I hate to disagree with all the "experts" here but bridal dowry does
exist among certain cultural groups here. This almost entirely
happens in Mindanao among the Muslims and several of the indigenous
groups who have lived in close association with the Muslims for the
last 400 years.
My wife is pure blood Subanen, one of these cultural groups. When she
was 18, a Muslim business associate of her family asked for her as
wife. The family didn’t like the idea so specified a dowry of 3 kg of
gold, 50 sacks of rice, a breeding pair of cows and 20 hectares of
coco land. The prospective groom thanked them for politely
considering him but his family declined. When I asked, the price was
given as PhP500,000 because she is beautiful and college educated. It
was agreed that PhP496,000 was to be given to her as wedding gifts
which she then returned to me. In the community the family was thus
covered in glory for getting such a price and for being able to set up
their daughter so well and she is so respected she is often addressed
as "Ate", unusual for a woman under 30.
A Muslim friend of one of my sisters-in-law was recently married with
a dowry of PhP500,000 which was paid in full. The high price was
based on her being college educated with a good job.
In other cases, the price is deeply discounted but never ignored
completely. My wife’s older sister was already pregnant and her
husband to be was an orphan who already supported some of his
siblings. Her dowry was discounted down to PhP127, the family’s
"lucky" number.
Among the Subanen, disputes are settled by a "Thimuai" or judge,
selected by the elders and holding the position for life or until
voluntary retirement. My wife’s father is a Thimuai and he says he
has often been asked to formally discount a dowry when the groom is
unable to pay. This preserves the dignity and pride of the bride’s
family while permitting "love" matches.
John in Valencia, N.O.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Buklog
The most colorful and expensive of the Subanen celebrations is the buklog(Subanens pronounce it as gbecklug), a rite observed after a happy event, such as good harvest. Up to the 1950’s, many buklogs were held, sponsored by rich families or those with the largest landholdings. However, as the traditional Subanen chieftains began to become impoverished, having sold or lost their lands to the migrants, or have them divided by many heirs, buklogs are held occasionally. Nowadays, even in such Subanen bastions as Lapuyan, buklogs are held only during very special events, like the visits of VIP’s or politicians, and the activities are now limited to the ceremonial or merry – making aspects, minus the sumptuous feast and drinking.
In the early days, when a powerful Subanen hosted a buklog, there was along preparation to raise and fatten pigs, cows, carabaos and chicken. Other renowned and rich Subanen and relatives from afar were also invited.
An open rectangular stage, called a buklog, is constructed with round timbers, about five fathoms in diameter. It has split bamboo flooring supported by timbers which are chosen for their pliability. Beneath the center of the floor is a big pole which is positioned to pass through a hole carved on a rounded piece of log. Dancers, both men, women and children take turns in going up to the buklog to dance. They jump and dance in unison, so that their combined weight would move the stage downward, resulting in the pole striking the hollowed log, thus producing rhythmic sounds which reverberate even to the distant hills. Each sound is accompanied by joyful, synchronized shouts from the participants. The dancing lasts up to the wee hours of the morning. A sumptuous feast is served to everybody around the clock. Adult males and even some women sit on the floor of the house in a circle, at the middle of which is an expensive porcelain jar, filled with basi wine, made from fermented rice. Only one bamboo straw is used for drinking, which is passed around. Sumptuous foods are eaten without let up.
During fiestas and other festivities, such dances as the sothalek and mangalay with all their intricate movements are also performed. Women, carrying palm fronds and men, carrying wooden shields and lances, gracefully strut, advance or sidle up in measured steps.
In the past, Subanen chieftains practiced polygamy. The number of wives depended on the chieftains’s wealth or influence.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Granting Ancestral Land As a Tool of Empowerment
KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay (06 Dec) --- Granting the lumad’s legitimate claims for their ancestral domain in the province and elsewhere is an effective “tool for empowerment”.
Wilfredo Sanggayan, indigenous people representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province, in an interview said the other way of looking at the several ancestral domain claims is to view it as a tool of empowering the indigenous peoples.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial legislative body. Compostela Valley was the second.
“By granting the indigenous peoples their legitimate claims for their ancestral domains is to allow them to manage and govern themselves,” Sanggayan explains.
Some 35 tribal leaders last week appealed to the concerned government agencies “to respect their legitimate claims of ancestral domain in this region.”
In an assembly held at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, these tribal leaders also slammed what they called government “discrimination” against the rights of the Subanons in the peninsula.
The tribal conference dubbed “Glumpuk Nog Kobogolalanan Sog Pigsungan Nog Nawan (Assembly of Tribal Traditional Leaders of Zamboanga Peninsula) is part of the roundup of activities for the Mindanao Week of Peace, which started on November 29 and ends on December 5.
