The T'boli and their subsistence activities The T'boli (pronounce "Tiboli") people live in the southern part of the province Cotabata, in the environment around lake Sebu,  west of the city General Santos. It is estimated that are between 100000 and 150000 T'boli. In the past the T'boli practiced the primitive way of agriculture "slash and burn". "Slash and burn"  means that the people will clear a part of the forest by cutting the big trees and burning the lower and smaller trees and bushes, after which they use the cleared plots as arable land for some years without any fertilization. Rice, cassava and yams were the most important agricultural products. Next to that, the people went hunting or fishing for additional food. A T'boli legend tells that the T'boli are descendants of the survivors of a great flood. A man named Dwata warned the people of an impending great flood. But the tribe refused to listen, except for two couples, La Bebe and La Lomi, and Tamfeles and La Kagef. Dwata told them to take shelter in a bamboo so huge they could fit inside and in this way survive the flood. The story tells that the first couple are the ancestors of the T'boli and other highland ethnic groups The second couple descended the other Filipino indigenous groups.

Religion and culture

Only a few T'boli are Christian or Islamite. More than 95 percent of The T'boli people still has their animistic religion. They were hardly influenced by the spread of the Islam on the island. The Spaniards too, didn't succeed to Christianize the T'boli during the Spanish colonial period. Main reason was that the T'boli withdrew to the hinterlands in the uplands. 

The T'boli and members of other indigenous tribes like the Higaunon,still believe in spirits who live on several places in the natural environment.

lT’boli Fashion and Traditional Costumes

T’bolis are known for their bright colored costumes, which they wear daily, unlike other tribes who wear their costumes during tribal feasts or presence of visitors.

Women wear K’gul yaha soung (plain black or dark navy blouse, tight fitting, waist length, with opening down the front or the back), and theirluwek (ankle-length tube skirt).  Other traditional garbs include K’gal nisif(embroidered blouse), fan de (skirt of red and/or black cloth), K’gal binsiurt (embroidered could with triangular shell), and tredyung (black, pin-stripe linen skirt, mostly an heirloom). 

 Adornments or accessories worn by T’boli women include:

 rEarrings – kawat (brass rings), b’ketot (round mirror with glass beads), nomong (chandelier-type with glass beads), andb’koku (chandelier-type with triangular pieces of shells).

 rKowal (or beklaw)- it consists of several strands of tiny, colored beads, suspended under the chin, from the left ear-lobe to the right.  It frames the face of the women like a veil.

 rNecklace – hikef (choker of pure beadwork, in black, red and while), l’mimot (hangs against the woman’s chest, with strands of back and red tiny black beads), lieg (long, thick necklace with double-triple linked brass chain, has wide tassels and beads at the ends.  The most difficult accessory to acquire because this is considered an heirloom.

 rGirdles – hilot (3-inch wide brass chainmail), hilot t’noyong (a regular hilot with hawk bells) that makes tinkling sound as a girl wearing it walks, and hilot l’minot (a solid beadwork, with tiny red-white-back-yellow beads in dazzling designs).

 rBracelets – blonso (plain brass bracelet worn loosely on the wrist) and kala (also brass, worn tightly on the arm).

 rAnklets – tugul (2-inch black band worn on upper ankles),singkil linti (4-inch, worn loosely at the ankles), singkil babat(like linti, but with decorations on the outer surface), and singkil sigulong (thick, hollow with pebbles to make sound).

 rRings – t’sing (rings) comes in sets of five – the first, third and fifth of plain brass, and the second and fourth in carabao horn.

 rCombs – worn on the head to crown a woman’s hairstyle --su’wat blakang (bamboo).

 rHeadwear – kayab (a yard long wrapped loosely around their hairdo), s’long kinibang (a round salakot made of bamboo strips, worn when working in the field), and bangat s’laong (2 long bands of solid beadwork, with thick horsehair tassels at their ends, worn on special occasions and sometimes part of the T’boli girl’s bride price).

