Caraga State University

Ampayon, Butuan City

The Religious Beliefs, Practiced Rituals and Structure

Of the Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur

In Partial Fulfilment for the Requirement of the Course

Peoples and Cultures

Lorebel M. Chua

October 2014

Chapter 1
Rationale
Indigenous people or communities are believed to be pre-historic and precolonial societies. They developed their own territories. They even have established
their own economic system, political system, and social system. They consider
themselves distinct to other sectors of the societies that are now dominating their
territories or parts of them. According to Martinez Cobo (1984), they form at present
non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit
to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of
their continuedexistence as people, in accordance with their own cultural patterns,
social institution and legal system.
Indigenous peoples in the Philippines generally live in geographically isolated
areas with a lack of access to basic social services and few opportunities for
mainstream economic activities or political participation. They are the people with the
least education and the least meaningful political representation. In contrast,
commercially valuable natural resources such as minerals, timber and water are
concentrated in their areas, making them continuously vulnerable to development
aggression from both private and public extractive industries (IWGIA, 2010).
It is estimated that 12-15 million indigenous people are inhabiting in the
Philippines (approximately 15-20% of the total population), speaking around 170
different languages and belonging to 110 ethnic communities. According to the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the majority (61%) of indigenous peoples

in the country live in Mindanao, while a third (33%) are in Luzon, and the remaining
(6%) population are in Visayas (ILO,2012).
Banwaon is one of the ethnic group that can be found in Mindanao. They are
probably an extension of the Bukdnons of the Bukdnon subprovince. They occupy the
upper parts of the Rivers Lamiga, Kandiisan, Hawilian, and hut, and the whole of the
River Masam, together with the mountainous region beyond the headwaters of these
rivers, and probably extend over to the Bukdnons (Garvan, 1935). They are probably
one of the ethnic groups who have least of literature write ups and not quite known
among other ethnic groups who lived in the nearby places. They are also small when it
comes to numbers comparing to the neighbouring groups.
Religious rituals, beliefs and practices are most common among all indigenous
people. Others may differ in some aspect while other ethnic groups are amazingly
similar. The researcher got much interested in the tribe of Banwaon specifically in their
religious rituals, beliefs and practices because it is said that they are still practicing it
even in the modernity of the current century. The researcher wanted to confirm the
stories coming from the Religious of the Good Shepherd Sisters where the researcher is
also working for. And so, the researcher conducted this research.

Statement of the Problem

This study on the Religious Beliefs, Practiced Rituals and Structure of the
Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur seeks to determine the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ethnographic profile of the community.

The Banwaon religious beliefs.
The dependency of Baylan ideas vs. religious change.
The practiced rituals.

5. The Banwaon religious structure.

Significance of the Study

The Religious Beliefs, Practiced Rituals and Structure of the Banwaon in San
Luis, Agusan del Sur is important for it will give more information about the Banwaons
practiced beliefs and rituals. In the conduct of this study, some problems or some
weaknesses of the society may be discovered so that remedial measures may be
instituted to solve the problem. This will benefit the student researchers for it is one of
the requirements in the said program. It will be another source of knowledge for the
Caraga State University especially in the field of research. Thus, it will also provide
assistance to the future researchers because it may contain information that they
needed in their researches. If in the study it is found out that its method is effective in
showing the practiced beliefs and rituals of the Banwaon, it should be pointed out that
this can be a contribution of the study to the fund of knowledge. It should be discussed
here that the implications include the possible causes of the problems discovered, the
possible effects of the problems, and the remedial measures to solve the problems.
Implications also include the good points of a system which ought to be continued or to
be improved if possible.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Scope of the study