Early this month, Subanons from the three villages of Zamboanga City staged protest actions before government centers here.
“Our ancestral land is our kingdom where we have the chance to self-governance,” Sanggayan said, adding that part of his priority initiatives as lumad representative to the provincial board is to undertake the titling of some 14 identified ancestral lands in Sibugay.
A seminar conducted by the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) here last December 4-6 was part of series of seminars enlightening the indigenous communities on their rights to ancestral domains and how to process its titling.
Margarita Baya, officer-in-charge of NCIP provincial office, said “we need to help the lumad in reclaiming their lands.”
“Gani, dili na yutang kabilin ang gusto nato bawi-on kundili yutang nabilin (In fact, it is no longer the ancestral land that we wanted but just a portion of that land),” Baya told this writer in jest.
There are four ancestral domain claims that are now pending at NCIP. These claims are from the towns of Siay, Naga, RT Lim, and Kabasalan comprising at least 80,000 hectares of land of the province.
Another priority initiative that will benefit the indigenous peoples in the province, according to Sanggayan, is the establishment of Sibugay Indigenous Peoples Economic Zone Cum Indigenous Park and Living Museum.
“But as of now, we are now working for the recognition of lumad representatives to the 14 local sanggunians of the province,” Sanggayan said.
Fourteen of the 16 towns of this province need lumad representatives to the local sanggunians as mandated by Republic Act 8371, also known as “The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, according to Sanggayan.
RA 8371 mandates that “indigenous peoples shall be represented in all sanggunians at all levels whose representatives shall be selected in accordance with the customs and traditions of the indigenous people concerned.”
Signed into law on October 29, 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the IPRA underwent many years of legislative study and deliberation before it became a law. It is the result of various consultations, consolidated bills related to ancestral domains and lands, and international agreements on the recognition of land/domain rights of the IPs.
In general, the IPRA seeks to recognize, promote and protect the rights of the IPs. These include the Right to Ancestral Domain and Lands; Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; Social Justice and Human Rights; and the Right to Cultural Integrity.
Sanggayan pointed out that 14 of the 16 towns of Sibugay are inhabited by indigenous peoples with the Subanen tribe as the largest group.
The Subanen numbered around 1.3 million as of 2000 census scattered mostly in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga City.
At present, according to Sanggayan, there are 11 local government units who had passed an ordinance recognizing the indigenous representatives to their respective sanggunians.
“But only seven of the 11 have formally accepted and installed an IP representative as a member of their local councils,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan throughout the country, lamented.
”We will continue to reiterate our request to the different local government officials concerned concerning the representation of the indigenous people in the council as mandated by RA 8371,” Sanggayan told this writer, adding that “we are only asking what is due to us.”
Wilfredo Sanggayan, indigenous people representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province, in an interview said the other way of looking at the several ancestral domain claims is to view it as a tool of empowering the indigenous peoples.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial legislative body. Compostela Valley was the second.
“By granting the indigenous peoples their legitimate claims for their ancestral domains is to allow them to manage and govern themselves,” Sanggayan explains.
Some 35 tribal leaders last week appealed to the concerned government agencies “to respect their legitimate claims of ancestral domain in this region.”
In an assembly held at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, these tribal leaders also slammed what they called government “discrimination” against the rights of the Subanons in the peninsula.
The tribal conference dubbed “Glumpuk Nog Kobogolalanan Sog Pigsungan Nog Nawan (Assembly of Tribal Traditional Leaders of Zamboanga Peninsula) is part of the roundup of activities for the Mindanao Week of Peace, which started on November 29 and ends on December 5.
Early this month, Subanons from the three villages of Zamboanga City staged protest actions before government centers here.
“Our ancestral land is our kingdom where we have the chance to self-governance,” Sanggayan said, adding that part of his priority initiatives as lumad representative to the provincial board is to undertake the titling of some 14 identified ancestral lands in Sibugay.
A seminar conducted by the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) here last December 4-6 was part of series of seminars enlightening the indigenous communities on their rights to ancestral domains and how to process its titling.
Margarita Baya, officer-in-charge of NCIP provincial office, said “we need to help the lumad in reclaiming their lands.”
“Gani, dili na yutang kabilin ang gusto nato bawi-on kundili yutang nabilin (In fact, it is no longer the ancestral land that we wanted but just a portion of that land),” Baya told this writer in jest.
There are four ancestral domain claims that are now pending at NCIP. These claims are from the towns of Siay, Naga, RT Lim, and Kabasalan comprising at least 80,000 hectares of land of the province.
