The Maguindanao and Their Ancestral Domain

The descendants of Sultan sa Labo, upon learning of the opportunity to claim back their ancestral domain, organized the Sultan sa Labo Descendants Organization and expressed intention to file ancestral domain claims through DAO 2 [Department Administrative Order 02, series of 1993].

Oral tradition articulated by elders confirm the AD claim of the descendants of Sultan Padasan (Sultan sa Labo), covering most of the hinterlands of Bagumbayan as their ancestral territory.

Before the creation of Bagumbayan into a municipality in 1969, the territorial domain of Sultan sa Labo was the sultanate of the Binambalanen and Blinen—genealogical clans whose territory stretched from Laguilayan to Surallah, now parts of Isulan and South Cotabato.

The elders can easily substantiate this claim through knowledge of their ancestral legacies and all the historical accounts that go with it. This includes knowledge of territorial landmarks and epics that imbued popular beliefs among early Maguindanaoans in the area.

Daguma range was a vital source of products for establishing settlements by the natives. The ancestors depended much from its forests for the food that they ate and the houses where they lived. It was not just a place where early natives produced timbers and logs to build houses. Rather, it was an important landmark that linked their existence to past generations. Daguma, which means tuber trees, was ancestral hunting ground of the Maguindanaons of Bagumbayan.

Kolambog, now a part of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat was once a famous area for holding religious and social festivities. It was the cultural center of Maguindanaon forbears, where they observed important occasions such as Kalilang (marriage rites) and other Muslim occasions.

Initial estimates put the scope of the claim in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat at 9,000 hectares. The claim covers the areas along the foothills and mountain range portions, including all important landmarks. Specifically, these are the Daguma Mountain Range in Barangay Daguma; stretches of undulating hills in Barangays Chua and Masiag; Sitio Slatan bounding the Kyukid Creek of Barangay Muno, and the Pangulan Creek of Poblacion. Also included in the petitions are alienable and disposable lands in Barangays Tuka, Busuk and Bai Saripinang.

The natives here can trace the histories behind the names of landmarks and other important sites. For instance, Mount Dabumbol and Pitot a Kalabaw got their names from their unique appearances. Mount Dabumbol (bald) is actually a hill depleted of trees. Pitot a Kalabaw on the other hand was an ancestral hunting ground that resembled a carabao’s hind.

To the central portion of Bagumbayan lies Mount Awot, a hill with little vegetation but likewise a popular spot. It is where the Awot creek flows. The creek got its name because spring water gushes through it after occasional heavy rains, but dries out during summer.

Other important landmarks of Bagumbayan are Kiyukid Creek in Barangay Muno, Mount Makaw in Sitio Awot, Pangulan Creek and the Tantawan Rock formations in Barangay Daguma. The Tantawan rock formation was once a strategic location where early natives could survey the plains of the territory.

(Blogger’s note: This post is the second part of an eight-part series on the Maguindanao people. Each part is posted every Monday starting December 8, 2014. The text is copied as it appears in Defending the Land: Lumad and Moro People’s Struggle for Ancestral Domain in Mindanao. The book, published by a consortium of non-government organizations, has an “anti-copyright” notice and may thus be freely reproduced. Insertions in brackets are mine.)