2. (TAGBILI TO
LOWLANDERS)
• An animist ethnic group
inhabiting highland areas in
Southwestern Mindanao,
centering Lake Sebu.
• Their immediate neighbors are
the Manobo and Bilaan, other
animist upland people (with
whom they are often in conflict).
• Rely on Muslim traders for
contacts with the lowlands and
maritime trade
• Like other indigenous languages
of Mindanao (such as
Maguindanao and Maranao), the
T’boli language is a language of
the Southern Philippine sub-
branch of the Western Malayo-
Polynesian branch of the
Austronesian family.
3. • Population: (1990) 83, 800, (1995)
93, 200, (2000) 102, 900
• Total population: 144, 951 (as of
now)
• Regions with significant
populations: Philippines
(Soccsksargen, Davao Region)
• T’boli are one of the indigenous
peoples of South Cotabato in
Southern Mindanao
• Some locate the T’bolis to the
vicinity of the Lake Buluan in the
Cotabato Basin or in Agusan Del
Norte.
• The T’bolis then, reside on the
mountain slopes on either side of
the upper Alah Valley and the
coastal area of Maitum, Maasim
and Kiamba.
4. The T’bolis distinguish themselves
from other tribal groups by their
colorful clothes, bracelets and
earrings, this tribe is famous for
their complicated beadwork,
wonderful woven fabrics and
beautiful brass ornaments.
The T’nalak, the T’boli sacred
cloth, made from abaca is the best
known T’boli craft and is one of the
tribes traditional textile
5. • The T’boli consider the household as the basic social and economic unit, hence they do not
have village. At most, they form clusters of three or four houses whose occupants are close
relations. Most T’boli houses are built on hilltops, primarily for security. T’boli houses are
not permanent because of taniba or slash-and-burn farming, which exhaust the land after a
number of years; the kimu, the transfer of property on the occasion of marriage; and the
practice of burning or abandoning house and moving whenever some member of the
household dies.
• From a far, a T’boli gono bong (literally,big,house) appear
all roofs on stilts. The roof eaves over hang beyond 1 m
over the sidewall, making the latter, which are barely 1 m
high, hardly noticeable. This stilts are nearly 2m above
the ground, making the house look like it is hovering over
its site. In the laan gono or space underneath, are
tethered horses, a valuable T’boli resource.
• The average gono bong is about 15 m long and 9-10 wide,
and about 6 m high, from the ground to the roofs peak.
The roof has a low slope of 30 degrees with the horizontal.
6.
7. Type of roof - dos aguas roof or gamble roof
The T’boli roof is Made of bamboo frames
and cogon or dried grass which are strung
and sewn to the bamboo rafters with strips
of raw abaca or way ng yantok (rattan
strips).
8. The post are Bamboo stilts or timber poles
the tree stumps used occasionally as posts
for the inner portion of the house floor.
9. The walls are made of
bamboo split from the inside
and flattened out or woven
bamboo strips which they call
lahak.
11. Lowa – the central space of T’boli
house.
Blaba – the side area of T’boli house.
Desyung – located opposite the lowa
and the blaba. This is regarded as the
area of honor.
Dofil – lacated both sides of the
desyung and sometimes elevated at a
height of 3’-0” over the lowa.
Fato kohu– located at the rearmost
part of the house.
Kotel – a detached structure located
some few feet away from the house.
Bakdol- entrance
to the house
12.
13. • Located at lake
sebu
• One of the famous
structure in T’boli
house
14. • The T’boli SLT in Lake
Sebu was finished last
year.
• Nearly 50 donors made
financial contributions
to the project,
amounting to 60,000
pesos.
• Run by T’boli cultural
worker Maria “Oyog”
Todi.