This is a qualitative study of the Religious Beliefs, Practiced Rituals and Structure
of the Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur. This study will determine the religious
beliefs of the Banwaon as well as their practiced rituals and religious structure.
The study will be conducted in San Luis, Agusan del Sur in the school year 20141015 1stsemester using purposive sampling. The researcher will use the Focus Group
Discussion with the council of elders in the said area and Key Informant Interview with
the Datu and Baylan.
Limitation of the Study
This study will interview the available Datu and Baylan in the area to gather
accurate data. A focus group discussion will also be conducted to the council of elders
to support the data gathered from the interview. It will be done in San Luis, Agusan del
Sur for it is one of the Banwaons area that is accessible to the researcher.
This research may include the weaknesses of the study that the researcher might
find uncontrollable because of the open-ended type of questions that are to be asked in
the Banwaon community. Their religious beliefs and practiced rituals might have an
inaccuracy in favour to the present researchers imperfect perceptions and
interpretations.

Theoretical Framework
Acculturation Theory

Acculturation refers to the adaptation process experienced by individuals or

groups when settling into an unfamiliar culture. Whereas some migrating groups may
seek to integrate with the host culture, others may choose to maintain their cultural roots
and separate themselves from the new dominant culture. In a world where both
temporary and permanent migration continue to increase it is vital to understand the
challenges faced by such individuals and the strategies they employ to survive.
Whereas previously migrating groups were not considered as viable segments to target
with products and services, increasing immigrant numbers have alerted marketers to
the potential profitability of these groups. Since the term acculturation was first formally
used by Robert E. Park in 1928 to describe the adaptation of immigrants, the earliest
attempts at understanding the acculturation process were conducted in the fields of
anthropology and sociology (Hart, 2013).
In the unidirectional tradition, acculturation is synonymous with assimilation, or
absorption of subordinate groups into the dominant culture. Early in the 20th century,
Robert Park drew upon the hallmark ecological framework of the Chicago school of
sociology to describe the process through which ethno-racial groups apparently
progressively and irreversibly experience contact, competition, accommodation and
assimilation (Park, 1950, p.138). Building upon his mentors work, Gordon (1964, 1978)
proposed an assimilation model that describes the gradual process of absorption of
immigrants and members of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture at the individual
and group levels. According to Gordons theory, acculturation is the first step of the
absorption process that would take place and that would continue indefinitely even
when no other type of assimilation occurred (Gordon, 1964).

This theory explains the gradual adaptation or process of adapting ones culture.
A new culture from the majority or dominant group. It is done while dealing with the
original culture of the minority who is trying to adapt to its new settlement. This theory
will help the researcher view the changes in the religious beliefs, practiced rituals and
structure of the Banwaon.

Conceptual Framework
Profile:
Age
Sex
Tribal Position

Religious
Beliefs

Banwaon Religion

Ritualistic
Practices

Baylan Ideas
Vs.
Religious
Change

Figure 1. Shows the schematic diagram of the religious beliefs and practiced
rituals of the Manobo community in San Luis, Agusan del Sur with its variables and
indicators.
Operational Definition of Terms

This will serve as the basic guidelines for the readers to better understand the
terminologies being used in this particular study. The following terminologies are
arranged in alphabetical order namely:

Acculturation a process of adapting other cultural practices and integrating it with the
original culture.
Banwaon is a relatively small indigenous group who reside within the municipality of
San Luis, Agusan del Sur. Most of their communities are situated along the sides
of the Maasam River, along the logging road.
Baylan a person with abyan (guide spirit) who has healing powers and/or skills
negotiating with other spirits. S/he assists in various rituals in the community or
neighbouring communities.
Datu a man chosen informally by a community; but installed as such, formally,
through some particular rituals to settle conflicts in that community as well as
other specialized functions like officiating marriages.
Ibabasok the agricultural spirit of the indigenous people, particularly, the Banwaon.
The highlight in honouring this spirit is the Kaliga-on ritual.
Magbabaya the common name for the lumads of the one Supreme Being who is the
creator and source of all life.
San Luis, Agusan del Sur the home of the three indigenous groups: the Manobo,
Banwaon, and the Tala-andig tribes. It was created as a municipality in 1968 after
the hardwork of Fr. Urios, a Jesuit missionary in Agusan.
Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature and Related Studies

