Continuation of Background

HABITAT

The Tiruray are hill people living in the southern part of the province of Maguindanao where a
range of mountains known as Cotabato Cordillera curves along the south-western coast facing the
Celebes Sea. They share common boundaries with the Maguindanaoans in the north and east while the
territory of a group of Manobos locks them in with the Tran Grande River in the south. The mountains
and valleys found among this part of Mindanao are neither especially rugged nor high and are covered
in dense tropical evergreen forest. Natives’ locations of important mountains in their myths are not
plotted in maps as even locals cannot pinpoint the exact location of these places.

TRADE

Traditional Tiruray rely heavily on trade to obtain essential materials for their daily life. Iron tools are
one important part of their subsistence in swidden farming as the bolos and knives they use are all
acquired through trade or purchase from the lowland market. As the Tiruray do not weave, they also get
cloth through trading. Salt, an important part of their diet, is another material to which they do business
with the Maguindanaoans. Items also used as brideprice and legal settlements such as krises, necklaces,
brass boxes for bêtel quid ingredients, gongs, spears and the like are obtained through trade. Likewise,
goods from the mountains also flowed down to the Maguindanaoans. Important items of note are
rattan, tobacco and beeswax which the Maguindanaoans in turn trade with the Chinese. Trade is not a
simple matter for both parties, however. As the Muslims have conquered the Maguindanaons and have
had their chief converted to Islam, the rest of the lowland people.

ETHICS
Tiruray people probably understand human nature more than most other ethnic groups in the
Philippines, and possibly the world. Tiruray believes in the vulnerability of humans and their capacity to
make mistakes. This is why it is a golden rule in their society to never anger or abuse a person as it is
very likely that he will exact revenge and start a feud between kinsfolk. Adat or their behavioral customs
is simply put – to treat others with respect. It is expected that everybody will always consider the feeling
of others around him. If one fails to do so, he is burdened with the responsibility (sala) for the
consequences. The one wronged then has a justifiable reason to retaliate (benal). If one has a benal on a
fellow Tiruray, he is to plead his case to the legal authority or the kedafawan who will then try to make
peace between both parties involved. If it is successful, the offending party will need to offer a gift of
settlement. If not, the issue will most likely end in bono, an organized killing party set to eliminate
kindred of each side.
The Tiruray’s traditional clothes were originally made from tree barks. However, they needed more
comfortable clothes but as the Tiruray do not weave, they obtained cloth from Maguindanaon by
trading some of their harvests. Since then, their clothes have been cut from cloths. The traditional
clothing is very distinctive and colorful. It is very different from other hill people in other areas in the
country were their natives wear little clothes to cover their private parts. The Tiruray clothes are very
conservative. Men wear a long-sleeved tunic and a fitted pair of pants while women wear a fitted blouse
buttoned at the front paired with a sarong skirt. For jewelries, the Tiruray people adorn themselves with
brass necklaces, earrings and anklets. For special occasions, they add necklaces with beads of gold and
glass. Men are also seen carrying a wavy-bladed kris in formal occasions. Women also wear a type of
make-up for special occasions. They apply white face powder and stain their lips red. They also practice
artificial tattooing by making many small blood-blisters in a pattern on the forehead. There is no known
significance in this practice other than for aesthetic value. This practice is also one of the only two body
mutilation present in the Tiruray culture. The other one is the filling and blackening of their teeth upon
puberty. Men and women alike wear their hair . The women tie it in a bun at the back while the men
wind it around their heads and secure it under a bandana. The acculturated Tiruray on the other hand,
dress in Western style clothing and wears their hair in Western hairstyles. Some also wear the safay, a
conical had made of buri as a protection from the sun.
The Tiruray society’ s center is the nuclear family. As it is, the traditional Tiruray house is roughly only
3x5 meters, clearly intended for a single nuclear family. The houses, built up on posts that are about 2
meters off the ground, are made of bamboo and wood with roofs of grass and a ladder that is pulled in
from the inside for security during the night. There is only a single latched door and no windows with
vines or rattan used to hold the whole house together. The middle post holding the house up is
decorated with various ornaments to ward of evil spirits. There are no walls, only vine hangings of
rattan. This is used as a defense so people can attack from the inside the enemy when they raided using
a bow and arrow. In the earlier period, the Tiruray seem to live in one big house or “setifon” which is a
term that is presently used to describe those living in the same neighborhood. A single neighborhood
can have up to 30 families in total and as little as 6 families depending on their needs of helping each
other in their subsistence activities. These settlements are named after prominent geographical features
of the place they are living in and areby no means permanent. The most important thing in these
arrangements are, it seems, the household. The household consists of a single nuclear family or
“kureng”.

Short Historical Background

The Tiruray/Teduray

 Teduray (Tiruray) is one of the major Indigenous Peoples of Southern Philippines.

Political Structure
There is no centralized form of government among the Tiruray. Each community has its own
kedafawan who settles various cases in a formal discussion called the tiyawan. They are
egalitarian and the kedafawan are neither political chiefs nor headman in anyway. They are
merely there as moderators and negotiators between parties with issues.
The role of the kedafawan is open to anyone who is learned and wise, one who is able to
speak in the metaphoric sentences required of the tiyawans and most of all, one who is
accepted by his or her fellow Tiruray in the community as able and deserving of trust. It is
achievable and is a nonprofessional specialization. Ultimate justice is sought in the tiyawan and
the kedafawan cannot pick a side. There is no ‘winner’ in a tiyawan. The sole purpose of the
discussion is to settle any issues and restore good feelings on both sides by equating the stacks
on each court.
When not involved in a tiyawan, the kedafawan is a normal member of the community who
must also work his or her swidden.
There are two types of tiyawan: hot tiyawan where a dispute is involved and a good
tiyawan where the issue does not include hurt feelings. When not involved in a tiyawan, the
kedafawan is a normal member of the community who must also work his or her swidden.
There are two types of tiyawan: hot tiyawan where a dispute is involved and a good tiyawan
where the issue does not include hurt feelings.