TIGWAHANON TRIBE

The Tigwanon Tribes are one of the major tribe in Bukidnon. The Tigwahanon ethnic
group is one of the seven (7) indigenous communities scattered in different
geographical areas of Bukidnon Province. According to their Municipal Chieftain,
Tigwahanon may have been derived from the Tigwa River as they live near the
riverbanks and watershed. They are, however, particularly identified by their distinct
Manobo dialect. The Tigwahanons also called themselves Tigwa Manobo. They are the
direct neighbors of Matigsalug, who occupied land areas near the Salug River and are
northern neighbors of the Bukidnons . The Tigwahanon inhabit the Bukidnon and Davao
del Norte border, specifically in the municipality of San Fernando Watersheds in Agusan
del Norte, Bukidnon, Agusan Sur and Misamis Occidental but the Tigwahanons are
concentrated in the municipality of San Fernando.
In the 2010 census conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, there were 6,636
Tigwahanons in Bukidnon. The Tigwahanon communities are commonly found in the
barangays: Bonacao, Halapitan, Kibongcog, Little Baguio, Namnam, Tugop, Iglugsad,
Magkulangay, Mabuhay, Kawayan, and Nacabuklad. During the fieldwork, the
researcher found out that some of the Tigwahanon call themselves lumad, which means
indigenous people, and they call their language nilumad, minanobo, or native language.
The Tigwahanons engaged in farming, fishing, and hunting in the premodern economy.
The people of Tigwahanon have a tree house called batangan built among the branches
of a growing tree as its solitary post. Their fishing is called bu o or bamboo fish traps,
they have learned fishing using hook and banowit. The community's primary food
sources became the Tigwa River and the forest. They also grow corn, sweet potatoes,
bananas, cassava, and rice. Farming remains the dominant industry. Specific
individuals may pursue temporary employment opportunities, such as engaging in
construction and cottage industry labor or providing domestic services. Militarization,
migration, intermarriage, and the environmental phenomenon has drawn some of the
Tigwahanons to live in lowland areas in San Fernando. The relocation has caused a
significant change to their livelihoods. Some who reside close to the town center work
for various local government organizations, others are domestic helpers, and others are
laborers.
Women also in this community do the majority of the hard work. The men are their to
protect the community, hunt and sit around a lot talking. Women do most of the heavy
lifting, planting of crops, pounding rice, raising children, cooking, and all the other day to
day tasks. Ex. Women pounding palay (rice in its shell) to remove the rice grains.
Another source of livelihood within the community is the live capture of forest birds.
These birds are sold to lowlanders as a source of income for the Manobos. The men
use a sticky resin on a wooden pole and allure the birds in with camote roots. When the
birds land on the sticky resin they are caught. The Tigwahanon tribe are rich and
famous on their traditional dances using the two-stringed guitar called “Kudlong” for the
Datu and “Saluray”, a smaller version of a guitar made of bamboo for the Bae and
sings “ulahing”, a high-pitched, and plaintive chanting expressing their most intimate
joys, fears, or hopes of the moment. Virgin rainforest surrounds the Tigwahanon
community and animals such as the Philippine Eagle are often seen here.
The sociolinguistic situations of a Tigwahanon community may have increasingly
changed over time. The gradual transformation caused by their social environment has
resulted in a corresponding shift in the landscape of their customary practices and their
language use. In terms of environment, the presence of mass and social media
increased their language exposure to other languages. Regarding religion, most
Tigwahanons have changed their long-held customs and traditions because they have
become Christians. Most of these customs and traditions are seen as going against
Christianity’s teachings, so they have no longer been practiced. Regarding employment,
it has been noted that many Tigwahanons were engaged in government or private-
sector occupations. Some were self-employed in activities such as farming and fishing.
Some individuals engage in informal employment, while others may be unemployed.
The constant and inevitable contact of Tigwahanons with other languages because of
their geographical location dramatically contributes to this significant change brought by
necessity and a call to life. Because of the necessity of the Cebuano language in
making transactions and establishing relationships and communication, Tigwahanons
gradually acquired the linguistic elements of this language.
The Tigwahanon has a political structure. Their chieftain heads the Tribal Council and
his council members and the chieftain is in charge of judgements and conflicts within
the community and what he says is final. Datu is a title given to male tribal leaders, and
Bae is a title for female tribal leaders, equivalent to Datu. The principal duty of the
Tigwahanon community tribal leaders is to oversee and protect the ancestral domain
and the residents within their purview. This governmental body operates within the
confines of a local community called a barangay. In summary, the Barangay and Tribal
Council collaborate to uphold a harmonious and well-regulated community for the
collective advantage of its constituents.