Kitab Article V Sections 3 and 4 Planting and Harvesting

Article V. Land and Livelihood

Section 3. Process of Planting Rice
(1) Before planting, look at the stars first as a sign (kufu kulu, kutel, bituen telo, dakel bituen), also the moon.
(2) When planting, pray to Tupu Moungangen to have a plentiful harvest later on.
(3) Tupu Muungangen—blesses the seeds to be planted, no other than our God
(4) Before planting, put stones and pieces of charcoal in the seeds of rice and corn so that pests will not find and eat them.
(5) Uhok—The first to plant should be the youngest daughter and son so that the plant will not grow apart.
(6) Payo—Rice is put into holes in the soil.
(7) Some of the seeds should be left for the persons who helped in the planting. The owner himself should give them the seeds.
(8) Laday (full moon)—So that the harvest will be abundant, planting time is determined from the position of the moon.

Section 4. Harvest Process
(1) Letus/Sumbak—The remaining seeds are mixed with the new harvest and other people may not partake of the food and a chicken has to be butchered.
(2) Before the harvest, there should be an offering to nature. Butcher a chicken, take a little from each part, and then take them to the forest, in gratitude for an abundant harvest.
(3) Before the harvest, burn a duka to produce smoke.
(4) Start the harvest. Call the hired hands.
(5) Before harvesting the crop, build a straw man holding some food to ward off evil spirits that cannot be seen by the naked eye.
(6) After the harvest, store the crop first. Do not thresh it yet. Wait for three months to pass. After three months, thresh the crop, sprinkle some ashes from the hearth so that the next harvest will be plenty.
(7) After threshing, put the grains in a lihub that is made of tree bark. Burn a duka to smoke the container so that the container will be filled up.
(8) Kinentoy—Without removing the skin of the corn, put the corn inside the bamboo and then hang one by one. Do it in the cleared plot of land. Leave the corn to dry, and use the seeds for the next cropping.

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)

Jars 3 and 4 in Silahis Arts and Artifacts

Kitab Article V Sections 1 and 2 Life and Livelihood

Article V. Land and Livelihood

Section 1. The Need to Live
(1) We live because God gave us life.
(2) We need to live because we have to face many things here on earth.
(3) Let us send the children to school. Let us teach them how to have a good life.
(4) We should be good leaders.
(5) We should lead our tribe toward goodness and living righteously.
(6) Everyone has feelings and dignity.
(7) We have to continue living so that our tribe will not vanish.
(8) Our ancestral domain should be given to us.

Section 2. Livelihood of the People
(1) They practice conservative swidden farming.
(2) They clear a plot of land that is large enough only for their needs.
(3) They plant sweet potatoes, corn, rice, cassava, banana, and various kinds of vegetables.
(4) They move to another plot.
(5) They make tools and traps to catch wild animals and fish.
(6) When the food inside their house runs out, they look for food from the forest (biking, kelot, pange, kanto, fusow, ubod, natek).
(7) They gather honey and other edible things.
(8) They gather nests of swifts and find new ways to earn income.
(9) They mine gold in the territory of the tribe.
(10) After working the clearing, they move to another spot so that the soil can recover. The spot is cleared again only after vegetation has grown in it.

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)

Jars 1 and 2 in Silahis Arts and Artifacts

Kitab Article IV Sections 2 and 3 Territorial Division and Clans

Article IV. Dulangan Manobo Ancestral Territory

Section 2. Territorial Division
(1) Inged–The whole territory where the Dulangan Manobos live
(2) Dakel Menuwa–Town of the Dulangan Manobos
(3) Segenuwa–Barangay [village] of the Dulangan Manobos
(4) Segemalayan–Sitio [settlement in the outskirts of a barangay] of the Dulangan Manobos
(5) Malayan–Purok [district within a barangay] of the Dulangan Manobos

