TRADITIONAL ECONOMY

The subsistence of Manobo tribe in Sitio Gacob, La Purisima and San Martin
depends primarily in farming and hunting in the vast forest which serves as their
market and food basket. Trade and barter has been made also for non-indigenous
materials such as salt, utensils, clothes and etc. The abundance of the following
sources of food is boon to each tribe member. They find joy in their simple living.
A. Farming
The tribe plant rice and other crops such as, but not limited to Karlang, Camote
(sweet potato), Gabi (taro corm), Tubo (sugarcane), Mais (corn), Abaca (manila
hemp), Banana. Also grown either in the backyard or near the umahan (farm) are
vegetables and spices such as Batong (string beans), Paliya (bitter melon), Okra,
Pechay, Repolyo (cabbage), Squash, Luya ( ginger).
Rice is a well-loved commodity. Most of them prefer rice over other source of
carbohydrates. The choice of soil and its characteristics is relevant not only for the
survival of the plants but also abundance of harvest. They choose black soil, soft, dry
and wavy land platform for the rice plant because they know that it is rich in
minerals and microorganism suitable for good harvest. Since the availability of rice is
not for the whole year, other crops are also grown to provide food when rice runs
out. Beside the rice farm-lots are utilized for other root crops such as, Karlang,
Camote (sweet potato), Gabi (taro corm), Tubo (sugarcane), Mais (corn), Abaca
(manila hemp), Banana.
Planting of rice is made only once a year not only because of long wait of harvest
but also dependent on the season of the year. From the time of preparation of riceland, it would take around seven (7) months to harvest. The planting is made during
the rainy season when the soil is fertile, usually November, and harvest is made
during
hot season so that rains will not detach the ripe grains and drying of
wheat would be easy.
A Manobo culture known as Handog (sharing) is prevalent among them. After the
harvest, they share it to all relatives and neighbors, making the supply last only for a
month. The giver never expects a return for a gift given. Hence, sharing food harvest
and other animal-hunts are practices that promote cooperation, solidarity and
happiness among them all.
There is no idea of over-production of rice because it is not for the purpose of
generating income but for sharing. Planting enough rice is only for self-consumption.
The following are different variety of rice that has been planted in the farm-lot.
a. Anokot short, yellowish, dense, smells like pandan leaf. They scatter it in the
grasses. The grasses are mown and left to cover the seeds which later on
serve as fertilizer.

b. Kumabilid red husk, long and slender grains, smells like pandan leaf.
c. Buhoyhoy white husk, long grains with whip-like hair at the tip of each grain.
d. Dumap-og husk has strips of green, white and yellow lines. The grains are
short but the rice is dense.
e. Amamangpang- like dumap-og but the change from green to white when ripe.
f. Sambales long grain, husk turn red when ripe.
g. Langob the seeds came from langob (cave), it grew but nobody sow. Husk is
white with long grains.
h. Tawagnon fragrant rice. Neighbors will know if one cook this type of rice due
to its fragrance.
i. Dumag-ob - `husks has strips of yellow, white and black lines.
j. Buntod red husk, purple rice, glutinous
The mode of measuring the grains is through a Borden. Twice the size of a sack
and has a weight of around 80 kls. Each harvest produces 10 to 30 bordens. It lasts
around 3-5 months when consumed with other root-crops. However, when shared to
neighbors it lasts only for a month.
Upon the harvest, the following is the process of rice:
a. Bonyadon cut the Humay (palay) and placed in bayoy.
b. Bayoy basket made of strewn rattan sticks.
c. Gunason (thresh) - the grains are removed from the stalks by stumping on the
palay.
d. Uhotan separating the tipasi/tipaka (grain) from the uhot (stalks).
e. Tahopan tossing the grains into the air to reduce grain-dusts.
f. Bulad drying the grains under the heat of the sun. After which, it is placed in
the bekong (container), made from the bark of a tree bound to form cylinder.
g. Bado (pound) grains are pound using eho and yusong (mortar and pestle).

As time passes by, wants and needs of the tribe gradually changes. The spur of
economic activity started with the entry of Bisaya migrants particularly the entry of
lumber companies like Liberty Forest Inc. in 1964. Trees are cut down and replanted
because lumber companies are buying it in hefty sums. Timbers are sold around
P4,000 per cubic meters to businessmen like Luis Cong in Bayugan and others in Sta.
Irene Agusan del sur. Gone are the days that trees are just burned down to prepare
land for farming.
Logging companies brought a lot of Bisaya employees to operate the lumberyard
and logging activities. In La Purisima, only Maximo Perez is known to be employed as
concession guard among the natives.
Their way of life and the introduction of new technology and the comfort it
brought shed light to the idea of adopting it. Among them are electricity, lightings,
televisions, clothing, hollow-blocks, cement, Galvanized Iron and motor vehicles.

The houses, utensils and comfortable living of the Bisaya appeal to the natives
and encourage them to imitate them. People from the afar change their abode near
the houses of the Bisaya influencing their way of living.
The use of large lumbers for house frames and beams, nails and galvanized irons
as roofs became popular. On the contrary, Anahaw leaves as roof and uway (rattan)
strings as nails/binder gradually become outmoded.
Unbridled logging when left unchecked comes with a price where everybody
has to pay. The boon to economy brought by large scale logging turned into a curse.
The rampant cutting of trees slowly denuded the forest and create imbalance to
ecosystem. As a result, monkeys have no more trees to climb, Anahaw and Uway
(Rattan) decline, numbers of wild plants and animals dwindled, natural habitat
became barren, and food-chain is heavily affected. With no more food to eat wildlife
dramatically decreased.
When the source of basic needs, specially food, diminished Tribal leaders
made protest to stop logging. A dialogue was entered into and all parties restrained
to use force. Fortunately, in 1981, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1768 the
national government decreed to stop all logging concessions in Agusan del Sur and
turning it to agro-forest reserves to be used as the new areas for the planting of
hybrid coconut seednuts.
Although logging concessions had been prohibited, Falcata trees found an
exception to the rule. Falcata trees are found to be suitable in soils the soils of
Agusan. It grows easily with minimum supervision and its self-replenishing feature is
an advantage. It only takes around 5 years to harvest. Planting of Falcata trees in
large scale has been adopted when the natives observed that it is a good source of
income during harvest.
In 2011, natives started to plant rubber trees from the seedlings distributed by
the Provincial governments greening and livelihood project. Venturing new source of
livelihood provides one of alternative to illegal logging.
Abaca, a variety of Banana, has long been used as rope, bird traps, and blanket
before the entry of Bisaya. But massive planting of Abaca started in 1988 when
natives realized that planting Abaca (Manila Hemp) and turning it to a Lanot (strands
of Abaca fibers) generates a lot of cash.

B. Hunting
C. Fishing

D. Dishes
E. Mining
Flintstones
Wine, and meat
F. Trade Today, vegetable-produce like batong, talong, paliya, okra, petchay,
repolyo, kalabasa and luya (ginger) in La Purisima are sold to nearby villages
or barangays. People prefer to sell in Manhulayan because small The road is
not passable by any vehicle and they travel it by foot and carry the vegetables
in basket packs.
Measurement
Mode of transportation.
Products to be exchanged

G. New Economy