INTRODUCTION
The Philippine Archipelago is
composed of 7, 107 distinguished islands. There are more than 40 different
ethnic groups that can be found and there are 18 tribal groups on the island of
Mindanao. The most well-known is the T'boli Tribe which is located in the rainforests
of Cotabato (Authorstream.com). The T’boli, which are also known as Tagabili, are
old indigenous people who mostly live in the southern part of Mindanao (litera1no4.tripod.com).
According to their myths, the T’boli
are descendants of Tamfeles and La Kagef, and La Bebe and La Lomi, two couples
that survived a big flood after being warned to take precautions by the deity
Dwata. Taking a huge bamboo that could accommodate countless people; then they
filled the vessel with food. La Kagef and Tamfeles begot 12 sons and daughters:
Sudot Henok and Nayong who begot the tau sequil (lowlanders); Dodom and Eva who
begot the tau mohin, the sea-dwellers from Kiamba; Bou and Umen who begot the
tau sebu, the uplanders of Lake Sebu and Sinulon; La Bila and Moong who begot
the Bilaan of Tupi; Dugo and Sewen who begot the Ubu (Manobo); and Kmanay and
Sodi who begot the people who became Muslims. From the loins of La Bebe and La
Lomi sprang the Ilongo and other Visayan groups, the Ilocano, and the Tagalog (litera1no4.tripod.com)—and so that’s
how the history started.
The T’boli earns their living
through farming, fishing, and hunting. The rich water forms in the place where
they reside are the main sources of their fishing, specifically lakes.
On the other hand, this Tribal group,
somehow, is still living in a traditional way, comparable with how their
ancestors lived centuries ago. The T'boli distinguish themselves from other
Tribal Groups by their colorful clothes, bracelets and earrings, this tribe is
famous for their complicated beadwork, wonderful woven fabrics and beautiful
brass ornaments. T'boli culture is richly connected with and inspired by
nature; their dances are a mimic from the action of animals such as monkeys and
birds (muhen or god of fate). The T'boli has a rich musical culture with a
variety of musical instruments, but the T'boli music and songs are not meant
for entertainment only. The Tribal songs are a living contact with their
ancestors and a source of ancient wisdom. The T'boli believes that everything
has a spirit which must be respected for good fortune. Bad spirits can cause
illness and misfortune (aliawanenterprises.com).
FOLK
LITERATURE
Folk literature is considered as one
of the most powerful factor when it comes to knowing Tboli people in a deeper
sense. In fact, the literary forms that the
T’boli find most appealing consist of their folk beliefs and folk speeches.
These folk speeches constitute the folk tales and their sayings which are, ‘til
nowadays, vital and alive in their cultural world. As according to Manzano, T’boli
folk literature reflects the typical beliefs, customs, and traditions of their
society and that practically every aspect of T'boli life is governed by folk
beliefs and sayings (ncca.gov). This
is in the sense that through these literary forms such as the above given, T’boli
people are able to preserve their outmost culture for this is what regulates
their lives as well as their identity within the society. Furthermore, one example
of their folk tales is the story of "Why Animals Are Afraid of
People" which explains the relationship between the animals and the human
beings. In accordance with their folk beliefs, they are much into animism thus they
believe that spirits exist in the form of natural sources (nature). They believe
in the influence of gods and goddesses. Among those are Kadaw La Sambad, which
is considered as the god of the sun and Bulon La Mogoaw, which is the goddess
of the moon. Also, to the Tboli, all objects house a spirit. By offering the
spirits gifts, they are continually seeking to gain the good graces from these
spirits. Just for example, before passing a bride, they may throw a ring. If
spirits or gods need to be appeased, the Tboli make desu or offerings, which
may consist of cooked food, the agong, and the kafilan (sword).
Thus, the literature of the T’boli
people is what makes them human. The literary forms, which they have been
upholding since time immemorial, are therefore the manifestation of how their ancestors
lived within the principle of their beliefs, customs and traditions. These are what unite them to become as one
thus speaks much of who they really are as a people. Through their beliefs
and speeches, they become more open to the world thus undoubtedly connecting
them to the different people of various races and cultures. In a way, their
literature is what gives power to their daily living and meaning to their
lives.
Like
any other folk literatures, folk songs still plays a very significant role in
their lives. T’boli people believe that folk songs impart wisdom and are a
means to communicate with their ancestors (updilbioalumni.com).
Since they believe that everything including nature has a spirit and that they
are up to gaining good graces, they use tribal songs as a channel when they do praying
and worshipping. Aside from religious matter,
T’boli makes use of their folk songs as a way of entertainment. They even improvise
their own written songs through using traditional melodic patterns at the end
of a phrase or a sentence. Part of folk songs still being a significant medium
towards the deeper understanding of the T’boli tribe is the use of musical
instruments. Through these they are able to add up various rhythms and melodies
thus helps in identifying whether the song is joyous, sad, or momentous. One of
their known folk song is Lemlunay which
means Paradise.
Tboli's folk songs are indeed still
strongly and vitally significant as to being a part of their culture. They
still sing some of the songs nowadays which proves that their folk songs are
still essential, from the moment their history began to the present times. In
addition, tribal songs may not be just for religious matter or even for
entertainment—because in truth, folk songs are a food for the soul (skyinet.net).
Tod
Bulul’s vitality is still present for it is considered as the root and core of
T’boli folk literature as well as the supporting point of the tribe’s identity.
Tod
Bulul is an epic song consisting of eight episodes each of which may vary in
length between 30 minutes and one hour. It is held as the most important genre
of T’boli oral literature. Tod Bulul, the mythological hero, silently lived alone
with his family in a forest site called Lemhadong. One day, he organized a concert
in which he gathered all the known music instruments and played them one after
the others with his sisters. It attracted many inhabitants of the forest, who
were delighted and decided to stay and live together with Tudbulul: this is how
was founded the Tboli nation (thecitemblog.wordpress.com). This epic
is also their principal means of preserving and transmitting customary law; normally
sung in its entirety only during the moninum, a grand ceremonial complex which
may be completed only every seven years (sil.org).
How
vital Tod Bulul is to the culture of the T’boli people is proven in a way that
he is central point to where the tribe started. He started
everything thus it makes him more or less a great hero.
All in
all, their literature is still an élan vital to the T’boli people because it
never fails to deliver to other races and cultures the real essence of the T’bolis.
The
magnificent story of Tod Bulul, the great hero, is somewhat an attestation that
literature is in fact still an élan vital to the T’boli group. Another form of evidence
is the preservation of their beliefs, speeches and narratives. Today, the said
literary forms are still used and shared to different people all over the
globe. The continuous flourished of
their literature is a proof that it still an élan vital to the tribe. Indeed, through their literature, T’boli
people are able to continually share and promote to others the heart of their
culture with so much pride and honor which are already tattooed deep within
their being.
CONCLUSION
The present
generation of the T’boli tribe did not fail their ancestors, for even nowadays,
their literature is vitally alive despite the coming of modernization. Their tribe is still rich in cultural matters
specially the beliefs, customs and traditions which they have been preserving
for a very long time, thus shows how T’boli people are able to live on their
principles and within the influence of their ancestors. Their literature is
what helped them in upbringing their culture and in conserving their identity. This
just simply shows that their literature being a vital force manifests how T’boli
is rich tribe in cultural heritage.
WORKS
CITED
Ø http://thecitemblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/tboli-ethnic-group-a-showcase-of-culture-and-tradition-at-fame/