This part of the study presents the review of related literature and the studies
relevant in some aspects of this study.
Related Literature
At least 370 million people worldwide are considered to be indigenous. Most of
them live in remote areas of the world. Indigenous peoples are divided into at least 5000
peoples ranging from the forest peoples of the Amazon to the tribal peoples of India and
from the Inuit of the Arctic to the Aborigines in Australia. Indigenous peoples do not
necessarily claim to be the only people native to their countries, but in many cases
indigenous peoples are indeed aboriginal or native to the lands they live in, being
descendants of those peoples that inhabited a territory prior to colonization or formation
of the present state. Indigenous peoples have their own distinct languages, cultures,
and social and political institutions that are very different from those of mainstream
society. While indigenous peoples face the same experience of discrimination and
marginalization as other ethnic minorities, there are very important differences in terms
of their rights and identity (IWIGIA, 2010).
Indigenous religions do not constitute a world religion in the same way as, for
example, Buddhism or Christianity. Central to indigenous traditions is an awareness of
the integral and whole relationship of symbolic and material life. Ritual practices and the
cosmological ideas which undergird society cannot be separated out as an
institutionalized religion from the daily round of subsistence practices. The term,
lifeway, emphasizes this holistic context that grounds the traditional environmental
knowledge evident in the cosmologies of indigenous peoples. Cosmologies, or oral

narrative stories, transmit the worldview values of the people and describe the web of
human activities within the powerful spirit world of the local bioregion (Grim, 2000).
According to Edgar Javier (2006), understanding religion, its origin. Its functions,
kinds and categories would eventually lead to a better appreciation and positive
understanding of other religion. Javier (2006) identified Primal Religions and Traditional
Religions as being observed by a large number of people of the earth called primitive.
These adherents are believer of, 1) animism, that is belief system which attributes a
soul to human beings; 2) animantism, which refers to a belief that supernatural force or
power exists in particular persons, animals, and inanimate objects; and 3) ancestor
worship, that is, a set of values, attitude and practices with the deified dead kinsfolk in
the tribe. The religious belief and practices among all indigenous people can be
classified according to these types of beliefs.
A document of the Federation if Asian Bishops Conferences states that Primal
Religions in general have a clear belief in one God or a Supreme Being, called in by
different names as the Great Spirit, the Great One, Heaven. It further tells us that
primal religions do not have sacred scriptures or theoretical statements about their
doctrines and beliefs. The riches of their traditions and moral values are often found in
their celebrations, myths, proverbs and converged through attitudes towards the
cosmos, sense of the sacred, customs and codes of conduct (FABC, 1998). These
explains why the rituals among the indigenous people plays an important role in their
religious beliefs and practise.

Related Studies

Foreign Studies
Religious belief and practices may varied in types and forms all over the world
but they have similarities in other way. The mythical and cosmological structures that
make up the traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yurupar represent the
cultural heritage of the many ethnic groups living along the Pir Paran River in south
eastern Colombia, in the department of Vaups. According to ancestral wisdom, the Pir
Paran forms the heart of a large area called the territory of the jaguars of Yurupar,
the jaguars being the jaguar shamans, an elite group of highly trained and
knowledgeable specialists who guard the ancient knowledge of the cosmos. They
understand that the cosmos is a living being with sources of energy, just as the human
body has its own sources of energy that make the life force (blood) low throughout the
system. In other words, the sacred sites contain vital spiritual energy that nurtures all
living beings in the world. The jaguar-shamans follow a calendar of ceremonial rituals,
based on their sacred traditional knowledge, to draw the community together, heal,
prevent sickness, and revitalize created at sacred places, which are conceived of today
as the vital organs of the founding ancestor of the tradition (Wright).
The Zande, whose homelands lie within three modern African states (Republic of
the Sudan, Zaire, Central African Republic), constitute a large and complex amalgam of
originally distinct ethnic groups, united by culture and, to a considerable extent, by
political institutions and by language. Because they originated in kingdoms founded by
conquest, however, some scattered enclaves of earlier peoples still speak their original
languages.Zande tend to attribute a soul, mbisimo (under certain circumstances
separable from the body), to both animate and inanimate beings; in traditional belief, the