Section 3. Clan-based territory
(1) Datu Sigut Labangen–First person to live in Legodon, brave, fierce, didn’t want others to pass by his territory, killed strangers he saw for they might laugh at his disproportionate legs
(2) Sulutan Tubak Umpig–The datu of Tubak, has power and respected by people
(3) Datu Tungkilin–The datu of Kulaman in the old times
(4) Sulutan Tagenek–The highest sultan of Kulaman
(5) Sulutan Dod Nayam–The datu of Lebak recognized by the whole tribe
(6) Datu Magon Wasay–The datu of Kalamansig in the old times
(7) Datu Melinoy Sepot–The datu of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(8) Datu Ketonas Kulam–The datu of Lebak, Dultan Kudarat, residing in Tatawan
(9) Datu Boneg–Ketodak, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(10) Datu Manampit Bucay–Lenogboyon, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(11) Datu Apang–Melawel, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(12) Datu Sakudal–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(13) Datu Unow–Embali, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(14) Datu Ungka–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(15) Datu Tagaken–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(16) Datu Kawan–Basag, Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(17) Datu Fagilidan–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(18) Datu Dakias–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(19) Datu Tuwegen–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(20) Booy Kabaluan–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(21) Datu Gantangan–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(22) Datu Insam–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(23) Datu Ogib–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(24) Datu Kandi–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(25) Datu Kaluba–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(26) Datu Sumadang–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(27) Datu Falaseyow–Lengali, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(28) Datu Lebe–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(29) Datu Gugo–Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat
(30) Datu Ampuan Apang–Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(31) Boi Lebe–Legoden, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(32) Datu Kapitan–Ketodak, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(33) Datu Bintoy Mokatil–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(34) Datu Kantala–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(35) Datu Duma–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(36) Datu Deweg–Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
(37) Datu Kadingilan–Ampatuan, Sultan Kudarat
(38) Datu Manguda–South Upi, Sultan Kudarat
(39) Datu Pipayan–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(40) Datu Galing–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(41) Datu Dayog–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(42) Datu Tagaken–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(43) Datu Malakatin–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(44) Datu Bayang–Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(45) Datu Deweg–Lebak, Sultan Kudarat
(46) Datu Magayan–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(47) Datu Binansil–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(48) Datu Kasila–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(49) Datu Mayao–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(50) Datu Kawan–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(51) Datu Dalimbang–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat
(52) Datu Tigis–Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat
(53) Datu Labi–Kulaman, Sultan Kudarat

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)

The Silahis 14

I can’t afford to buy the limestone burial jars that are for sale and then donate them to the province of Sultan Kudarat or any of the municipalities in Kulaman Plateau, so I’ll just keep track of them. Hopefully, they will all find their way back home. Below are the jars that are on display in Silahis Arts and Artifacts, located at 744 Calle Real del Palacio (General Luna), Intramuros, Manila.



1—This quadrangular jar has V-shaped and diamond patterns on the sides. The lid is shaped like a gable, but half of the top part is cut off to give way to a tiny figure of a head. The eyes, nose, and mouth of the figure are excavated.
2—This conical jar is flat at the base and has vertical flutings around the body. The lid is circular and flat at the base, which supports a knob that looks like an inverted drinking glass.
3— This quadrangular jar has V-shaped patterns on the sides. The lid is shaped like a gable. The surface of the jar and the lid is brown probably from being buried in dirt. Some parts are black, as if exposed to smoke.
4—This jar is shaped like a box with uneven and vague vertical flutings. The lid is shaped like a gable and has parallel vertical flutings. The body of the jar looks newer than the lid. It is in fact so white and shiny that I suspect it’s just a few decades old at most.
5—This quadrangular jar has a clean surface and rough in some parts. The lid is smooth, shaped like a pyramid, and has triangular drawings; one corner of it, however, is missing.
6—This boxlike jar is slightly smaller at the base. The sides have diamond designs. The lid is quadrangular and flat with a bas-relief of a carabao head, which is highly unusual, for none of the burial jars that were excavated by anthropologists in 1960s has a carving of an animal in the lid. Some of the anthropomorphic figures look like animals, but they’re obviously meant to be not purely animal. I doubt if this item has really been used as a burial jar. The surface is clean and smooth all over. Modern tools must have been used in carving the stone.
7—This small jar looks like a big vase. It has no lid. The surface is decorated by deep diagonal cuts that look like lines of dashes. Each cut is oblong and tapers on both ends.
8—This boxlike jar is smaller at the base and has a wide mouth. The lid is shaped like a gable topped with a short, wide, and rectangular handle. The surface is brown from dirt and doesn’t have any geometric designs.
9—This quadrangular jar goes wider as it goes higher. The lid is square and flat. The surface doesn’t have any geometric designs. This must be the most minimalist jar I’ve ever seen.
10—This short cylindrical jar has vertical flutings. The lid is shaped like an inverted bowl and has a small figure of a human head on top.
11—This cylindrical jar has wide vertical flutings. The lid has a circular lower half and a gable-shaped upper half.
12—This conical jar is flat at the base and has shallow vertical flutings. The lid is circular, flat, and has flutings from the center to the sides.
13—This quadrangular jar has vertical and arrow-like flutings on the sides. The lid is square, flat, and topped with a short cylinder that has vertical flutings.
14—This quadrangular jar has diamond-shaped carvings all over, including the gable-shaped lid.

