Lumad is a term used to refer to any of a number of ethnic groups of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines . Lumad means native in Cebuano, the principal language of Mindanao. There are around 9 million Lumad people living in the Philippines. They belong to many different ethnic groups, including the Manobo, Mandaya, Bagobo, and Ubo peoples. A variety of languages are spoken among the Lumad, most of which belong to the Manobo language family. Many Lumad also speak Cebuano.
Lumad groups on the coast live mainly by fishing. Many of those living in the inland mountains and forests practice shifting agriculture (also called swidden agriculture). They clear a small area by cutting down trees and vegetation and burning them. The ashes help fertilize the soil. The farmers typically grow crops in an area for one to three years. Eventually, the crops deplete the fertility of the soil. Then, farmers clear a new area and move the farm there. They also gather food from the wild. Traditionally, Lumad groups practiced animism , believing that the land was sacred. They believed in the presence of natural spirits and in the spirits of deceased ancestors. Most Lumad groups were led by a local figure called a datan.
When Spanish colonizers arrived on the island of Mindanao in the 1500’s, they forced the Lumad off of much of their land. The Spanish converted many Lumad groups to Christianity . Today, most Lumad individuals are Christian.
In the 1970’s, various ethnic groups of Mindanao joined together to form a collective voice against the discrimination that they had faced for centuries. This led to the popularization of the term Lumad. In 1997, the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act was passed in the Philippines. This act helped the Lumad to protect some of their ancestral land.
