MANDAYA TRIBE

 Man - “inhabitant of”

 Daya - “upstream” or “upper portion of a river,”
 Mandaya therefore means “people living upstream”
Features of a Mandaya
 High foreheads
 Prominent cheekbones
 Broad nose
 Thick lips
 Angular features
 Generally fair

The Geographic Location

 Mandaya are scattered in some parts of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley,
and Surigao del Sur.
 The concentration of their settlement which still exists today, is at the heart of
Davao Oriental particularly Baganga, Caraga and Cateel
 Today, Mandaya lands are demarcated by seven provinces and one large city—
namely, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, Compostela Valley province, Davao del
Norte, Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Sarangani province.

Five Principal Groups of Mandaya

1. Mansaka - those who live in the mountain clearings.
2. Manwaga - those who live in the forested mountain areas.
3. Pagsupan - those who make a living in the swampy banks of the Tagum and
Hijo rivers.
4. Managusan - those who live near the water.
5. Divavaogan - those who are found in the southern and western parts of the
Compostela.

Mandaya Tribe History

 The Mandaya tribe originated from the intermarriage of Indonesian and Malay
immigrants with the native Manobo people in eastern Mindanao. Over
centuries, they resisted both Muslim and Spanish influences, engaging in
 slave-raiding and conflicts. In 1629, they revolted against Spanish rule but
were eventually subdued.
 During the 19th century, Spanish and later American colonization led to their
Christianization and integration into new agricultural economies. The arrival of
settlers marginalized the Mandaya, displacing them from their ancestral
lands. Today, they continue to struggle in preserving their culture while
adapting to modern changes.

Way of Living of the Mandaya People

 The Mandaya originally thrived on pangayam (hunting), fishing, and gathering
wild forest products.
 The main economic activity of the Mandaya is kaingin (swidden farming).
 Three types of barter system are practiced: peddling, tabu, and prearranged
meeting.
 Cash economy - transactions are conducted using money (cash).
 After World War II, copra, also known as desiccated coconut, became the
primary export product.
 Mandaya gradually lost their lands, which they had bartered for the novelties that
migrant settlers offered: sardines, tres-b (a kind of cigarette), and malorka (a
beverage).

Mandaya Tribe Customs, Culture, and Tradition

The Mandaya have two types of kalagtowan:
 Nuclear family - consisting of the parents and the children.
 Polygynous family - consisting of two or more wives with their children.
 The kalagtowan does not dissolve easily upon the death of one spouse.
As a rule, when a married man dies, any of his surviving brothers inherits
his widow even if he may already have a family of his own.
 During a woman’s pagpangala (pregnancy), it is believed that the
pyagapangala-an (her food cravings) must be given to her or else the
pregnancy will fail.
 They believed that if the wife dies, she may turn into a tal-lakatak (evil
spirit of the pregnant woman)
 The Mandaya also believe that the dead child can become a mantianak
(spirit).
 The Mandaya file and blacken their teeth at a young age.
  There are several types of Mandaya marriages: buya, bukug, pagul-log,
dyayon, tupa, binaydan.
 Their wedding rite is called the kasal sa banig.
 The Mandaya’s wedding festivities last four days to a week.
 The Mandaya have distinct practices in death, burial, and mourning.
 Burial must be held on the same day that the person dies.
 The Mandaya traditionally practiced secondary burial.

Mandaya Gods
 Mansilatan and Baly (Father and Son) - good Gods
 Pudaugnon and Malimbong (Husband and Wife) - evil gods

Mandaya Traditional Costume and Weaving

 The Mandaya excel in panul-lob (weaving), to produce dagmay. Traditionally,
the art and skill of weaving the dagmay, sewing, embroidery, and beadwork
were taught to girls when they were still very young.
 Dagmay is made by the weaver, or mag-iinang, through a silent process
called pamul-lopok, invoking the goddess Tagamaling. Abaca fibers, or
bintok, are pounded, dried, and dyed with plant-based colors. Pyaglinamaan
combines abaca and cotton, while sugot uses mostly cotton.
 Mandaya women wear cotton blouses called dagum. These are usually red,
blue, and black and decorated with animal and geometric designs at the back,
front and sleeves.
 They also wear blue gingham blouses.
 Old women and Christianized bailana wear black blouses. The bado nang
bubay (woman's dress) is as ornately designed as the blouses and betrays
Chinse influence
 The dagum nang usog or man’s blue collar less shirt has sleeves which
may be long or three fourths in length and embroidered with lenama.
 The pantot trousers are usually 5-7.5cm above the knee.
 Traditional skirts are usually made of dagmay
 The waist is held by small piece of coco negra.
 Some old women wear the patadyong (tubular shirt) and younger girls wear
cotton skirt.
  Poki or women’s underwear is made of coconut shell, which is finely cut to
prevent injury.
 Pudong - is an example of a rust brown Mandaya weaving, which uses the
plangi dyeing method on cotton cloth and is decorated with applique beads
and tufts of horsehair.
 The Mandaya have a wide range of embroidery designs derived from their
natural surroundings and from human figures. These include bagaybay, binul-
lanbul-lan (moon), binituon (star), buwaya (crocodile), ginanis (flower), inunto
(teeth), inutaw-utaw, linusag (curved lines), lyugit (diamond), suksuk ng kasili
(fresh water eel), and tampuso (ox).
 Mandaya jewelry reflects social and economic status, with all women
wearing it, whether single or married.
Mandaya jewelry items include:
 Sampad
 Balyug
 Pal-latina
 Sangisag and punod
 Tungkaling

Mandaya Crafts
 Mandaya metalcraft includes the fashioning of weaponry. Among these are the
bal-ladaw (steel dagger); kakana (bolo or sword); likod-likod (single-bladed
kakana); pangayam, which is a piece of diamond-shaped iron; and wasay (ax) for
cutting wood and bamboo or for self-defense.
 Nonmetalcraft Mandaya jewelry includes: Suwat, Balikog, La-og, Linangaw,
Pamul-lang and Pag-ul-lang, Timusug, Sagay-sagay, Ul-lon, and Sangki
 Nonmetalcraft weaponry includes: Pataw, Tagub, Tumod, and Busog
 The Mandaya also weave mats and baskets of different shapes and uses, made
of local plant materials.