Kitab Article IV Section 1 Ancestral Territory

Article IV. Dulangan Manobo Ancestral Territory

Section 1. Ancestral Territory

The Dulangan Manobos can be found in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao. In Kulaman, Sulutan Tagenik is the leader. In Legodon, Esperanza, it is Datu Councilor Kebeng. In Tubak, Maguindanao, is Sultan Umpig; in Lebak, Datu Blog; in Kalamansig, Datu Magun Wasay; and in Palimbang, Datu Balaw. This is the territory of the Dulangan Manobos here in Mindanao. They also know the mountains and bodies of water, forests, caves, and distinctive rocks in their territory.

Esperanza starts from Kefela River, Klemuno, Sugod Ulipiken, Sitio Kuhanen, Uges, Kabanalian, Keungas, going up to Blogo, boundary of Isulan and Esperanza going to Ninoy Aquino boundary of Esperanza, Apos Kedaka, Sinuksok, going to Tudok Pinukfutan, Kislanay boundary of Kalamansig, going to Tran River boundary of Lebak and Esperanza, Kislanay Ileb Linikuan Kenogon, ending in Kefela River. [Since I’m not familiar with the specific locations enumerated in this article, I translated the text almost word for word.—Blogger]

Lebak starts from Tugdanay Meedof, passing Dakel Ele, Tusong Uled, going to Lati Lamod, Basak, going to Fufu, Sandyulo, going up to Dakel Kayu, Kislanay boundary of Kalamansig and Lebak.

Kulaman starts from Kislanay Menting, Blegkasi, passing Bong-Bong, Sekuling, Legubang, Klosoy, Langgal, Lambak, boundary of Kulaman and Palimbang, ending in [?] the Panamin the boundary of Kulaman and Bagumbayan.

Palimbang starts from Metok, Balay Kilat, passing the mountains of Getan Ele, going to Getan Bala, passing Getan Pandakan, going to Melegaen Dakel, going up Kogol Kuda, passing Lawat Kumennong, going to Tudok Pig Adalan, going up to Getan Tebako, ending in [?] Tudok Makailas, which is in the boundary of Kalamansig and Kulaman.

The Dulangan Manobo territory in Maguindanao starts from Melumpayang, Tudok Sinaegan Guma, Tudok Medelang boundary of Esperanza (Sultan Kudarat) and Ampatuan (Maguindanao), going to Makalag, Kesam, Tuntungin, Ilang-Illang, going to South Upi, Klemono, Begoy, Sambulawan Kling, Luay Undek, Menetey, Selubaan going to Seput Panigan, Embale, Temulak, Trosud, Lepak Mekin, Keeded, Telektek, Pliris, going to Kued, down Tubak, Ampatuan.

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)

Kulaman Jars in Intramuros

I utter “oh” and “wow” under my breath as I point my camera to the display case and press the shutter button every half a second. “You’re like a thirty-something dad who collects toy trains,” says my friend Reno beside me. “You’re so charged up.”

I chuckle. Indeed, I’m looking at objects that I’ve been wanting to see for a long time and I’ve been spending considerable time and resources on. They’re not toy trains, however. They’re not fancy toys or expensive gadgets or anything weird but still somehow not so weird. They’re just plain weird, for most people. The objects in the display case are burial jars—made of soft stone, about 1,500 years old, and taken from Kulaman Plateau. Reno and I are in the Museum of the Filipino People.

Reno and I are supposed to check out the other galleries in the museum and to drop by the National Museum across the street, but we’re pressed for time. It’s past four in the afternoon, and I want to see all the Kulaman burial jars that I can see that day, so we skip our other destinations and ride a pedicab straight to Silahis Arts and Artifacts, a private gallery inside Intramuros.

When we step inside Silahis, I ask at the front desk where the limestone burial jars are displayed. I’m told that the artifacts are on the third floor. Reno and I walk upstairs without inspecting the other items, mostly native handicrafts, in the jam-packed gallery. The scene earlier is repeated; I take out my digital camera and take photos like I’ll never see the burial jars again. Silahis Arts and Artifacts has fourteen in its collection, and all save for the smallest one is complete—meaning, they have lids.

Scotch-taped on the jars are large cards, and the cards don’t look good in my photos, so before I take the photo of each jar, I remove the piece of paper and put it where the lens won’t catch it. After a while, I pick up some of the cards to reattach them to the jars. I’m flabbergasted. I thought the cards merely contain a general description of the jars. I read them and find out that at the bottom of each is a price. Now I don’t know which card belongs to which jar. Reno chuckles. Hastily, I put a card each on the jars without attempting to be accurate. It’s difficult to try, anyway. Most of the jars have the same size and priced at P4,000, P5,000, or P,6000. It’s not easy to tell which jar should be P1,000 or P2,000 more expensive.