souls of people became ghosts after death. Ghosts were believed to inhabit earth
caverns in the bush, as did the Supreme Being, Mbori, who partook in their ghostly
nature. In Nzakara-speaking areas, where the word "Mbori" did not exist, "Zagi" referred
not only to the Supreme Being, but also to the outside universe in general, and ancestor
spirits had concomitantly greater importance (Evans, 1971).
The Lango are one of the largest of the non-Bantu ethnic groups in Uganda.
They are often classified together with their western neighbors, the Acholi, although they
have long regarded themselves as being distinct from them. In the past, the Lango were
generally regarded as the residents of a rural hinterland and as people whose activities
had little effect on the nation as a whole, but, since Ugandas independence, the Lango
have become integrated into national political life.The Lango believe in a creator spirit
called Jok, who is regarded as an all-powerful deity. There are also lesser deitiesthe
spirits who bring sickness and cause trouble; the term for these deities is also "jok."
These spirits are of two sorts. The first, associated with the wind, are seen as
freefloating spirits who dwell in out-of-the-way places and attack people, often for no
good reason. They are harmful and capricious, and people believe that it is important to
take precautions against them. The other sort of jok is the shadow, or soul, of a
deceased person (Driberg, 1923).
Local Studies
According to the Utrecht Faculty of Educationthere are more than 40 different
ethnic groups in the Philippines. Each group has a distinct culture and language.
Several of these ethnic groups can be distinguished as "tribal groups". They are
'indigenous groups' who still live in a rather traditional way. Each group lives in a specific

region on one of the islands. You can meet them in parts of Luzon, on some of the
Visayas islands and on Mindanao.
The Ifugao are a rice-growing people who live in a mountainous region of Luzon
in the Philippines. The Ifugao homeland of Ifugao Province (17 N, 121 E) occupies
less than 750 square miles in the center of northern Luzon. Of the 106,794 Ifugao in
1970, 25,379 lived outside the province of Ifugao. Population density may reach 400 per
square mile. The Ifugao language is Austronesian and is most closely related to Bontok
and Kankanai.The complexity of Ifugao religion is based in part on the complex Ifugao
cosmology. The Ifugao divide the universe into the known earth, pugao (the people refer
to themselves as "Ipugao," or "inhabitants of the known earth"); the sky
world, kabunian ; the underworld, dalum ; the downstream area, lagod ; and the
upstream area,daiya. Each of these five regions has large numbers of spirits. The spirits
have individual names and each belongs to one of thirty-five categories, among them
hero ancestors, celestial bodies, natural phenomena, and diseases. In addition, the
Ifugao have deities; these figures are immortal, are able to change form or become
invisible, and are mobile. Ifugao priests are men who take their positions voluntarily and
after a period of apprenticeship. Their job is to serve the members of their kindreds by
invoking the spirits of deceased ancestors and deities. Priests do not make their living
from their priestly activities, although they are compensated with meat, drink, and
prestige. Rituals and ceremonies for the purposes of augury, omenology, hunting
success, agricultural abundance, prestige feasts, etc. typically make use of as many as
fifteen priests. Priests recite myths to give them power over the deities and hero
ancestors named in them, by way of inviting them to possess their bodies. Invoking

