Catholicism and the tribes

The tribes of Davao, fragmented by identity and diversified by indigenous idiosyncrasies are the greatest contributors to the spread of Catholicism in Davao. Unlike the priests, the tribes conveyed their own gifts of participation in small packages that in their absence would have made the conduct of missions in the hinterlands and interior regions even more difficult.

In fact, tribal immersion in the propagation of Catholicism is appreciated in letters and chronicles the missionaries wrote, and in the accounts and narratives the early explorers penned. For instance, with the approval of the local datus, the first mission outposts were established.

Some Bagobo leaders even entered baptismal alliances in exchange for Spanish trading goods and the protection from slave raids. The Kalagans, for instance, provided safe river passage for missionaries traveling between coastal missions and the inland sitios of Davao Oriental. In northeastern Davao, the Mandaya chieftains allowed the Recollects to reside in their villages during planting season. They also supplied interpreters to help communicate with the mountain tribes, and provided food and manpower for the construction of the early chapel in Santa Ana (Davao), as well as guided the priests through mountain passes to avoid Moro raiding zones.

Among the tribespeople, the converted leaders acted as cabezas de barangay in Christianized barrios, enforcing attendance at Sunday Mass, while others hosted catechism classes in their kamalig (large huts), which became temporary chapels. Some Samal families allied with the Jesuits acted as couriers between missions in Samal Island, Caraga, and Santa Ana.

The Mansaka of Compostela Valley, on the other hand, offered timber and bamboo for mission construction projects, carried religious images and church bells through forests for delivery to chapels inland, and adopted Christian burial practices, encouraging others to seek baptism.

There are also accounts of the natives who helped build the San Salvador del Mundo Church in Caraga alongside with the Jesuits, and fronted in organizing the first fiesta fluvial procession in the eastern seaboard, which was a blend of Catholic feast and native water rituals. They supplied woven cloth for vestments and altar decors, served as peace envoys to inland tribes, persuaded converts to attend mission schools, translated prayers into Bagobo and Mandaya languages, and introduced Christian feast days into tribal calendars as part of agricultural rituals.

The tribespeople also offered sanctuary to Jesuit catechists during insurgent unrest, provided warriors to guard the mission property against Moro raids, ferried the Jesuits to remote coastal sitios despite Spanish political instability, preserved mission archives and religious artifacts during the handover of power from Spanish to American authorities, and passed on Christian practices orally during periods when priests could not visit the missions due to disturbance.

Their patterns of contribution came in form of logistics (guiding missionaries, providing boats, building chapels, etc.), cultural mediation (translating prayers, incorporating Catholic feasts into traditional cycles, protection and advocacy (protecting missionaries, persuading other tribes to accept baptism), and symbolic integration (crafting religious objects, adapting indigenous rituals to fit Catholic celebrations.)

Saint John Paul II, during his watch, recognized the import of indigenous traditions in the context of Christianity, stating, “the worthy traditions of the Indian tribes were strengthened and enriched by the Gospel message … not only is Christianity relevant to the Indian peoples, but Christ, in the members of his Body, is himself Indian.” This recognition under-scores the integral role of the indigenous peoples in the propagation of the faith, principally in remote areas.

Similarly, St. Junípero Serra, a Franciscan missionary, stated: “We put ourselves out for the good of these poor people, and in doing so, work no harm to others. Nor do we undertake the work for any low or unworthy motive … I feel sure that everyone knows that we love them.”