INTRODUCTION

We all know that in every place there are many rich stories, traditions and culture
that makes the place have their own identity. One of this beautiful place are found in the
Philippines it is called Lake Sebu.
Lake Sebu is located in the Province of South Cotabato. It is approximately 40
kilometers away from Koronadal, the provincial capital of South Cotabato. Lake Sebu is
approximately 6 hours away from Cotabato City, the Regional center of Region XI. It is
bounded on the North by the Municipality of Surallah; on the Southwest by the
Municipality of Kiamba and Maitum; in the East by the Municipality of Tboli and in the
West by Palimbang of the Province of Sultan Kudarat. It is located at 610 N Latitude
and 12444E Longitude. (Wikipedia)
The Tboli, also known as Tboli, Tiboli and Tagabili, are indigenous peoples of
Mindanao concentrated in South Cotabato where the southwest coast range and the
Cotabato mountains merge to form the Tiruray highlands, in an area circumscribed by
the towns of Surallah, Polomolok Maitum and Kiamba. As settlers from other Philippine
islands arrived, the Tboli gradually withdrew to the mountain slopes and lived in

scattered villages. Their cultural heartland lies in the highland lake complex of Sebu,
Seloton, and Lahit. Lake Holon in Mt. Melibengoy (formerly Lake Maughan of Mt.
Parker) in Tboli municipality, South Cotabato is also an important body of water in the
Tboli traditional territory. (vincibueza.wordpress.com)
Tboli people are very talented because of their beautiful chants and tribal dances
and I can say that they really preserved their culture and traditions because if there are
any events they showcase their talents by showcasing their traditional dances and
telling about their history.
Their literature is very rich they have many stories that makes their place to be
unique and rich in different cultures that reflects their lifestyle.
So the purpose of this paper is to answer how the Tboli people preserved their
tradition, custom, culture and folk literature despite the fact that we are now living in an
advance technological world. This study aims to answer different questions related to
culture and literature.

School children in Lake Sebu perceived tudbulul as their hero because they
believed that tudbulul fight for their freedom from the evil that wants there land or their
homes. But in what I have observed children from Lake Sebu some of them doesnt
know the story of Tudbulul but they know that he is their epic hero.
And also we ask some teenager from Lake Sebu on how they perceived
Tudbulul. And we got the same answer that Tudbulul is their epic hero that fights for
them. We also asked that if they still believed that Tudbulul is real. Some are saying that
yes and other say that it just like fantasy but they still respect Tudbulul as their hero in
fact they have a module about Tudbulul they still want to preserved it because Tudbulul
is very important part of their literature and culture.
And
the

for

college
students

from

Santa Cruz
Mission
College.
Tudbulul

is their

epic hero

and

we asked

them

that

if

they still believed that Tudbulul is true?. And they said that they respect their culture.
But we have discovered that the story of Tudbulul has many version. Even though it may
have the different version but the main thought is still the same Tudbulul is their epic
hero that makes Lake Sebu unique from another places.

As for the professionals we asked one of the Professor from Santa Cruz Mission
College and he said that for him Tudbulul is their personal hero/savior because of his
great power to fight for them he believed that Tudbulul exist in the past times. He is very
proud to say that because of Tudbulul Lake Sebu is in good state and he still believed
that that Tudbulul is still the best because of his greatness and power to fight for the evil
that wants their land.
And for the old folks they believed that Tudbulul is their great hero for he is the
one who have a good heart that helps the Tboli people back then. They have different
stories about Tudbulul that are very interesting to hear. We can say that they have this
love of culture that they want to preserved and want another generations to learn and
respect. They want the young ones to still instill in their young minds the important of
culture and traditions.
This is telling us that even though we have different cultures and traditions we
have to still respect one another. We have to be proud on what culture that we have. We
have to preserved and protect our culture and traditions for this is the ones who mold us
on what we are today.

One of the most popular folk literature in the Tboli tribe is about the myth of Lake
Sebu and this is the version that I have heard.

Myth of Lake Sebu tells of a local princess who had a dream of coming to the
mountain land of Sebu. The princess saw a big leaf. When she opened it up a white
frog leaped out along with the gush of water which flooded the land and became the
lake. From the heavens she threw pythons to the earth which formed the islands at the
lake. And in order for the princess to pass by the lake, her brother parted the island. The
name Sebu, according to this version, came from the Tboli word for lake or leaf.

And also the story of Tudbulul. The story has many version but this is the version
that I
Santa

have gather when we interview some students in

Cruz Mission School.
There was a married couple

that
ask a
So

cannot bear a child so they

witch to give them a child.
they go to the witch of

the

sea

and

get

some help. They ask the witch that they want a child and the witch told the couple that
she will grant the wish of the couple and the witch give a beetle nut (buyo) to the couple
and the wife ate it. And the witch said in one condition if you bear a girl baby then you
can get her but if you will bear a boy child I will take the baby with me. Then the couple
agreed to the witch. After that the couple are very happy because now they can feel to
have a child but later they found out that the baby that she is carrying in her tummy is a
boy. So they decided to take the child into the deepest place of the forest. They hid the
baby and name it Tudbulul. Tudbulul means deepest place in the forest. But still the
witch saw them she get the baby to the couple and she brought the baby in her place.
But one day Tudbulul dreamed about his true identity so thats why he fight with the

witch and killed it. And Tudbulul go to his parents in Lake Sebu and the Tbolis are very
happy because Tudbulul kill the witch that wants their freedom.
This folk literature of the Tbolis shows us that they are very rich with beautiful
history that make them as a unique tribe.
In my own opinion Tboli people can still preserved their culture it is because they
still have this respect for their own traditions and culture. Like in Santa Cruz Mission
College they have a designated day to wear their traditional dress. They still practice
their tradition. Their museum also tell us how rich their community.