deities may involve chanting for more than five hours. Once in the priest, a deity is given
an offering (which may be betel, chicken claw, pig, chicken, etc.) and is fed rice and
wine (through the body of the priest). Finally, an exhortation is made to the deity. Illness
is caused by deities taking souls in cooperation with ancestors. Priests treat illness
through divination and curing rituals, in an effort to have the deity return the soul. If the
deity does not do so, the sick individual dies. A corpse is washed, its orifices are
plugged, and it is placed in an honorary death chair (corpses of kadangyan people are
given insignias). There the body lies in state guarded by a fire and a corpse tender, and
it is "awakened" each night; the wealthier the deceased, the longer this period lasts (up
to thirteen days). Burial is in a family sepulcher or in a coffin that is placed either in a
mausoleum or under the house. Sometimes secondary burials take place three to five
years later, especially if the deceased is unhappy and causing illness among the living.
Some Ifugao groups bury males and females separately and inter children in jars
(Barton, 1946).
The Subanun are pagan shifting cultivators of rice who inhabit the mountainous,
forested interior of the Zamboanga Peninsula, a south western extension of the island of
Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Sharing the Subanun universe with human
mortals are named gods, spirits, demons, and ghosts. These supernatural beings can
all help or harm humansjust as humans can, through agricultural activities, for
example, cause the beings damage. The agricultural cycle is punctuated with requisite
offerings to the supernaturals. Speaking through mediums during sance rituals, the
gods and ancestors may demand offerings for the cure of illness. Human enemies can
be attacked by luring their mortal souls to a nocturnal offering and then ambushing them

at the doorway. This type of indirect assault on the invisible spirit of a distant antagonist
is one kind of violence the Subanun do practice. The constituents of offerings vary with
the demands of particular supernaturals, but they always include rice, meat, wine, and a
betel chewthe essential ingredients of a festive meal. Unlike the agricultural cycle, the
stages of the human life cycle, other than birth and death, are not strongly demarcated
by rituals. There is no social observance of puberty for either sex.Ritual specialists and
mediums learn their craft either through apprenticeship or directly through divine
revelation. Their status is one of the few specifically named and relatively clearly
defined non-relational social positions in Subanun society. Most specialists are older
men, but women are not excluded from the role.
Other ethnic culture in the Philippines follows almost the same if not all religious
pattern. Like the Sulod who live along the banks of the Panay River on central Panay
Island in the Bisayan Islands in the central Philippines. They believe in several spirits
and deities and hold at least sixteen annual ceremonies, most of which are conducted
by the religious specialists called baylan (Landa, 1968). Also the Tagbanuwa
(Tagbanoua, Tagbanua) one of the indigenous peoples of Palawan Island in the
Philippines. Their traditional religion centered on a world of deities, evil spirits, spirit
relatives (tiladmanin), and the cult of the dead. This is not ancestor worship, and usually
includes only veneration of the mother, father, brothers, and sisters (Fox, 1954).

Chapter 3

Methodology
This chapter presents and discusses the research design, the research
respondents, the sampling techniques, the data gathering techniques and procedure,
and the data analysis.
Research Design
This study is a qualitative research. It explores the religious beliefs, practiced
rituals and structure of the Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur utilizing key informant
interview and focus group discussion in terms of data gathering.
Research Environment
This study will be conducted in San Luis, Agusan del Sur in the school year
2014-1015 1st semester and will be using purposive sampling procedure. The
researcher purposively chose the respondents and the participants using the following
criteria: (1) a Banwaon by blood, (2) must have a position in the tribe or their tribal
organization, and (3) active in participating and living their rituals, beliefs and traditions.
The respondents and the participants will be specifically from the areas that is known
settlements of the Banwaon tribe.
Respondentsand Sampling Procedures
As a qualitative research, the sampling technique of this research is purposive
sampling in which the researcher purposively chose the respondents and the
participants in San Luis, Agusan del Sur like Barangay Balit, Sitio Kimambukagyang and
Sitio Nakadayas for it is known to be settlements of the Banwaon tribe. The participants

