Cultural anthropology and the Higaonon Tribe of Mindanao - Essay Example

?Cultural Anthropology and the Higaonon Tribe of Mindanao What is Cultural Anthropology and Why is it Important? ‘Anthropologists and other researchers have long searched the globe for people isolated from the modern world’ (Lacey, 2005 and Nanda and Warms, 2008). Cultural anthropology refers to ‘the study of human society and culture, the sub-field that describes, analyzes, interprets and explains social and cultural similarities and differences’ (Kottak, 2009:9). In order to study and interpret cultural diversity, Keesing (1998) highlights that cultural anthropologists must engage in ethnographic activity, which refers to the process of recording and interpreting another people’s way of life. Ethnography therefore provides an account of a particular community, society and culture, and allows researchers to study local behavior beliefs, customs, social life, economic activities, politics and religion according to Kottak (2009). Introduction and Location of the Higaonon Tribe of Mindanao The Higaonon tribal population currently stands at an estimated 350, 000, and largely reside over five distinct provinces – Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte. They are traditionally a nomadic tribe, traveling from one mountain to another, looking for fertile soil for a fruitful harvest. The name Higaonon is derived from the words ‘higa’ meaning  living, the word ‘goan’, which  means mountains and the word ‘onon’ meaning people. The Higaonon tribe has thus become known as ‘people of the living mountains’. Since ‘creation times’ the Higaonon are said to have lived in their forest home, undisturbed, managing the forest in a natural and harmonious way. Higaonon Tribe Dynamics The tribe consists of eight clans centred around the eight main rivers of the Higaonon’s ‘Ancestral Domain’. These clans are divided into the warrior and peaceful clans. However, both clans now exist in peace with one another. They follow a Datuship system of government, in which each Datu (generally an elder) is trained in distinct areas of expertise, e.g. in education or spirituality. However, the Datu always leads as an administrator, and never as a ruler. Social and Cultural Customary Laws and Sacred Teachings of the Higaonon The social and cultural dynamics of the Higaonon tribal people are governed by the customary laws of Bunkatol Ha Bulawan Daw Nang Ka Tasa ha Lana, which means ‘treasured unity’ or code of conduct. It is a sacred bond that unites the entire Higaonon people, who share a common root language, history and culture (Jong, 2010). These sacred teachings include; Don't go against the law Don't disobey the sacred orders Don't be an egotistic or self-centred person Don't compare yourself to others Don't be envious of others Asking and Giving is the greatest gift of Creation Love one another Live in Peace Equality among Men Listen to everyone Religious Teaching In The Higaonon Tribe The Higaonon tribes are very spiritual and believe that every living thing has a spirit that guides or animates its behavior. The forest is viewed as the Higaonon people’s ‘church’, in which they believe that their ancestor’s spirits live in the mother trees, watching over the land. Prayer rituals are offered to deities over sacrifices of blood, in which chickens and pigs are usually scarified to ‘the forest spirits’. Human sacrifice does not form a part of Higaonon tribal religion. Tribal burials consist of a ritual washing and cleansing of the corpse in which jewellery and face and body painting decorates the dead body to allow the spirits to identify the dead person in question. This is followed by the cremation of the body, in which the smoke and fire is believed to release the spirit of the deceased. The Higaonon tribe are also true peace loving people, and have been given the name ‘weavers of peace’ (The United Association of Higaonon Tribes, 2011) This is because their strive for peace is expressed in their traditional woven fabric, the Hinabol. The patterns woven into these fabrics are considered sacred, and are often used as offerings to their God, or as peace offerings during conflict with other local tribes. Higaonon Subsistence The Higaonon tribes live in the forests and mountainous regions of Mandano. Their subsistence is based on being ‘hunter-gatherers’, hunting wild game, fishing, root crops, rice and trading forest products and handicrafts (Jong, 2010). The males of the tribes are predominately in charge of hunting, whilst the females of the tribes take strong community and social roles, providing primary care for their children. Women are respected and considered as equals to men, because according to Bungkatol Ha Bulawan teachings ‘women are the makers of men.’ However, the recent diminishment of their forests has led many Higaonon people to change from a semi-nomadic lifestyle to farming crops. Each tribe has areas of land they can use for subsistence farming, in which they achieve a balance between cultivation and preserving the forests. Co-existing amongst nature is very important to the Higaonon tribe because their spirituality is based around the ‘forest spirits’. Under the Bungkatol Ha Bulawan teachings, land is a loving gift of Magbabaya (the Supreme Creator) for all ‘men’, and is considered sacred to the Higaonon tribes. This is because land produces life's nourishments, so land is viewed as life in itself. It cannot be sold and or taken away by anyone. Threats to the Higaonon Tribe Deforestation over the past six decades has halved the size of the forests on Mindanao, in which only 500,000 hectares remain, 25% of its original size. This has resulted in the destruction of the Higaonon tribe’s home, and has led to environmental degradation, e.g. less fertile soil, increased erosion, which threatens the existence and livelihood of the Higaonon people. The Higaonon tribe have also been victims of land grabbing, Christian chauvinism, government neglect, militarization and other forms of exploitation and oppression. Increasing numbers of the Higaonon tribe are becoming assimilated into non-indigenous lifestyles, and are rapidly loosing their traditional culture and way of life. Conclusions For millennia, the Higaonon tribal people have co-existed in harmony with their natural surroundings. They have managed to build up strong social and cultural practices, form orderly laws and codes of conduct, worship their ‘forest spirits’ and survive off the land in a sustainable way. However, their way of life has come under threat from deforestation and rapid urbanization on Mindanao, and there are fears that the Higaonon tribe are slowly moving toward assimilation into industrial society. Government policy is needed to protect the Higaonon tribal people before their unique culture and way of life is resigned to the history books. References Jong, R (2010) The Last Tribes of Mindanao, the Higaonon People of the Living Mountains. Avalable at http://www.mnnetherlands.com/dir/_page/100831/index.php Keesing, R.M and Strathern, A.J. (1998). Cultural Anthropology: A Contemporary Perspective, 3rd Edition. Wadsworth Publishing, USA Kottak, C.P. (2009) Cultural Anthropology, 13th Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York Lacey, M (2005) Remote and Poked, Anthropology’s Dream Tribe (December 18th 2005) New York Times. Cited in Kottak, C.P. (2009) Cultural Anthropology, 13th Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York Nanda, S and Warms, R (2008) Culture Counts: A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Belmont, CA, Centage Learning/Wadsworth The United Association of Higaonon Tribes. (2011) Available at http://www.unahi.org/index.htm . Read More