Six practices of Tagakaolo tribe of Malita

 

THE TAGAKAOLO 

​The Tagakaolo people are one of the many Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. The Tagakolu are in the highlands of the provinces of Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental and Sarangani. Like all the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines, the Tagakolu face the immense challenge of standing up for their rights, being accepted and respected for who they are as a people and making their voice heard in the current globalized world. Tagakolu means people who live upstream where the forests are and from where the waters of rivers flow. Kolu in the name Tagakolu refers not only to the forests but also to the land, the plants and animals, the water and the air, the people and their ancestors, the spirits of the forest, their history, their stories, their beliefs and traditions, their music a nd songs as well as the dynamic relationship between these elements. All this is kolu!

The Tagakaolo tribe originates from Davao del Sur. They are skilled in basket weaving, embroidery, loom weaving, blanket weaving, headresses, beaded necklaces and others. They make their jackets out of abaca and decorated them with mother-of-pearl discs lined with glass beads.

BASKET WEAVING 

LOOM WEAVING

EMBROIDERY 

BLANKET WEAVING

HEADDRESSES

BEADED NECKLACE

TAGAKAOLO 

people of the headwaters

Before the 1980s the Tagakaulo in the Municipality of Malungon (and perhaps other areas of the region) referred to themselves as Kalagan, and they were known as Tagakaulo only by “outsiders.” Tagakaulo means 'people of the headwaters.