Photographs of Mindanao, Philippines: PORTRAITS (original) (raw)

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Ricardo dela Camara (Datu Mabalao), the “Overall Chieftain of the Higaunen Tribes” who was our host, together with his second wife Erlinda and his son Baledodong. Near Tahina, a small settlement of the Banuwaen people beside the Libang river. Three days after we left, our host was kidnapped, and he never came back. Later on, the two brothers and the father of his wife were killed too. They were all deeply involved in local/regional politics, and they also used to ask “toll” from small-time loggers who were rafting down the Libang river. Tahina, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. February 21-24, 1977.

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	Ricardo dela Camara (Datu Mabalao) with his wife second and son. Same situation as above. Tahina, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. February 21-24, 1977.

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Datu Makatundag, the fierce ruler of barrio Tagbalili. When we arrived there, he greeted us with the words: “I have the power over life and death in this place. People who do not know how to behave – well, something might happen to them. But, surely, you are good boys!” Then he made one of the most impressive dasang (song-speech reserved to a datu) that I have ever heard. Tagbalili, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. February 27, 1977.

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	Young Banuwaen boy and young women watching the dancing during a music recording session. Tagbalili, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. February 27, 1977.

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	Datu Manligsuen chanting his heart out. He was considered the best singer of improvised songs (limbay) in this place. Sitio Salsalan, Tagbalili, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. March 5, 1977.

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Maria Artaw, a singer from Dinagahan, Gingoog City. I met her in Claveria where she had escaped together with a whole group of her relatives. After some killings had happened, the critical situation in their place had turned to the worse. The woman is wearing the traditional necklace of Bukidnon and Higaunen women, and she is holding a_kamuyut_, the traditional backbag which nowadays is still very popular, also recently among students in the cities of the area. Claveria. February 24, 1984.

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Datu Dimasankay (Mandayano Sesayan) of Iponan and his wife. This small settlement of scattered houses is located in the western part of Misamis Oriental province. The real boss in this place, however, was a young man who made a big business out of trading with rattan. Many people in Iponan worked for him cutting rattan in the forest, at that time. Sitio Iponan, Balungkud, Dansulihon, Misamis Oriental. January 6, 1983.

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	On our way along a logging road between Dansulihon to Sitio Iponan, we stopped for a while beside a house where he started talking to this man and his children. Sitio Iponan, Balungkud, Dansulihon, Misamis Oriental. January 7, 1983.

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	Malimay Viaje sang an excerpt from the ulaging epic for us. In a very exciting way, she shaped the adventures of the immortal forefather of the Higaunen and Bukidnon, super hero Agyu, into verses and short, strongly rhythmic melodies. Sitio Iponan, Balungkud, Dansulihon, Misamis Oriental. January 6, 1983.

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The late Datu Kinulintang (Anastacio Saway), the former overall chieftain of the Talaandig tribe, wearing the traditional turban. He was considered the “historian” of the Talaandig by many people, for he was a good singer of the epic_ulaging_ which is generally considered as the oral history of the people. For many anthropologists going to the Talaandig area, he became one of their main informants. Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. December 3, 1983.

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	Datu Kinulintang with his daughter Irene. Both are wearing the traditional costumes of their people. The _datu_’s headdress is the special badge of a war leader. At the time this photograph was made, the young lady was studying anthropology at Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City, where she has been working since then. Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. December 3, 1983.

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Three Talaandig girls saying farewell to their departing visitor. Their grandfather, Marcelo Sinto, just finished singing about Agyu, the immortal hero of the ulaging epic, and about his adventures in paradise Nelendangan. Their guest, after staying awake the whole night through inside the draughty wooden house and listening to the chanting, almost died of a sudden infection of the throat, the next day. Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. April 22, 1986.

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Datu Man-abayan (63 years old), the highest datu of Guilang-Guilang, a barrio located halfway between Impasugong and Kalabugao. He was an eloquent speaker of dasang (song-speech reserved for datus) as well as an experienced singer of kaliga (ritual song) and limbay (improvised song). His headdress does not seem to be traditional and was probably imported from somewhere in western Mindanao. Later on, we saw similar headdresses in Bantuanon (Lantapan, Bukidnon). Guilang-Guilang, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. February 7, 1983.

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	Banuwaen woman in Kiudto, a small settlement in the mountains between the provinces of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur. There seems to be some Agusan Manobo influence in her adornment. The teeth of the lady are black from chewing betel nut. Sitio Kiudto, Hagp�, Impasugong, Bukidnon. February 15, 1983. In the morning.

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	Datu Palasambag of Sitio Kiudto just returned from a trip when we were about to leave. Sitio Kiudto, Hagp�, Impasugong, Bukidnon. February 15, 1983. In the morning.

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	While walking on the logging road returning from Hagp� to Kalabugao, we saw this woman waiting for a logging truck to pass by and pick her up. We had been told that there would be no truck passing that day so that we decided to walk. Between Hagp� and Kalabugao, Bukidnon. February 15, 1983.

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Every year, the community ceremony pangamp� (cp. RITUALS) is celebrated in Impasugong. It is usually performed by visitors from the settlement of Dumalaging. This old man, Datu Juanito Ayukan was said to be 117 years old, and he was the main baylan during the ceremony. He felt too weak, however, to perform it himself. Somebody had to take over who only started when the old man had taken a seat to watch carefully if the ritual was performed properly. Impasugong, Bukidnon. December 6, 1983.

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	Southern Bukidnon datu after a visit at the provincial office of PANAMIN (Presidential Assistant for the National Minorities) in Malaybalay, the capital of Bukidnon province. Malaybalay, Bukidnon. March 5-7, 1983.

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	Datu Quirino Gabao, 65 years old, is the leader of the Tigwa Manobo settlement Kibongkog, together with his brother, Datu Esteban Gabao. His headdress (tangkulu), decorated with bristles of a wild boar, is especially typical for the minority people of that area down to Davao (Tigwa, Matigsalug, Ata and Langilan Manobo as well as Bagobo). Kibongkog, San Fernando, Bukidnon. August 9, 1993, 11 a.m.

Page designed and maintained by Hans Brandeis, Berlin, Germany. All photographs and information collected by Hans Brandeis in 1976-1993. Copyright � 1996 by Hans Brandeis. All rights reserved. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

For comments, please send an e-mail to brandeis@cs.tu-berlin.de

Created: Sunday, April 28, 1996
Updated: Sunday, December 29, 2002

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