon. Geometric and other designs depicting the environment or the solar system are sewn using cotton yarns onto men's pants and shirts, called the msif. [15]

Cleaned civet beans Cleaned Palawan Wild Civet Coffee3.jpg
Cleaned civet beans

Wild civet coffee

The Blaan tribe at the foot of Mount Matutum Protected Landscape, scour, for half a century its forest slopes to collect the nocturnal revered Paradoxurus, "Philippine palm civet"'s defecated poops. Their conservation promotes livelihood from the prized wild civet coffee, called "balos" where a cup costs $80 in United States markets. Sitio 8 village, Barangay Kinilis, Polomolok is famous as a civet coffee-producing settlement. [19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sometimes erroneously referred to as "B'laan". [10]

Related Research Articles

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Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of the same name that also includes its adjacent islands, notably the Sulu Archipelago. According to the 2020 census, Mindanao had a population of 26,252,442, while the entire island group had an estimated population of 27,021,036.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davao del Sur</span> Province in Davao Region, Philippines

Davao del Sur, officially the Province of Davao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Digos. Davao City is the largest city in terms of area and population within the province's jurisdiction, yet it is administratively independent from the province; as such, Davao City is only grouped for geographical and statistical purposes and serves as the regional center of Davao Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davao Region</span> Administrative region of the Philippines

Davao Region, formerly called Southern Mindanao, is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region XI. It is situated at the southeastern portion of Mindanao and comprises five provinces: Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Davao Occidental.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Cotabato</span> Province in Soccsksargen, Philippines

South Cotabato, officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is Koronadal, and it borders Sultan Kudarat to the north and west, Sarangani to the south and northeast, and Davao del Sur to the far northeast. To the southeast lies Sarangani Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarangani</span> Province in Soccsksargen, Philippines

Sarangani, officially the Province of Sarangani, is a province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region. Its capital is Alabel while Glan is the most populous municipality in the province. With a 230-kilometer (140 mi) coastline along the Sarangani Bay and Celebes Sea, the province is at the southernmost tip of Mindanao island, and borders South Cotabato and Davao del Sur to the north, Davao Occidental to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tboli people</span> Austronesian ethnic group

The Tboli people are an Austronesian indigenous peoples of South Cotabato in southern Mindanao in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glan, Sarangani</span> Municipality in Sarangani, Philippines

Glan, officially the Municipality of Glan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sarangani, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 109,547 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malungon</span> Municipality in Sarangani, Philippines

Malungon, officially the Municipality of Malungon, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sarangani, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 105,465 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Sebu, South Cotabato</span> Municipality in South Cotabato, Philippines

Lake Sebu, officially the Municipality of Lake Sebu, is a 1st class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,221 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat</span> Municipality in Sultan Kudarat, Philippines

President Quirino, officially the Municipality of President Quirino, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,244 people. postal code 9804 president quirino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koronadal</span> Capital of South Cotabato, Philippines

Koronadal, officially the City of Koronadal, also known as Marbel, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 195,398 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidapawan</span> Capital of Cotabato, Philippines

Kidapawan, officially the City of Kidapawan, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 Census, it has a population of 160,791 people making it the most populous in the province.

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San Fernando, officially the Municipality of San Fernando, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 63,045 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polomolok</span> Municipality in South Cotabato, Philippines

Polomolok, officially the Municipality of Polomolok, is a 1st class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. As of May 2020, it has a population of 172,605 people making it the most populated municipality in Mindanao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surallah</span> Municipality in South Cotabato, Philippines

Surallah, officially the Municipality of Surallah, is a 1st class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,340 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T'Boli, South Cotabato</span> Municipality in South Cotabato, Philippines

TBoli, officially the Municipality of TBoli, is a 1st class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 101,049 people. The town is named after the indigenous natives themselves, the Tboli people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T'nalak</span> Weaving tradition in South Cotabato, Philippines

Tnalak, is a weaving tradition of the Tboli people of South Cotabato, Philippines. T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a gift from Fu Dalu, the T'boli Goddess of abacá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalagan people</span> Austronesian ethnic group of the southern Philippines

The Kalagan are a subgroup of the Mandaya-Mansaka people who speak the Kalagan language. The Kalagan comprise three subgroups which are usually treated as different tribes: the Tagakaulo, the Kagan, and the Kal’lao people of Samal. They are native to areas within Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and North Cotabato; between the territories of the Blaan people and the coastline. They were historically composed of small warring groups. They are renowned as agriculturalists, cultivating rice, corn, abaca, and coconut for cash crops, whereas their counterparts living along the coast practice fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teduray people</span> Austronesian ethnic group of the southern Philippines

The Teduray, also called Tiruray or Tirurai, are an indigenous peoples in Mindanao, Philippines. They speak the Tiruray language. Their name may have come from words tew, meaning people, and duray, referring to a small bamboo hook and a line used for fishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yabing Masalon Dulo</span> Filipino textile weaver (1914–2021)

Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo, commonly referred to as Fu Yabing, was a Filipino textile master weaver and dyer, credited with preserving the Blaan traditional mabal tabih art of ikat weaving and dyeing. At the time of her death, she was one of only two surviving master designers of the mabal tabih art of the indigenous Blaan people of southern Mindanao in the Philippines.

References

  1. ↑ "Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: Sarangani (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  3. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: Davao del Sur (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  4. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: South Cotobato (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  5. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: General Santos City (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  6. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: Sultan Kudarat (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  7. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: North Cotabato (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  8. ↑ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: Davao City (PDF) (Report). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2010.
  9. ↑ Garot, Datu. "The Blaans". National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
  10. ↑ Rebollido, Rommel (5 May 2023). "IP advocates: no apostrophes in Blaan, Tboli". MindaNews. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Larena, Maximilian; Sanchez-Quinto, Federico; Sjödin, Per; McKenna, James; Ebeo, Carlo; Reyes, Rebecca; Casel, Ophelia; Huang, Jin-Yuan; Hagada, Kim Pullupul; Guilay, Dennis; Reyes, Jennelyn (2021-03-30). "Multiple migrations to the Philippines during the last 50,000 years". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118 (13): e2026132118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2026132118 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   8020671 . PMID   33753512.
  12. ↑ "Blaan women record dreams in woven mats – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
  13. ↑ Cadelina-Manar, Malu (12 March 2015). "Moro, Ilonggo settlers clash". Tempo. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Blaan 1 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  15. 1 2 3 Kinoc, Antonio P. "The Blaans". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 Espejo, Edwin (October 21, 2014). "Artist, purist: Fu Yabing, the Blaan master weaver". Rappler. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  17. ↑ "82nd Birth Anniversary of Manlilikha ng Bayan Estelita Bantilan – National Museum". National Museum of the Philippines. 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  18. ↑ de Jong, Ronald (December 31, 2009). "The Bilaan Tribe of Southern Mindanao". Things Asian. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  19. ↑ Sarmiento, Bong (18 April 2023). "Philippine tribe boosts livelihoods and conservation with civet poop coffee". Mongabay . Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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