The Peace-Loving Higaonon Tribe of Bukidnon

The Peace-Loving Higaonon Tribe of Bukidnon by Ethnic Groups Philippines The Higaonon are thought to be the first inhabitants of Cagayan de Oro even before the arrival of the Spaniards. Their name stands for “people of the living mountain,”and they are a peace-loving group who have settled and survived in the forest. The coming of Visayans in the region pushed them toward the Bukidnon highlands. Today, several communities can be found in Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Oriental. And some parts of Cagayan de Oro City. Higaonon are described as the “people of the living mountains” and “people of the wilderness”. Their name means higa (to live or reside), goan (mountain) and onon (people). The term may also be derived from the word “Higad” which means those who went uphill or moved up the mountains. Most of the members are Christianized but they still honor their traditional and common practice. They keep two names, a Christian and a Higaonon name. They are said to promote a culture of Peace and serves as a mediator of conflicts among ethnic groups. Tampudas hu Balagun, or the treaty of the green vine branch, is an ancient ritual practiced to conduct a peace agreement between two conflicting tribes. “The Bunkatol Ha Bulawan Daw Nang Ka Tasa ha Lana” (“Treasured Unity of Love and Peace”) is a code of conduct they faithfully follow, a sacred bond that unites their community. The Higaonon tribe consists of eight clans that are centred around the eight main rivers of their "Ancestral Domain". Forced to live in the mountains when the settlers arrived, it made them experts in protecting and preserving the environment. The culture of the Higaonon tribe can be best described as one of peace, since they function as intermediaries to solve internal conflicts of other ethnic groups. Most of the members are Christianized, though traditional and common practices are still venerated. Over the years, they have continued to live in the forest and have mastered the protection as well as conservation of their environment. Some have volunteered to be forest guards who patrol and oversee their ancestral domains against illegal loggers. As more and more migrants arrived in the region, the Higaonons gradually lost their means of livelihood, and several others have moved to find alternative sources of sustenance. In recent years, their ancestral land have been abused by illegal loggers, pushing some deeper into the mountains and others into the city. They have suffered discrimination and have been forbidden to legally preserve their ancestral domain. From the migration of Manobo comes the tribe called Higaonon. The Higaonon tribe is one of the biggest group in Northern Mindanao region. They originated at the center of Malaybalay with only their customary laws governing them. The community lived by the Taguloan river in Malaybalay and for some time, they were called Taguloanon tribe. Their way of life is focused on managing the forests they live in and to create a co-existince with its other inhabitants in a harmonious way. The Higanaon tribe consists of eight clans that are centered around the eight main rivers of their "Ancestral Domain". The tribe is divided into peaceful and warrior clans, nowadays all groups exist in peace with each other. They are true peace loving people and also known as weavers of peace. The culture of Higanaon tribe can best be described as a culture of Peace, for solving their internal conflicts or settle feuds among other ethnic groups, the tribes practices an ancient ritual: the tampudas hu Balagun, or the treaty of the green vine branch, a symbolic and traditonal cutting of the vine.