The Matigsalug are an indigenous group who live in the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando in

Bukidnon Bukidnon(), officially the Province of Bukidnon ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bukidnon; fil, Lalawigan ng Bukidnon; hil, Kapuroan sang Bukidnon; Binukid and Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the ...

province,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. ''"Matigsalug"'' means "people along the Salug River" (now known as the

Davao River The Davao River is the third largest river by drainage basin on the southern Philippines in the island of Mindanao. It drains an area of over with a total length of . Most of the area is uplands. Average flows within the river near to the mout ...

). Although often classified under the

Manobo The Lumad are a group of Austronesian indigenous people in the southern Philippines. It is a Cebuano term meaning "native" or "indigenous". The term is short for Katawhang Lumad (Literally: "indigenous people"), the autonym officially adopte ...

ethnolinguistic group, the Matigsalug are a distinct subgroup from the

Way of life

The Matigsalug previously practiced a hunting-and-gathering lifestyle with minimal agriculture. Recently, influenced by migrant farmers and traders from the northern Philippines and the island provinces, the Matigsalug shifted to sedentary land cultivation with more or less permanent villages. Signs of their earlier lifestyle are now found in their cultural and artistic expression, as evidenced by their costumes of bright colored mid-rib blouses and short skirts, and skilled hunting and gathering techniques. This early lifestyle is also depicted in their music, songs, dances, poetry, epic, and spiritual expressions. Matigsalug men wear knee-length tight-fitting pants and turbans decorated with beads and fringed with goat or horse hair.

Language

SIL International SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics) is an evangelical Christian non-profit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to e ...

has worked in the Matigsalug community for many decades and published a grammatical description of the language. Matigsalug Literacy Education Incorporated operated in the Matigsalug area for many years and won several literacy awards.

References

{{Reflist
National Commission on Indigenous People

Matigsalug Language Christian Association, Inc.
Ethnic groups in Mindanao Lumad