The T’boli men also have their own accessories.  These include: 

1Kubul or an inch-thick wooden ear plugs, worn onto men’s ear lobes 

2Angkul – worn usually by the Datus, which is a piece of special cloth, gathered into a thick band and worn across the chest. 

3Onit tebed – coat of woven bark-strips.

T’boli men carry weapon as part of the daily garb.  

1Baho-ne-fet (bow and arrow) – tablos (made of bamboo and used for hunting board, deer, monkeys and big birds), senofil (looks like a centipede at the end), slufang (used for smaller birds), and husong (think bamboo reed). 

2Sulit (spear) – buyus (made of rattan, with brass tip), soit (used for fish and snakes), and klouit (made of rattan, with end like the sinofil. 

3Bolos – bangkung (short, single-edge bolo with wooden handle, used for clearing trees), bagung (similar to badung, but used for cutting wood), and tefok (used for cutting grass).

Rituals

The T’bolis practice several rituals – that to most sophisticated people today – would be downright incredible.

1 K’molot Libol (Trial by ordeal/judgment)

If a person is accused of stealing or committing concubinage or adultery, and that while due process was explored and yet the people still doubt this innocence, the accused person is subjected to under the process of K’molot Libol. Administered by the Datu or the Libun Boi (Queen), grains of rice is placed in a pot with a stone in it, filled with water and then allowed to boil.  The accused  then has to get the stone inside.  If his or her hand is not burned, then he or she is considered innocent.  If the hand is burned, then the accused is proven guilty.For the thief, he or she is made to pay a fine and return the stolen thing/amount.   The fine may be cash or a property.For those who committed concubinage or adultery, the accused must return the bride price and pay a fine thrice the amount of the bride’s dowry together with his/her lover.

1 Skeleng Luos

This is a friendship pact between a T’boli family and a Ubo family. One party agrees to meet the other in the latter’s territory.  Heads of the family takes a branch of rattan and cut it into two. The rattan will be tied in a piece of coffin, which signifies death to the family who breaks the pact.  The visiting party when gives a kimu(property) to the host family.  Feast and playing of tribal instrument herald the pact, lasting till the night.  Then the visiting party becomes the next host and similar ceremonies are observed. Once the pact is finalized, members of both families may never fight nor intermarry.  They are bound to assist each other, even after the heads of the families die.  Violators of the pact will be meted death.

1 Hegel Loyof (Ensuring the well-being of the child)

When a woman becomes mulut (pregnant), all her food cravings must be provided by her husband.  When the baby is born, she or he must be given two things.  One is a gong, believed to give the child strong soul and the ability to acquire property with ease.  The other thing is a bolo, a long-bladed knife to be used to cut off the umbilical cord, believed to make the child brave.  Bells are shaken inside the bab’s mouth to ensure the child speaks.After given birth, the mother brings the newborn downstairs or outside to touch the soil.   The child must not be allowed to urinate on the ground, because it would make her or him sick.  After that, the mother should rush inside and lie back on the mattress before anyone sneezes.After the umbilical cord is cut, it is exchanged for a gong and a betel nut box, wherein the cord is kept until the child grows up.

1 Bulung Bleten (Ensuring the well-being of the mother)

After giving birth, a mother’s first meal is bulung bleten, a broth of broth of boiled roots and herbs.  She cannot eat vegetables or pork, though she can have soups with shrimp, mudfish or chicken.  In two weeks, she may eat roasted fish and may be considered fit enough to continue her day to day activities.

1 Hetefod Kenugu

The community welcomes the birth of a new baby boy with the ritual h’tefod kenugu. The Datu leads this ritual by cutting the nails of the child, which serves as a gift to the community.  In return the Datu offers t’les kenugu (any property such as a house or a gong), or to symbolize that he grows up a skilled hunter and warrior, a pair of bow and arrow.  Other members of the community givel’tok (rings, coins, etc.).