“They’re cheap!” says Reno upon learning the prices. I think the same way. Some of Kulaman jars that have been taken to the U.S. are offered for sale online for at least $2,500. “This one especially,” adds Reno, pointing to a coverless jar that is much smaller than the rest and priced at P500 only. The label erroneously describes the jar as a “vase.” We compute the total cost of all fourteen jars. Two of the jars do not have price tags, but their sizes are average, so they probably cost P6,000 each at most. One or two of the jars cost P7,000 or P8,000. One jar, by far the biggest in the collection, costs P20,000. The total amount is no more than P90,000. “I can buy all these without asking money from my parents,” says Reno.

I’m a bum and not as rich as Reno, but I have enough extra money in my wallet to get myself one of the medium-sized jars, in addition of course to the “vase,” which is simply a steal. I’m having a serious moral dilemma. I told myself before that I should just write about the limestone jars and maybe convince all their current possessors to give them back to the province of Sultan Kudarat. I should not be involved in the trading of the jars. I should not acquire by any means even just one burial jar for the living room at home. But I tell myself that I won’t commit any sin if I buy the “vase” and another jar and then donate them to Delesan Menubo, a display room operated by Catholic nuns in the municipality of Senator Ninoy Aquino.

I continue taking photos while talking to Reno and mulling over buying some burial jars. From behind me, a stern voice asks, “Para sa ano yan?” (What is that for?) I turn and see a middle-aged woman in some kind of uniform. Her face is serious, and her arms are folded on her chest. I assume she’s an employee of the gallery. “Sa blog ko lang po,” I answer. “OK lang ba?” She doesn’t answer and then walks away. Reno and I resume talking about the burial jars and other things.

I begin to lose interest in buying the jars. It occurs to me that transporting archaeological artifacts might require special permits and I might be held in the airport if the scanners show I have suspicious rocks in my luggage. I have not checked the laws on cultural treasures and similar stuff. Besides, it seems better to stick to my original plan and be not involved at all in any financial deals involving burial jars.

I would probably not think of such matters if the gallery attendant had been friendlier. She has irked me. But she can’t stop me from taking several photos more after the dozens that I’ve taken. These burial jars belong to my province. The people of my province have more right to the jars than the owners and employees of the gallery. I take out my camera and click away again.

“Para sa ano yan? ” the woman asks me again from behind after a while. I thought she has left me and the burial jars in peace. I explain again that it’s just for my blog. “Bawal po ba (Is it prohibited)?” I ask. “Have you asked permission downstairs?” she says in Tagalog. “Hindi po,” I admit. She asks a few more questions, and I answer them honestly and politely. I tell her researching about the jars is my personal hobby. She must have noticed that I’m a perfectly decent or sane person after all. We keep on talking, and after a while, as though another spirit has possessed her body, she becomes accommodating, sympathetic even. She tells me the jars have been in the gallery for maybe ten years and she believes they should not have been for sale because burial jars used for the dead. My irritation with her dissipates. All the same, I have lost interest in buying jars or anything else from the gallery.

I have nothing but photos of the fourteen jars. If I write about them in my blog, if I tell the public about them, some private collectors might become interested and buy them and hide them away forever from the people of Kulaman Plateau and even of the Philippines. If more people become interested in the jars, they might fetch a higher price in the black market. I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing by writing about them, but I’m a writer, and my duty is to write. Some things are beyond my control, and there are some risks that I have to take.

Kitab Article III Sections 10 and 11 Relations

Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices

Section 10. Family Relations
(1) Children should obey their parents. Siblings should have unity, love for one another, and respect for one another.
(2) Parents should keep good relationship among family members, take care of their children, and discipline their children. Parents should support the education of their children for them to have a good future.
(3) Family members should share the chores to have a progressive and peaceful life.

Section 11. Relations with Other Tribes—If other tribes come to visit such as Maguindanao, B’laan, Teduray, Kalagan, Ubo and T’boli, entertain them and give them food. If they encounter problems while staying in your house, help them promptly. Do not wait for their parents to solve the problem. Solve the problem yourself so that the people will see that you are a good datu and you consider them as part of your family. The Dulangan Manobos are helpful to other tribes when it comes to problems that need to be faced to attain peace.

(This post is a part of a series on Kitab, the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. See my introductory post for the list of posts containing all the sections of the law. You may also see the original Filipino version on Scribd.)