 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 373,392[1] (2020 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Philippines:Soccsksargen,Davao | |
| Sarangani | 120,954[2] |
| Davao del Sur | 89,949[3] |
| South Cotabato | 48,391[4] |
| General Santos | 20,769[5] |
| Sultan Kudarat | 9,078[6] |
| Cotabato | 5,988[7] |
| Davao City | 3,285[8] |
| Languages | |
| Blaan,Cebuano,Hiligaynon,Filipino | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lumad,Visayans, and otherAustronesians | |
TheBlaan people,[9][a] are one of theindigenous peoples ofSouthern Mindanao in thePhilippines. Their name may be derived from "bla", meaning "opponent", and the "people"-denoting suffix "an". According to a 2021 genetic study, the Blaan people also have Papuan admixture.[11]
The Blaan are neighbors of theTboli, and live nearLake Sebu and Tboli municipalities ofSouth Cotabato,Sarangani,General Santos, the southeastern part ofDavao and aroundLake Buluan inCotabato. They are famous for their brassworks, beadwork, and tabih weave. The people of these tribes wear colorful embroidered native costumes and beadwork accessories. The women of these tribes, particularly, wear heavy brass belts with brass "tassels" ending in tiny brass bells that herald their approach from afar.
Some Blaan natives were displaced when General Santos was founded in 1939. Others settled in the city.
Their language is said to be the source of the name forKoronadal City, from two Blaan words –kalon meaningcogon grass andnadal ordatal meaning plain, which aptly described the place for the natives. On the other hand, Marbel, which is another name for thepoblacion, is a Blaan termmalb-el which means "murky waters" referring to a river, now calledMarbel River.
The tribe practices Indigenous rituals while adapting to the way of life of modern Filipinos.[12]
Relations with settlers and their descendants are not always harmonious; settlers reportedly clashed with some Blaan natives in March 2015.[13]
Blaans speak theirnative language of the same name. However, they have additionally developed literacy inCebuano,Hiligaynon,Tagalog and, to some extent,Ilocano. These languages were brought and introduced by settlers fromCebu,Bohol,Siquijor,Negros,Panay,Tagalog-speaking regions,Central Luzon andIlocandia during the early 20th century.[14]
Some of the deities in the Blaan pantheon include:
The Blaans have a system of weaving usingabaca fiber.[15] The art of abaca weaving is calledmabal ormabal tabih, while the cloth produced by this process is called thetabih.[16]
Blaan weavers do not use spinning wheels. Instead, they join together by hand strands of the abaca fiber, which are then used to weave the tabih.[16]
Fu Yabing Dulo was one of two surviving master designers left of themabal tabih art ofikat weaving.[16]Estelita Bantilan, who was given theNational Living Treasures Award in 2016, is a master weaver of traditional mats known asigêm.[17]
The Blaan have a tradition of creating art from brass and copper.[15][18] The Blaan smelt brass and copper to produce small bells and handles of long knives. These knives, called thefais, are made with intricately designed brass.
The Blaan also sew plastic beads or shell sequins to create intricate designs on women's blouses and trousers, called thetakmon. Geometric and other designs depicting the environment or theSolar System are sewn using cotton yarns onto men's pants and shirts, called themsif.[15]
The Blaan tribe at the foot ofMount Matutum Protected Landscape support their livelihoods by collecting the feces of thePhilippine palm civet for processing intowild civet coffee. Sitio 8 village, Barangay Kinilis,Polomolok is famous as a civet coffee-producingsettlement.[19]
Media related toB'laan people at Wikimedia Commons