1 Mo Nimum (Festival ritual)

Literally, the term means the making of wine from sugarcane.  This ritual is celebrated as wedding ceremony, renewal of marriage vows and healing.  The T’bolis participate in this ritual to safeguard themselves from sickness and to assure good health for a lifetime.This ritual is six feasts, hosted alternately by the bride’s and groom’s families, with the former hosting the first feast.  A tau mogot (shaman) oversees the proper observance of the ritual.  To signal the start of the ceremony, tau soyow (male dancers) from the bride’s family dance, accompanied by the music of agong, hegelung (two-stringed guitar), tnonggong (bongo drum) anddewegey (T’boli violin).Driving the evil spirits away, the tau mogot, the couple and their parents gather bamboos and use these to construct a table, which will hold kumu (blankets) and to’ol (T’nalak cloth attached to a wooden hanger).  People should touch the to’ol so that the couple will not get sick.If the feast is transferred to the groom’s side, they construct a booth called tebulel tied to a house and with other ornaments.There will be dance competition between the bride and the groom’s entourage.  Two horses from both sides will be made to fight. Finally, the parents of the couple exchange gifts.  The bride’s parents construct a m’ligey (hut) made of sugarcane for post and roof.  Chicken will be tied to it as offerings. 

1 Demsu (Offering)

The T’bolies believed that illness is either caused naturally or cast by angered spirits.  They seek the help of mewa nga (tribal healer) or m’tonbu (herbal healer/shaman).  If the illness is lingering, a demsu (offering) will probably heal the patient.The m’tonbu prescribes herbal medicine (concoction of various leaves), or ask the patient to drink a soup of chicken with dark flesh and boiled without spices or vegetables.  To appease the spirits, they offer chicken and, cooked and wrapped rice.If the illness is serious, a d’sol be tonok (grand healing ritual) is performed.  The patient is made to go inside a s’lung(booth), sit on an elevated floor and covered with kumu.  Them’tonbu starts dancing around the patient, muttering prayer.  A while feathered chicken with black feet tied to a post represents the soul of the patient.  After the dancing, the chicken is freed, signifying the freedom of the soul of the patient and freedom from illness.  After the ceremony, the chicken is butchered for food and everyone is enjoined to partake it.

Otherwise, the patient’s family builds a hatal dwata (altar), on which they place the tok (bolo), kefilan (kris), agong (gong) and other valuable things.  The patient lies on the altar and the healer prays to the gods to return the soul of the patient and in exchange accept the gong for the patient’s soul.  Water is poured over the gong and placed in a container.  It is later used to wash the patient’s body.  After the ceremony, they bring the patient home. At night time, they retrieve the food and other valuable possession. Food is shared, the object is stored in a safe place until the person recuperates.  If the patient dies, then they belief they have not appeased the gods sufficiently.

1 Kesiyahan (Marriage)

Marriage is a three-stage process for the T’bolis: childhood, puberty and adolescence. It is pre-arranged by the parents and contracted at any age (even after childbirth). Betrothals can be a result of a child’s sickness, where a certain ritual determines if the child is banahung (in need of a life-partner). If the ritual determines so, the parents seek a spouse of suitable age, background and economic standing.  When they find a partner, a piece of the chosen child’s body adornment is borrowed, and then brought to the sick child, whom it is suspended and then struck. After the recovery, the celebration of the first marriage ceremony ensues.  Parents discuss the sungod (bride price) and the kimo (movables and immovables properties) to be given by both family, and will later constitute the properties of the bride. The first marriage is called gatoon.  If one of the children dies, a close relative is made to take the place of the deceased (lomolo).  If the other party does not accede to the substitution, then the kimo is returned.When they reach puberty, the marriage is solemnized on a full moon, when no rain is expected. Wedding feasts, the monimum, is done over a period raging from 2 to 6 years, while each of the six feasts runs for 3 to 5 days and nights.