of FGD are from Sitio Kimambukagyang that are members of the school board and
tribal council while the respondents are the Datu, Bae and Baylan from Balit.The
respondents and the participants are purposively chosen according to willingness and
availability during the conduct of the study.
Data Gathering Instruments and Procedures
Data Gathering
As a qualitative study, it consists of an open-ended questions being thrown to the
participants and respondents. It will use key informant interview to the Datu and Baylan.
A focused group discussion will also be conducted to some tribal leaders.
Procedures
Using the Focused Group Discussion, the questions are being handed in a
sequential manner and is being documented by a documenter and recorded through an
audio device recorder. Also in Key Informant Interview, where each of the participants
data are being documented and recorded.
Interpretation of Data
To process the data, the researcher will use the content and comparative
analysis to all gathered data from key informant interview and focused group
discussion. Sorting, theming, and interpreting will be done after the data is gathered.

Chapter 4

Results, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data

In this chapter, the researcher makes the analysis, presentation and
interpretation of data on the religious belief, practiced rituals and structure of the
Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur. The discussions are presented sequentially
based on the statement of the problem.

Ethnographic Profile of the Community

The Banwaon are the indigenous people who occupy the western part of San
Luis town in Agusan del Sur. According to NCIP in San Luis, they have the total
population of 4, 575 in the year 2010. They speak the Banwaon dialect that evolved
from the Manobo language of the Indonesian branchof the Malayo-Polynesian family of
languages. The term banwaon is a self-ascription that refers to a people with homeland
(banwa), and who attach importance to the nuts cultivated palm (waon). Their history
points to the rivers of Tagpangi, Adgawan and Maasam as their territory and were
scattered throughout the eastern slope of the Pantaron mountain range down to the
plains of Talacogon town in Agusan del Sur at the east. The Tagpangi region (45km from
San Luis municipality) has been considered in the Banwaontradition as the core of the
homeland (Blando, 2007).
The Banwaonfollow the chieftain system in their political life as mandated in their
Kyala ha Batasan. The person given authority to lead the community must be a person
of principle, with good knowledge to lead the people. The council of elders and other
significant people in the community chooses a tumuay or datu (male) or bae (female).
The baes role is to attend to the needs of the people and visitors of the community. She

becomes the liaison when conflict arises between families or clans. Both datu and bae
keep and maintain the peace and order of their people. They are leaders of their
terrirory. They are respected because of the responsibility given to them by the
community.
Survival for each Banwaonis the land; food production is their constant concern.
Farming and hunting are their two main sources of livelihood. In farming, the adaption of
kaingin or the swidden technology is practiced. This is the main reason why they
constantly leave their farms and look for another arable land, bringing with them their
families.
Men usually work in the farms from their homes, bringing with them their sons or
nephews who learn from them that patterns and structures of farming, the rigors of
forests and hunting and trapping, the importance of water system and knowledge in
fishing as well the valuable introduction to nature itself. Women have their share in the
daily activities. They also take part in food production. They focus on planting and
harvesting of root crops and gathering wild food plants from forest. While at home, they
keep their hands busy by weaving mats and baskets.

The Banwaon Religious Beliefs.

The Banwaon believes in a Supreme Being whom they call Magbabaya, the
Creator and Source of all created things, according to Dante Lucdayan, 50, a member
of the tribal council and one of the participants of FGD. Tinumanan is what they call in
their belief in general. They also believe in the spirits who are protectors and guardians

of their every activity. Manong Bony, 50, a member of the tribal council shared that
some of these spirits are Bulalakaw the spirit that owns the fishes, Talabugta the owner
of the land and forest and Talabubong the one who owns the mountains.
These spirits were supplemented by Bae Virginia Tugay known as Bae Digkalayuban, 55, the only female Datu in San Luis as one of the KI respondents. She added
Ibabasok as the owner of the plants and farms, Tumanod the spirit master of game
animals, Inayaw the spirit of rain and Talagbusaw the spirit of war. According to her, they
pay tributes and rituals to this spirits referred to as Panuman Ku Tawagan or worship
devotion.
Some of the Banwaonwere converted into Christians, specially the Banwaonwho
lives in Barangay Balit and other settlements near the lowlands. But Bae Virginia said
that though they associated their beliefs with Christianity, they still follow first their
traditional beliefs and practices and will never forget about it.

