Mandaya by Joel Velasquez

Mandaya Tribe
by Joel Velasquez

 
"Mandaya" derives from "man" meaning "first," and "daya" meaning "upstream" or "upper portion of a river," and therefore means "the first people upstream". It refers to a number of groups found along the mountain ranges of Davao Oriental, as well as to their customs, language, and beliefs. The Mandaya are also found in Compostela and New Bataan in Davao del Norte.
Scholars have identified five principal groups of Mandaya: the Mansaka or those who live in the mountain clearings; the Manwaga or those who lived in the forested mountain areas; the Pagsupan or those who make a living in the swampy banks of the Tagum and Hijo rivers; the Managusan or those who live near the water; and the Divavaogan who are found in the southern and western parts of the Compostela (Bagani 1980:30; Cole 1913:165).
    The Mandaya generally have high foreheads, prominent cheekbones, broad noses, thick lips and angular features. They are generally fair (Valderrama 1987:6-7). Population estimate in 1988 was about 22,000 for the Mandaya found in Davao Oriental, and about 33,000 for the whole country (Peralta 1988:8).
 
 
 

Categories: Beadcraft, Culture and Arts, Economy, Mandaya Tribe, Traditional governance

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The Mandaya Ethnic Group

The Mandaya Ethnic Group

According to the writing of John Garvan in his memoir in the New York Academy of Sciences, the Mandaya is "probably the greatest and best tribe in Eastern Mindanao". Miguel Sadera-Maso writes that the Mandaya "are considered by the non-Christians as the oldest and most illustrious of the peoples." Indeed, Mandaya culture continues to amaze and interest many people as it becomes enduring and persevering generation after generation. Mandaya means "inhabitants of the uplands". Quite interestingly, areas occupied by the Mandaya in the Pacific rim are characterized by rugged topography with few plains along the coastal areas.


       The ethnographic map of the Spanish colonizers shows Mandaya existence in the present provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte and Compostella Valley, and from Tago town of Surigao del Sur and Southern part of Agusan del Sur. This colorful tribe since then have underwent many influences from neo-political and economic systems. Other sub-groups emerge with names taken from their locational self-ascriptions. Among these are the Mansaka, Dibabaon, Pagsaupan, Mangguangan, Maragusan, and Dibabaon (Cole, 1913); and the Kalagan Kamayo. William A. Savage-Landor includes the Tagacaolo as a branch of the Mandaya. Presently, the concentration of the Mandaya is in Davao Oriental that lies along the Pacific Ocean. Cole (1913) avers that Mandaya is the largest tribal unit in southeastern Mindanao.

       During the Spanish time, the Davaweno group emerged. These are the Mandaya converts into Christianity baptized during the 1870's at the height of Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The creation of Provincia de Caraga long before the Davao province during the colonial period provides the historical and chronological evidence that Davaweños are Mandaya descendants.

       Sons of the Mandaya became political leaders as governors and congressmen during the Spanish colonization. They are Governors Sobrecarey and Generoso and Congressman Teodoro Palma Gil, who was a classmate of Jose Rizal. The dominance of Mandaya offsprings in political, social and economic fields was traced as one great influence in their ethnocentrism.

Categories: Beadcraft, Culture and Arts, Economy, Mandaya Tribe, Traditional governance

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