Another priority initiative that will benefit the indigenous peoples in the province, according to Sanggayan, is the establishment of Sibugay Indigenous Peoples Economic Zone Cum Indigenous Park and Living Museum.
“But as of now, we are now working for the recognition of lumad representatives to the 14 local sanggunians of the province,” Sanggayan said.
Fourteen of the 16 towns of this province need lumad representatives to the local sanggunians as mandated by Republic Act 8371, also known as “The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, according to Sanggayan.
RA 8371 mandates that “indigenous peoples shall be represented in all sanggunians at all levels whose representatives shall be selected in accordance with the customs and traditions of the indigenous people concerned.”
Signed into law on October 29, 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the IPRA underwent many years of legislative study and deliberation before it became a law. It is the result of various consultations, consolidated bills related to ancestral domains and lands, and international agreements on the recognition of land/domain rights of the IPs.
In general, the IPRA seeks to recognize, promote and protect the rights of the IPs. These include the Right to Ancestral Domain and Lands; Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; Social Justice and Human Rights; and the Right to Cultural Integrity.
Sanggayan pointed out that 14 of the 16 towns of Sibugay are inhabited by indigenous peoples with the Subanen tribe as the largest group.
The Subanen numbered around 1.3 million as of 2000 census scattered mostly in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga City.
At present, according to Sanggayan, there are 11 local government units who had passed an ordinance recognizing the indigenous representatives to their respective sanggunians.
“But only seven of the 11 have formally accepted and installed an IP representative as a member of their local councils,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan throughout the country, lamented.
”We will continue to reiterate our request to the different local government officials concerned concerning the representation of the indigenous people in the council as mandated by RA 8371,” Sanggayan told this writer, adding that “we are only asking what is due to us.”
English Translation
In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light "day", and the darkness he named "night". There was evening, then morning, the first day. Then God said, "Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water". So God made the horizon and separated the water above and below the horizon. And so it was. God named what was above the horizon "sky". There was evening, then morning, a second day.
The Subanen of Zamboanga del Sur. Said to be the first tribe to practise birth control
Daligang H.PIP: The Subanen people are known as the aborigines of the Island of Mindanao, and are found mostly in the northern, western and southern portions of the Zamboanga peninsula. They were originally found along the river banks or "suba" but now reside in the mountains. Education among these people was limited to instruction by the Thimuay head to a future husband and wife regarding love, respect and treatment of each other, parents, and in-laws. The tribe has no religion although it is believed that they had a holy book at one time. In marriage, the parents of the man look for a woman he will marry and both sets of parents set the wedding date. Polygamy and polyandry are practiced but separation is not allowed nor is marrying nearest relatives. When a couple wants to have only 1 or 2 children the wife, after giving birth, eats an herb called benayan. For birth spacing she eats 2 herbs, and if no more children are desired she eats more. Another type of birth control is practiced by the midwife who "manipulates" the woman after delivery. Various methods are practiced to predetermine a child's sex. Pregnant women must abide by many regulations including placing a piece of wood across her path before going in a doorway. It is considered a blessing to have more daughters than sons because the father will be able to recover the dowry he paid for his wife. There is a general belief that all human beings should marry.
The Buklog Festival: Sounding the Subanen's sacred lumber
The Buklog Festival: Sounding the Subanen's sacred lumber
By Iris Sheila G. Crisostomo, The Manila Times, 20 November 2000
A visit to Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur for the Buklog Festival of the Subanen cultural community is certainly a rewarding (and trying!) experience.
For a cultural worker so much immersed in the bustle of city life, the trip becomes both a breather and a test of physical endurance. For the rough roads along the periphery of the lake give one a fantastic view of the waterline and lush greenery.
Yet one has to endure a one-hour drive aboard a habal-habal (a single-motor vehicle) and bear a four-hour hike up the slopes of Mt. Kulabog to reach the tranquil village of Lanayan—this year's host of the Buklog Festival.
The buklog, which also stands for ceremonial platform,
is a thanksgiving festival of the Subanen, a group that derives its name from suba (river) because of a preference to settle near rivers and mountain streams.
For centuries, the Subanen have held staunchly to this ancient ritual to honor the spirits, particularly the malengma (spirit of the waters), mamanwa (spirit of the forest), and manising palingkitan (spirits of the mountain), on which they rely for an abundant harvest and protection from misfortune.
This year, with the support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Buklog Festival again reaffirmed the community's profound gratitude for the continuous blessings. Moreover, the festival was held in response to various land and natural resource management projects implemented in the area with the help of various agencies and organizations.[more]
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