Review of Oona Paredes’ book: “A Mountain of Difference: The Lumad in Early Colonial Mindanao” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Volume 46, Issue 02, June 2015, pp 332 - 334 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rivers of Memory and Oceans of Difference in the Lumad World of Mindanao
TRaNS: Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia, 2016
This article explores the relevance of water in the cultural traditions of indigenous Lumad peoples of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. Historically, Lumad identities and networks (whether political, social, or economic) were conceptualised according to the rivers on which people dwelt. Important ties stretched from the coast to the interior (i.e., between upriver and downriver communities), with water providing the path of least resistance in rough terrain. This stands in contrast to the present-day cultural and political divide between the uplands and lowlands, which are now dominated by mainstream ‘Filipino’ settlers, referred to locally as dumagat or ‘sea-people’. Given that Lumad ties to the land are profoundly visualised according to rivers, the salt-water origins of dumagats locate these interlopers at, or more often, beyond the moral boundaries of the Lumad universe. Meanwhile, in Lumad oral traditions, the movements of people across one generation to the next ar...
Rivers of Memory and Oceans Of Difference in the Lumad World of Mindanao (2016)
2016
This article explores the relevance of water in the cultural traditions of indigenous Lumad peoples of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. Historically, Lumad identities and networks (whether political, social, or economic) were conceptualised according to the rivers on which people dwelt. Important ties stretched from the coast to the interior (i.e., between upriver and downriver communities), with water providing the path of least resistance in rough terrain. This stands in contrast to the present-day cultural and political divide between the uplands and lowlands, which are now dominated by mainstream 'Filipino' settlers, referred to locally as dumagat or 'sea-people'. Given that Lumad ties to the land are profoundly visualised according to rivers, the saltwater origins of dumagats locate these interlopers at, or more often, beyond the moral boundaries of the Lumad universe. Meanwhile, in Lumad oral traditions, the movements of people across one generation to the next are traced according to river systems they have occupied, with proximity to water often equated with degree of civilization and cultural purity. Despite the passage of time, and decreased linear proximity from the original rivers, these primal riverine origins remain significant in the present day, as Lumads continue to socially prioritise the genealogies and networks of traditional political authority that are upstreamed from these oral traditions. Focusing on field data from the Higaunon ethnic group of northern Mindanao, this article analyses five examples of water being employed as a hermeneutic for how Lumads locate themselves in relation to other ethnic groups, the state, modern Filipino society, and their own cultural traditions.
2016
The Lumads and Moros of the island of Mindanao have long been facing a history of dislocation from their homelands. This history started with the Spanish proselytization and attempted colonization of Mindanao, which then intensified with the entry of the United States of America as the new ruler of the Philippines. Policies were established to initiate a type of colonization that severely impacted Mindanao’s indigenous population, changed its landscape, and altered its history. The end of the Second World War saw the expansion of agribusinesses and mining operations in the region. The encroachment of the mining industry into the uplands impacted the ancestral territories of the Lumads. Highlighted in this article is the case of the Sarangani Manobo and B’laans in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. This is a story of their displacement, their response to the passage of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, their endeavor toward securing a certificate of ancestral domain title, and how...
Identifying the Subanens among the Lumads: A Case Study on Subaben Culture in the Philippines
American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation
The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 codified the use of Indigenous Peoples as reference to the ethnic minorities of the Philippines. Government officials and volunteers from the non-governmental organizations [NGOs], and the academic institutions, however, use the term Lumad as a reference to all ethnic minorities in Mindanao that share no common narrative. This paper is a case study exploring the lifestyles, and culture of the Subanens of Guimad, Ozamiz City, and whether they befit the existing Lumad Narratives. The use of term Lumad as reference to the Subanens of Guimad, Ozamiz City and all other ethnic minorities should be evaluated in order to guarantee that the distinct diverse identities, and cultures of these ethnic minorities are not reduced into a common, singular narrative.
2021
In 2016 a consortium of Lumad indigenous activists articulated husay (conciliation/mediation) as a cultural platform for non-violent political assertion, as well as an umbrella symbol of Lumad legal cultural resurgence on the island of Mindanao (Philippines). In this research I describe key historic, contextual, and cultural (both internal and external) factors in the emergence of this social movement by Lumad peace and justice experts and their allies over the past two decades. This study unearths some of the historic and contemporary symbols, motifs, and meanings undergirding Lumad forms of justice, how they came to be contested in current circumstances, and the dynamics, nuances, and implications of their transformation. With a focus on Lumad engagements in formal government-rebel peace processes, the evolution of collective action by this cohort of Lumad peace practitioners, activists, and peoples’ organizations in the early 2000s is articulated as a Lumad Peace Movement. Factor...