Faith on a blade’s edge

In the decades before the Americans took possession of the islands in 1898, Davao was a frontier where faith, culture, and power clashed. Jesuit missionaries, who returned to Mindanao in after nearly two centuries of absence, found themselves in one of the most complex and perilous mission territories in the archipelago. Their evangelical enterprise was shaped and often hindered by the political dominance of Moro chieftains, the vulnerability of Christian settlements, and the intransigence of indigenous belief systems.

Davao, in the late Spanish period, was not a unified territory under firm colonial direction. It was a mosaic of tribal groups in the hinterlands, and a network of Moro settlements along the coast, through trade, kinship, and raiding. Spanish authority was also tenuous beyond their small garrison towns. In many coastal areas, Spanish troops could only assert control with the aid of gunboats, and even then, Moro fleets could retaliate with devastating raids. In this environment, the Catholic Church’s status was fragile. The Jesuits were the primary evangelizers in the gulf, but their work was often confined to places under military shield. Outside the enclaves, their influence diminished rapidly, for the reach of Moro datu authority was immediate and tangible than that of colonial officials. Among tribesmen, the Church competed with animistic traditions and the political shadow of Islam, which offered its own religious framework and alliances.

The dangers faced by Jesuits were both physical and cultural. The Jesuits risked abduction or death when traveling by sea. Moro war fleets, often in swift vintas or garays, preyed on unprotected vessels, capturing slaves to be sold in Cotabato, Jolo, or even farther afield. Mission boats laden with supplies or catechumens were prime targets. Among the Bagobo, Mandaya, and other highland peoples, conversion was seen as an intrusion into traditional authority structures.

The Jesuits often had to navigate the wrath of tribal leaders who viewed Christianity as a threat to the ritual systems that sustained communities. Many mission stations were remote, requiring long treks through forests or up rivers infested with crocodiles. Malaria, dysentery, and fever claimed both missionaries and converts. Supplies could take weeks to arrive, and during the rainy season, entire settlements could be cut off.

The Jesuits had to maintain subtle relations with both Spanish military and Moro leaders. Any sign of overt military alliance could provoke Moro retaliation, and any hint of deference to Moro power could alienate colonial authorities. There are instances where priests were killed or abducted, their mission houses burned, and converts carried off to slavery. In prewar American period, the Catholic Church was a frontier institution, more a chain of fortified mission stations than a pervasive religious authority. The Jesuits worked closely with the military, as conversion was easier where Spanish arms had cleared the area of raiders. But the Church lacked the resources to maintain large-scale conversions outside Spanish-controlled zones.

In Moro-controlled areas, the Church’s presence was symbolic at best. Catholicism was neither tolerated nor influential in these domains. Moro datus discouraged conversion among their subjects, for such acts were seen as acts of defection to the enemy. Among tribes, the Church’s influence varied depending on the ability to offer protection from Moro raids and tangible benefits such as schooling, clothing, and access to trade.

The overlapping religious and political rivalries meant that Jesuit efforts among the pagans were shaped by the constant threat of Moro reprisal. A tribal village that embraced Christianity could become a target for slave raids, prompting many to hedge their allegiance or to revert to traditional practices when threatened. Conversion was therefore often superficial, rooted less in deep theological acceptance and more in the hope of gaining Spanish protection.

It was a Christian faith tested on the edge of a blade.