Bagobo Tribe

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“Bagobo” comes from “bago” meaning “new, recent” and “obo/obbo/uvu” meaning “growth, grow,” so that the term refers to a recent formation of people along the coast of the Davao Gulf. When the Hinduized peoples from the south brought in Hindu culture during the Sri Vijayan and Majapahit penetration of Mindanao, these migrants mixed with the native population, forming a new society reflected in the name “Bagobo.” The term may loosely apply to the coastal peoples of Davao Gulf, especially those native groups on the western shores of southeastern Davao. These groups include several ethnicities, such as the Tagabawa, Jangan or Attaw, and Tagacaolo. Spanish missionaries and early ethnographers tended to identify them all as one group because they had common articles of material culture, such as dress and ornaments, tools, blades, and musical instruments. Immigrants from other places also tended to include the Manuvu among the Bagobo groups. The ascription is erroneous, for the Manuvu live in the upland areas northwest, north, and northeast of Mount Apo in interior Mindanao. Furthermore, all the abovenamed ethnic groups speak mutually unintelligible languages. The Bagobo are light brown in complexion. Their hair is brown or brownish black, ranging from wavy to curly. The men stand about 158 centimeters tall, the women 147 centimeters tall. Although the face is wide, the cheekbones are not prominent. The eyes are dark and widely set, the eyeslits slanting. The eyebrows are deliberately shaved to a thin line by both male and female. The root of the nose is low, the ridge broad. The lips are full, the chin rounded. Population estimate of the Bagobo in 1988 was 80,000 (NCCP-PACT 1988).

 History 

The Bagobo were the first ethnic group in Mindanao encountered by the Spaniards at the end of the 19th century. Brisk trade already existed among the various groups and tribes. Horses were used to transport goods to the coast. The Bagobo were excellent riders and showed their pride in this skill by adorning their horses with beads and bangles. Their principal trade item was rice, which they exchanged for lowland goods like salt, fish, clay pottery, and for upland goods like resin, beeswax, and the lumbang fruit which was their source of fuel. From the Muslims they bought iron; they bartered with the Chinese for pots, beads, and other ornaments. Sibulan is the ancient settlement of the Bagobo and was the center of all the Bagobo settlements when the Spaniards came. Datu Manib was the datu of Sibulan and, therefore, the foremost datu among all the other datu. He was between 45 and 50 years old when the Spaniards first came to Sibulan. He was able to trace his genealogy back 11 generations to Saling-olop, a legendary culture hero. Although he cordially received the Spaniards when they arrived, he was later imprisoned for defying the Spanish injunction against human sacrifices and refusing to help them capture a Bagobo fugitive.

Bagobo Tribe - Davao city