The Mandaya is among the most sophisticated of tribal Philippine culture. While they earn the disapproval of mainstream Filipinos for sticking to their old, animist ways, the Mandaya were regarded as the “greatest and best tribe in Eastern Mindanao¹.” Who are the Mandaya? How have they held on to their ethnic identity in a deeply Westernized country?

Mandaya Culture

The Mandaya embodies sophistication in tribal Philippine culture. While tribal designs can be too busy and all over the place, the Mandaya observes an elegant discipline in their intricate designs. Weaving is a craft that the Mandaya are excellent at.

Mandaya Clothing

Sophistication of Mandaya culture is most evident in their native clothing, especially those worn by women. Much like how American men wear necktie in a black suit, Mandaya women wear a beaded breastpiece (balyog) over a plain red bodice. The native Mandaya skirt is made from an intricately woven abaca fabric called dagmay. Jewelry adorn Mandaya costume without overwhelming the overall attire, but rather complementing the clothes.

Mandaya Jewelry

Mandaya jewelry is a sight to marvel at. Mostly made from glass or plastic beads, Mandaya jewelry features elaborate geometric designs on intricate weave. Payatina, a breast disk made of beaten silver, is unique to Mandaya culture. Yet the most remarkable of Mandaya jewelry are the layers of bracelet alternating between dark brass and white shell bangles (pamulang).

Mandaya Religion

Mandaya beliefs revolve around nature spirits (diwata), both good and bad. In contrast to the Christian belief that sets evil as absolute archenemy to one’s faith and morality, the Mandaya believe that evil spirits can be appeased and made amicable. This appeasement the Mandaya do through rituals, offerings and sacrifices.² The Mandaya embrace evil if it meant making it good.

Indeed, in the Mandaya worldview and tradition, God is the source of both good and evil. The ultimate and absolute deity for the Mandaya is an infinite reality, spread throughout the immensity of the world, who designed and governs the order of the universe, from the cycle of the sun, the moon, the tide — everything. This God the Mandaya calls by the name Magbabaya, literally meaning the “Governor.”

Mandaya History

The Mandaya are a peace-loving yet bold ethnic group who helped shape Philippine history in the south, but became almost unrecognizable as they rose to prominence.

The first province in Mindanao, the old Caraga, had its capital in the town of Caraga in present-day Davao Oriental. This town was populated by the Mandaya, particularly its subgroup called the Kalagan, Caraga in Spanish (hence the name of the town and the province).

After over 2 years of resistance, many Mandaya converted to Chriatianity, and mixed with the Bisaya migrants who had settled the lowlands.

After the province of Davao was established in 1849, descendants of the Mandaya rose to power as renowned politicians³. At this point, however, they were not known as Mandaya, but were called Davawenyo⁴. The Davawenyo were Mandaya who were Christianized and acculturated.

To this day, many Mandaya refer to themselves as Davawenyo, instead of ‘Mandaya’, which can be used as a derogatory term that means “uneducated people from the hills.”⁵

Subgroups of the Mandaya

Beside the true Mandaya, other groups exist within this cluster of ethnolinguistic groups.

Mansaka

Closest in culture to the true Mandaya, the Mansaka were Mandaya tribes who went futher up the Diwata mountain range, and settled on the west side.

Kalagan

The Kalagan might have been the ancestor of all Mandaya. Described to have descended from the Bisaya, the Kalagan were a seafaring folk who spread from the northern tip of Surigao down to the peninsula in Mati, and into the Davao Gulf.

Dibabawon

Often confused with the neighboring Manobo, the Dibabawon occupy the area between the Davao Region and Agusan del Sur.

Kamayo and Davawenyo

Christianized and acculturated, the Kamayo are natives of Mandaya ancestry residing in Surigao del Sur. The Kamayo-speaking natives along the coast of Davao Oriental are called Davawenyo. See also The Kamayo People of Mindanao.

Mandaya Language

Unan yang awon na wa kasaydi;
Unan yang kasaydan na wa kasulti;
Unan yang yasulti na wa kasabti?

What is there but not known;
What is known but not spoken;
What is spoken but not understood?

— Cynthia B. Rodriguez

The Mandaya language is an old language, and the mother of several other languages or dialects in eastern Mindanao, including Mansaka, Kamayo and Dibabawon. While many think of Mindanao as inhabited by a cohesive cluster of native groups, Mandaya is closer in origin to Cebuano of the Visayas and Tagalog of Luzon.⁶ The Mandaya is indeed rather distant from the ethnolinguistic groups of western Mindanao. When the Muslim groups Maranao and Maguindanao assert their claim over the whole of Mindanao, the Mandaya would have the strongest ground to disagree.

The Fight of the Mandaya

People are subdued, believers converted, and culture erased. The Mandaya are no exception. In a Westernized nation where assimilation to Christian society is the norm, every day is a fight for the Mandaya to preserve their cultural and religious heritage. Are the Mandaya better off abandoning their old ways? Or does it serve them well as a people and as human beings to be authentic in culture and way of life?

 Loading …

Footnotes

1. according to American anthropologist John Garvan (1929)
2. as published by Danny Castillones Sillada (Accessed January 5, 2018)
3. including Governors Sobrecarey and Generoso, and Congressman Teodoro Palma Gil
4. as published by Manuel B. Ompang in the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) (Accessed January 5, 2018)
5. as recorded by Ethnologue (Accessed January 5, 2018)
6. as recorded by Ethnologue (Accessed January 5, 2018)