The Lumad is a term being used to denote a group of indigenous peoples of the southern Philippines (the island of Minanao). It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for katawhang ,lumad (literally "indigenous people").
Katawhan Lumad are the un-Islamized and un-Christianized Austronesian peoples of Mindanao.
Matidsalug Manobo tribe have a traditional concept of land ownership based on what. their communities consider their ancestral territories. Ancestral lands include cultivated land as well as hunting grounds, rivers, forests, .uncultivated land and the mineral resources below the land.
For the Matidsalug Manobo, securing their rights to ancestral domain is a matter of importance. However, much of their land has already been registered in the name of multinational corporations, logging companies and other wealthy Filipinos, on top of that, the they live in the area where NPA (new people's army) the armed wing of the .communist party in the Philippines operates against the Philippines government.
In 1993 the Matidsalug Manobo leadership signed an agreement with the Philippines government to join forces with the army in order to fight the NPA, as a result of this agreement the army trained and armed the Matidsalug people. A fact that made the .NPA a fierce enemy.
On October 2008 the Philippines army decided to withdraw from parts of the area of Bukindon province, where the Matidsalug people lived, with their withdraw they took all weapons that the tribe had, living them basically with nothing to fight with against the NPA, other than spears and Suret Suret- a local home made gun which can shoot .only one bullet at a time, before a long process of reloading takes place.
The Matidsalug Manobo force includes 300 warriors protecting their community's livelihood against a much greater NPA force, which controls most of the territory.
Katawhan Lumad are the un-Islamized and un-Christianized Austronesian peoples of Mindanao.
Matidsalug Manobo tribe have a traditional concept of land ownership based on what. their communities consider their ancestral territories. Ancestral lands include cultivated land as well as hunting grounds, rivers, forests, .uncultivated land and the mineral resources below the land.
For the Matidsalug Manobo, securing their rights to ancestral domain is a matter of importance. However, much of their land has already been registered in the name of multinational corporations, logging companies and other wealthy Filipinos, on top of that, the they live in the area where NPA (new people's army) the armed wing of the .communist party in the Philippines operates against the Philippines government.
In 1993 the Matidsalug Manobo leadership signed an agreement with the Philippines government to join forces with the army in order to fight the NPA, as a result of this agreement the army trained and armed the Matidsalug people. A fact that made the .NPA a fierce enemy.
On October 2008 the Philippines army decided to withdraw from parts of the area of Bukindon province, where the Matidsalug people lived, with their withdraw they took all weapons that the tribe had, living them basically with nothing to fight with against the NPA, other than spears and Suret Suret- a local home made gun which can shoot .only one bullet at a time, before a long process of reloading takes place.
The Matidsalug Manobo force includes 300 warriors protecting their community's livelihood against a much greater NPA force, which controls most of the territory.
January-february 2009