The Dependency of Baylan Ideas vs. Religious Change

The Baylan (shaman) acts as priest of the rituals that the other leaders cannot
perform. According to Conrado Tambilisan, 75 (estimated age), a Baylan in Balit, as one
of the KI respondent, becoming a Baylan is a vocation. It is Magbabaya, the spirits, and
the spirits of the dead ancestors who chose him to lead the rituals of the community. He
becomes the healer also of the community because certain herbs to cure particular
ailments are revealed to him by the spirits and deities. People in his community used to
consult him first if they feel sick or they feel something happening to their bodies. They

follow whatever he is saying to cure their illnesses. If the baylan suggested that they
should go to hospital that is the only time that they will go and see a doctor. Even
people from different places who believes in baylan used to call for his services. They
only provide him with transportation and food because he cant receive payment for his
services or else he will be sick. It is one of the conditions of being a baylan.
For Helbert Gallino, 34, school board member, one of the FGD participants, and
was agreed by other participants that the baylan is the one with wisdom in healing and
rituals. According to them, they are not affected with religious change because they
themselves are not yet converted to any other religion. They added that even the
banwaons in the lowlands that they know were converted still believes and are still
dependent to the ideas of the baylan.

The Practiced Rituals

In the focused group discussion, the participants have common answers to the
rituals they are still practising because according to them, nothing has change in their
practiced rituals. Jane Mandapyan, 35, member of school board, introduced first some
rituals in farming. There are series of rituals to make farming. First is the Bagtok it is
done to ask permission to use the land. Second is the Tagdaga, they pour the blood of
the chicken they are offering to the seedlings before planting. The third one happens
during harvest time called Palipig. And the last one is the Daging it is a thanksgiving
to Ibabasok for the good harvest. Ritual called Bulalakaw is done for fishing
according to Jino Sumangga, 28, member of school board. When a new house is built,

the owner should done the ritual bagtok before building the house, paglapaw before
the first sleep and bat if visitors will come.
Datu Antonio Otacan known as Datu Bambanowa, introduced one of the biggest
rituals in the culture of Banwaon called Kaliga-on. It is feast of thanksgiving to the
whole community. It is usually done during harvest time or if the baylan receives a
signal called ayawan from Ibabasaok that they need to do the Kaliga-onritual. As
Datu Antonio describe that it is the assembly of all the families in the community and
even those coming from far places should come home to celebrate. The ritual has three
phases called ig-magulang, ig-lamig, and pagtongkaya. Four weeks is needed to
prepare for this week long event. The highest form of prayer that needed four baylan to
perform called Pamamayok is also done during the Kaliga-on.
Datu Beato Manlapinding known as Datu Manpadayag, 62, one of the KI
respondents, introduced some other rituals that they also practiced. A ritual
called,Magtampunda is done for big conflicts like tribal wars. Pagdang-ul is a ritual
done during the baptism of a new Datu which happens every after 30 years or more if
an old datu dies. Kahimunan ritual was also introduced, it is a smaller version of
kaliga-on done every year after harvest. Other rituals for marriage, child baptism, prenatal and dead burying are still practiced according to Datu Beato.

The Banwaon Religious Structure

According to Condrado as baylan, they dont have specific religious structure but
they have different role as baylan. As for him, he is the Baylan sa Hakyadan that
usually does the ritual sa kultura. He does the ritual for the families called bug-usan
an annual ritual inside a house to protect a family from evil. He can also do the ritual
called bangko-bangko still an annual ritual to protect a family but must be done outside
the house. He also heals illnesses with the help of his abyan (guide spirit) named
inampo and lumalayang. As baylan, he also has his limitations. He cannot do other
rituals that are not meant for him like the ritual for Kaliga-on. He added that there are
baylan assigned as partners of the datu during the rituals for marriage, peace pacts,
baptism andalso in other thanksgiving rituals like haklad, kahimunan and kaliga-on. But
he pointed out a certain baylan called Baylan sa Dumalungdong that the only one
allowed to do the biggest ritual in baptizing a new datu in the community.

