Tbolis currently reside on the mountain slopes on either side of the upperAlah Valley and the coastal area ofMaitum,Maasim andKiamba in the province of Sarangani. In former times, the Tbolis also resided in the upper floor of the Alah Valley. AfterWorld War II and the arrival of settlers from other parts of the Philippines, they have been gradually pushed to the mountain slopes, and have been almost expelled from the fertile valley floor.
Like their immediate neighbouring ethnic groups, theÚbûs,Blàan,Blit,Tàú-Segél, and theTasaday, they have historically been described as pagans or animists, as opposed toMuslim peoples orChristian settlers. In political contexts, however, theCebuano term "Lumad" ("native") has become an umbrella term for the various polytheistic peoples of Mindanao.
In ethnographic and linguistic literature on Mindanao, their name is variously spelt Tboli, T'boli, Tböli, Tagabili, Tagabilil, Tagabulul and Tau Bilil. Theirendonym is Tboli. In the literature, their whereabouts and identity are somewhat imprecise: some publications present the Tboli and the Tagabili as distinct peoples, whereas some locate the Tbolis in the vicinity ofLake Buluan in theCotabato Basin or inAgusan del Norte.
The Tboli have a musical heritage consisting of various types ofagung ensembles, which are composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbedgongs that act as drone without any accompanying melodic instrument.
Tnalak cloth of Tboli dream weavers have patterns inspired by dreams and blessed by Fu Dalu, the Tboli god ofabacá[4]
The Tboli have a tradition of a highly complexpolytheistic religion. However, more recent variants of their religion have been influenced byIslam andChristianity. Nevertheless, some continue to preserve religious practices from traditions thousands of years old, while others have involved with syncretic beliefs combining their traditional religious elements with Christianity or Islam.
Bulon La Mogoaw: one of two supreme deities; married to Kadaw La Sambad; lives in the seventh layer of the universe[5]
Kadaw La Sambad: the second supreme deities; married to Bulon La Mogoaw; lives in the seventh layer of the universe[5]
Cumucul: son of the supreme deities; has a cohort of fire, a sword, and shield; married to Boi’Kafil[5]
Boi’Kafil: daughter of the supreme deities; married to Cumucul[5]
Bong Libun: daughter of the supreme deities; married to S’fedat; could not bear children[5]
S’fedat: son of the supreme deities; married to Bong Libun; could not bear children; asked Bong Libun to instead kill him, where his body became the land from which plants spout from[5]
D’wata: son of the supreme deities; married to both Sedek We and Hyu We; placed the land-body of S’fedat on the sea[5]
Sedek We: daughter of the supreme deities; married to D’wata[5]
Hyu We: daughter of the supreme deities; married to D’wata[5]
Blotik: son of the supreme deities; married to S’lel[5]
S’lel: daughter of the supreme deities; married to Blotik[5]
B’lomi: daughter of the supreme deities; married to Mule[5]
Mule: son of the supreme deities; married to B’lomi[5]
Loos K’lagan: son of the supreme deities; married to both La Fun and Datu B’noling[5]
La Fun: daughter of the supreme deities; married to Loos K’lagan[5]
Datu B’noling: daughter of the supreme deities; married to Loos K’lagan[5]
D’wata (general): the generic term for the gods;[8] guard lives and determine fate and destiny[7]
Muhen: a god of fate in the form of a bird whose song when heard is thought to presage misfortune; any undertaking is immediately abandoned or postponed when one hears the Muhen sing[9]
^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacCasal, G. (1978). The T'boli Creation Myth and Religion. T'boli Art: in its Socio-Cultural Context, pp. 122-123.
^Hyndman, D., Duhaylungsod, L., Thomas, B. (1994). To the last grain of rice: T'boli subsistence production. Springer.
^abcdCudera, R. B., Razon, B. C., Millondaga, K. J. I. (2020). Cultural and ecological significance of Odonata (Insecta) to the T'boli of Lake Sebu, Mindanao, Philippines. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity.
^Talavera, Manalo, Baybay, Saludario, Dizon, Mauro, Porquerino, Novela, Yakit, Banares, Francisco, Inocencio, Rongavilla, Cruz (2013). The T'boli: Songs, Stories and Society. University of the Philippines.
^abManzano, L. C. The T’boli. National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Philippines (Soccsksargen,Davao Region)
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Media related toT'boli people at Wikimedia Commons
