(Blogger’s note: The following is an excerpt from Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao, specifically pp. 112–14. The publishers welcome and even encourage the reproduction of the book in part or in its entirety, so I am posting this excerpt here without prior permission. Not a single word has been changed, and the style of the text as they appear on the book has been preserved. For citation details about the book, see Webliography.)
Datu Tunas Kulam of Lebak Sultan Kudarat says that the Dulangan Manobos believe in a Supreme God who created all things including man. This god is called Namula. There are other gods besides Namula: the effi, who are good supernaturals and the owners of the forests, the Babae Pongalubing, the Babae Bugkoglukos, the Kabingebinge, the busao—all of whom are allegedly evil by nature. They all inhabit the earth, except for Namula who inhabits the sky.
The gods communicate with mortal men through dreams, although some special people have been endowed with gifts for communicating with the gods. These are the balyan. (Gloria, 1997, p. 170–2)
Unlike the clans in Lebak, the Manobos of Kulaman are not familiar with the above facts on Manobo gods, and may have lost track of their ancient beliefs. This may be due to their long contact with the Christian settlers in the municipality or with their loss of contact with other Manobos in nearby municipalities such as Lebak.
Unlike many Lumads, the Manobos believe in the existence of the soul and of life after death. They believe that the good souls pass through a narrow path guarded by a deity called Boy Baya who guides the soul to a place of eternal happiness.
The bad soul, will pass though a wider path guarded by Datu Pangading, the equivalent to Satan who guides the soul to an evil place called Bop Mlow. This place has eternal boiling water that torments the bad souls.
The Manobos of Sitio Bagsing, Baranagay Gapok, Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat cling to their old customs and traditions. They still believe that good souls go on to Baya, while the bad ones to Moyar Kling or Afitan (hell). They have no deity to pray to and they live by the basic moral code of not doing evil to their fellow Lumads.
The natives consider most caves (Takob or Ilib) as sacred grounds. They believe that a deity named Batua (king of fairies) guard these caves. Noted caves are Makyumang in Barangay Bulalawan and the Ilib Masabak.
The Kulaman burial practice is done by storing their dead in a hollow trunk of a tree. They scoop away the middle portion where they deposit the body. The other half covers the corpse. Pasting the joints with camote tops and ashes prevent the foul smell from leaking. A future burial may be done after several weeks, months or even years. Often, mass burial of a dozen or more bodies at the same time and in the same grave takes place.
Such burials have now become an occasion to hold a long celebration by the community. Playing musical instruments, dancing, singing, and even gambling, cockfighting and drinking take place in the celebration. The gambling may be an occasion to raise funds to cover the expenses of the gathering. The celebration may last for a week or a month depending on the wishes of the dead person’s relatives and on the reputation of the dead.
It is noteworthy that the Manobos do not even pray for the repose of the soul of the dead as Christians do. They assume that the soul goes either to Boy Baya where the good souls go or to Bop Mlow, the domain of the bad soul. The destination depends on how the people lived while on earth.
In contemporary times, some barangay or sitio residents bury their dead in the site chosen for the purpose by the sitio or barangay officials, obviously an influence of the Christian practice. Still some others bury their dead in a day or two, in the same site where the person dies. A makeshift box serves as coffin. Among economically distressed families, wrapping the dead with an ordinary mat will do.
The Manobos of Baranagay Sewod still practice their ancient customs and traditions. They still keep their dead in hollow trunks of trees and keep them there for a long time before burying them.
Traditional healing sessions are customarily practiced not only among Dulangan Manobos but among other tribes all over Mindanao. These consist of a preparation of a local concoction of rice and egg placed inside a bowl, known as langa. The lukes recite prayers before incense and ask the deities for the quick recovery of an ailing individual.
The Dulangan Manobos of Lebak worship a pantheon of deities and perform rituals based on their beliefs. They believe in Namola as the supreme deity who created the earth. Deities are guardian spirits of the essential elements on earth to which the natives can relate.
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