Chapter 5

Summary, Conclusion, Recommendation

In this part of the study, the researcher will present the summary, conclusion and
recommendations of the data being gathered in the study of the religious belief,
practiced rituals and structure of the Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan Sur.
Summary
This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the religious beliefs,
practiced rituals and structure of Banwaon in San Luis, Agusan del Sur. This is a
qualitative research and the researcher used the Focused group discussion, the key
informant interview.

The respondents and the participants in Focused Group

Discussion are the Tribal Council members (2), School Board Member (7), Tribal Datu
(2), Religious of the Good Shpeherd Sister(1), Baylan(1), and Tribal Bae (1). This study
was conducted this school year 2014-2015, first semester.
The Banwaon are the indigenous people who occupy the western part of San
Luis town in Agusan del Sur. The Banwaon follow the chieftain system in their political
life as mandated in their Kyala ha Batasan.Farming and hunting are their two main
sources of livelihood. The Banwaon believes in a Supreme Being whom they call
Magbabaya, the Creator and Source of all created things. They also believe in the
spirits who are protectors and guardians of their every activity. They are not affected to
religious change and still dependent to the ideas of the baylan. There were no changes
in their practiced rituals. The Banwaon have no religious structure but specific baylan
roles.

Conclusion
The religious beliefs, practiced rituals and structure of the Banwaon tribe in San
Luis, Agusan del Sur are still present and well observed. Their religious beliefs are still
passed from generations to generations. They believe in Magbabaya and the spirits
even though some of them were converted. While others, stick to their beliefs and
chose to remain to their tradition. Baylan plays an important role in the community. They
serve as the way of communication between the people and the spirits. Many if not all
people of the community depends most in their ideas when it comes to decisions, rituals
and illnesses. Most of the rituals are well preserved and practiced. For the converted
banwaons they still choose to do first their traditional rituals before the ceremonies done
by their new religion. There is no such thing as religious structure in banwaons but
every baylan is distinct from each other based on their capacities.
Recommendation
The findings and results of the study led the researcher to propose
recommendations to assist people who are directly involved in working with the
Banwaon. Interfaith dialogue be initiated between other groups or religious communities
within the area to gain mutual respect and camaraderie. This research highly
recommends preservation of the Banwaons beliefs and practiced rituals. It must be
written to help the Banwaons passed it from generations to generations.The researcher
also recommends that the Religious of the Good Shepherd with their program in Graded
Literacy will continue to help them read and write but should also help them preserve
their language, beliefs, rituals and practises.

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APPENDICES

Appendix A About the Respondents

Appendix B Attendance Sheet of the FGD
Appendix C Letters for the Research Protocol

APPENDIX A

About the respondents:

1. Antonio Otacan. He is also known as Datu Luayluay. He is the Datu Bambanowa

of the tribe. He is already 76 years old. He is in-charge of the wedding
ceremonies and the mediator of marriage conflicts.
2. Beato Manlapinding. He is also known as Datu Batoy. He is the Datu
Manpadayag of the tribe. He is already 62 years old. He is in-charge of the tribal
conflicts.
3. Virginia S. Tugay. She is also known as Bae Emil. She is the Bae Digkalay-uban
and the only female Datu of the tribe. She is already 55 years old. She is also incharge of the peace negotiation among the tribe.
4. Condrado Tambilisan. He is one of the Baylan in the tribe. He is the Baylan sa

Hakyadan that is in-charge of the Ritual sa Kultura. He is 75 years old (estimated

age).