Philippine E-Journals

The Mansaka Culture of Maragusan in Southern Philippines: From the Elders’ Lens

Hilda V. Angon-opena | Gloria P. Gempes

Discipline: Social Science

 

Abstract:

This ethnographic study portrays and documents the culture of the Mansaka tribe in Maragusan,a municipality of Davao Del Norte, Philippines. The term Mansaka stems from the place of origin, as a group of people living in the center of the forest. They are the first settlers of Maragusan. This qualitative study aims to document a narrative description of Mansaka culture as a ready reference for the people of Maragusan. This undertaking involved two focus group discussions (FGD) with seven participants each group and 14 key informants or a total of 28 Mansaka elders. We employed purposive sampling in determining the samples of the study. In Mansaka culture, the elders are the fundamental link in the continuity of the past to the future to complete the circle of life. Aside from focus group discussion and in-depth interview, we employed other data gathering techniques like participant observation and field notes. The findings revealed that the majority of the Mansakas have no college education, mostly farmers, and willing to die for the ownership of their land. The majority was converted to Christianity, but still holding on to their customs and traditions. These customs and traditions are authentically described in this study.