The following excerpt is taken from the very well known book,"The Wild Tribes of Davao District" by the great American anthropoligist Fay-Cooper Cole. Mr.Cole was at the time of publication, working at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. He had come to Mindinao in his capacity as the Assistant Curator of Malayan Ethnology with the R.F.Cummings Expedition, under the supervision of George A.Dorsey. The book was originaly published in 1913, by the Museum and in Mr.Cole's lifetime received far too little recognition. That seems to be an unwritten rule of sorts, anything great will go unrecognised until long after its innovator's passing.
Chapter I: The Bagobo
Synonyms: (a) Guianga, Guanga, Gulanga
(B) Obo
(C) Tigdapayad
(D) Eto
Habitat: The west coast of Davao Gulf between Daliao and Digos is dotted with small villages, the inhabitants of which are largely Bagobo who have been converted to the Christian faith and have been induced to give up their mountain homes and settle in towns. Back of this coastline rise densely timbered mountain peaks, lateral spurs from which often terminate in abrupt cliffs overlooking the sea. From other peaks extensive grass covered plains slope gently down to nearly the water's edge. Deep river canyons cut between these mountains and across the plains, giving evidence of active erosion for a long period of time. If these mountain chains and river courses are followed back it is found that they all radiate from one stupendous mass, the center of which is Mt.Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines and reputed to be an active volcano. Near to its summit is a deep fissure from which, on clear mornings, columns of smoke or steam can be seen ascending, while the first rays of the rising sun turn into gold, or sheets of white, the fields of sulphur which surround the cone.
Along the lower eastern and southern slopes of this mountain and its tributary peaks live the wilder branch of this tribe, whose traditions, religious observances, and daily life are closely related to the manifestations of latent energy in the old volcano.
Number: The exact number who fall under this classification is not known. Governor Bolton, who was intimately acquainted with the wild tribes of the District, estimated their number at sixty-five hundred (6,500) but this count did not include the sub-division given here as Obo. One enumeration made by a Jesuit missionary, places the population at fifteen thousand, while the Government report of 1900 gives them eighteen thousand four hundred. The latter estimates are certainly excessive. It is probable that they were determined by compiling the population of villages reported to exist in the interior. The wilder members of this tribe are, to a certain extent, migratory, moving their villages from one location to another according to the demands of their mode of agriculture. Their rice fields are made in mountain-side clearings, and as the ever present cogon grass begins to invade the open land they substitute sweet potatoes or hemp. In time these lusty plants give way to the rank grass, and the people find it easier to make new clearings in the forest than to combat the pest with the primitive tools at their command. This results in some new fields each year, and when these are at too great a distance from the dwellings the old settlements are abandoned and new ones formed at more convenient locations.
It is probable that the total number belonging to this tribe does not exceed ten thousand persons.
Influence of Neighbors-History:
The influence of the neighboring tribes and of the white man on the Bagibo has been considerable. The desire for women, slaves, and loot, as well as individual warriors for distinction, has caused many hostile raids to be made against neighboring tribes. Similar motives have led others to attack them and thus there has been, through a long period, a certain exchange of blood, customs, and artifacts. Peaceful exchange of commodities has also been carried on for many years along the borders of their territory. With the advent of the Moro along the sea coast a brisk trade was opened up and new industries introduced. There seems to have been little, if any, intermarriage between these people, but their relations were sufficiently close for the Moro to exert a marked influence on the religioud and civil life of the wilder tribe, and to cause them to incorporate into their language many new words and terms.
The friendly relations with the Moro seem to have been broken off upon the arrival of and settlement of the Spaniards in Davao. The newcomers were then at war with the followers of Mohammad and soon succeeded in enlisting the Bagobo rulers in their cause. A Chinese plate decorated with the picture of a large blue fish was offered for each Moro head the tribesmen presented to the Spanish commander. The desire for these trophies was sufficient to start a brisk trade in heads, to judge from the number of these plates still to be seen among the prized objects of the petty rulers.
After the overthrow of Moro power on the coast, Jesuit missionaries began their labors among the Bagobo, and later established their followers in several villages. In 1886 Father Gisbert reported 800 converts living in five coast towns. Following the conflict between Spain and the United States,and during the subsequent insurrection, these villages were left without protection or guidance. As a result, large numbers of the inhabitants retired to the hills where they again merged with their wilder brothers. Naturally they carried with them new ideas as well as new material objects. With the re-establishment of order under American rule many returned to the deserted villages while others were induced by Governor Bolton to form compact settlements midway between the coast and the mountain fastness. The influence of the Government has become stronger each year, and following the human sacrifice at Talun in 1907, that powerful village and several of the neighboring settlements were compelled to move down near to the sea where they could be more easily controlled.
Schools have opened in some localities and these, together with the activities of Catholic and Protestant missionaries,are causing a rapid change in the life and beliefs of the tribe.
The presence of American hemp planters, with the consequent demand for laborers, is also providing an immense factor in wiping out old tribal lines and in introducing new ideas.
Beyond a few letters written by the missionaries we find scant reference to this tribe in history, but their own traditions and genealogies are well known even by the younger generation.
According to the tribal historians the human race sprang from a man, Toglai,and his wife,Toglibon, who lived on Mt.Apo. "They were there from the beginning, at a point near to the present settlement of Cibolan. Many fruits grew on the mountains and the forests abounded in game so that it was easy for them to secure food. There were born to them children, who when they grew up, married. One day Toglai and Toglibon told their oldest boy and girl that they should go far away across the ocean, for there was a good place for them. So the two departed and were seen no more until their descendants, the white people, came back to Davao. The other children remained with their parents and were happy and prosperous until Toglai and Toglibon died and went to the sky, where they became spirits. Soon after their death the country suffered a great drought. This finally became so severe that the water in the rivers dried up and there was no more food in the land. At last the children were forced to leave their home and seek out new habitations in other parts. They traveled in pairs, in different directions, until they came to favorable locations where they settled down. From them have sprung all the tribes known to the Bagobo. One pair was far too weak to make the journey from the drought-cursed land, and stayed at Cibolan. One day the man crawled out into the ruined fields to see if he could not find some one thing alive, and when he arrived there he saw, to his amazement, a single stalk of sugar cane growing lustily. He cut it with his knife, and water began to come out until there was enough for the couple to drink. The flow did not cease until the rains came again to refresh the land. From these two the tribe has again grown until it numbers its members in the thousands. The people have remained true to their belief in the spirits, and each year has found them stronger in numbers, and richer in houses, land, and slaves.
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I will continue with more of this chapter in my next entry, "History of Mindanao, Part III: The Bagobo Lumad Circa 1910, Part 2".
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