The Tagakolu

​The Tagakolu 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 refers to 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 and songs, as well as the dynamic relationship between these elements. All this is kolu!

The Tagakolu Heritage

Witness the wisdom embedded in their current way of life, the rhythms of their traditions, and the deeply felt imperative for recognition in a world that often fails to hear their voice. A quiet observation of an enduring spirit, poised against the echoes of history and the challenges of the present.

The Enduring Struggle of the Tagakaulo

The Tagakolu people endured centuries of foreign claim to their ancestral lands, first under the Spanish, whose influence was minimal, and then under the Americans, who aggressively exploited Mindanao, leading to land grabs by settlers and resulting in the resistance act of a Tagakolu man assassinating the American district governor of Davao in 1906. Even after the re-establishment of the Philippine Republic, and despite the passage of the 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) designed to protect their domains, the Tagakolu continue to suffer marginalization, losing land to local politicians acting as warlords through "legal theft," which, combined with the cultural pressure from Western media and language displacement in schools, is tragically eroding their distinct cultural identity and societal cohesion.

The Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) at the Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS) aim to witness and proclaim as a community the presence and coming of God’s Reign as proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth by journeying and working with the Tagakolu people to promote the wealth and beauty of their culture and help them protect their ancestral domain from developmental aggression.

The MJ's Ministry to the Tagakaulo

The Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) carry on the evangelization and social work initiated by the Canadian PMÉ missionaries (1970s-2011) and the Colombian Yarumal missionaries (2000-2005) in the mountainous Tagakolu communities, arriving in 2006 at the Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS). The MJ's approach is deeply rooted in the Christian concepts of Incarnation and kenosis, inspiring them to learn the Tagakolu language, respect their culture as a "gift from God," and live with them in reverence. Due to poor infrastructure, their ministry involves difficult treks to Christian communities for spiritual life and formation programs adapted to the Tagakolu context. Furthermore, the MJ actively supports culture-respectful education by maintaining two elementary schools that use Tagakolu as the medium of instruction and partners with NGOs like iEmergence to facilitate intergenerational sharing programs between elders and youth to preserve indigenous knowledge. Finally, the MJ has established a network with universities and NGOs in Davao to raise awareness about the sacredness of the Tagakolu's ancestral domain, aiming to combat land grabbing and help the Tagakolu find their voice against abuses.

Get to know our Mission Staff

The Indigenous Peoples (IP) Schools

The Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS) is helping two Tagakolu communities manage their schools. The schools have been named after the community where they are located: IP School of Kyasan (located in Kyasan, Brgy. Kilalag, Malita, Davao Occidental) and IP School of Lebleb (located in Lebleb, Brgy. Pinalpalan, Malita, Davao Occidental). The names of the schools were chosen by the community members themselves after a series of consultations.

IP School of Kyasan

IP School of Lebleb

These two IP Schools trace their origins to the literacy schools that the PMÉ (Société des Missions-Etrangères du Quebec) missionaries began in the mid-1980s. There were numerous literacy schools numbering up to fifty scattered all over the mountains of the municipalities of Malita and Sta. Maria is in the Province of Davao del Sur. All the teachers of these literacy schools were volunteers, the majority of whom were Tagakolu, trained by the mission, and received a meager allowance due to limited resources. These literacy schools slowly became primary schools that were annexed to the nearest government schools and were called Tribal Filipino Schools (TF Schools).

The Missionaries of Jesus (MJ), who took over the administration of the Malita Tagakaulo Mission in 2006, continued the TF Schools by maintaining the handful that remained and opening a few others in a number of far-flung communities. Encouraged by the commitment of the Diocese of Digos to IP Education and with the help of the Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP), the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ), the MATAMIS staff, and IP school teachers have been developing an IP curriculum for the remaining two TF Schools, now called IP (Indigenous Peoples) Schools. Despite the presence of government schools, the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) has opted to support the remaining IP Schools as a concrete expression of its commitment to the mandate of Christian Mission to be in communion with those in the peripheries, in this context, the Tagakolu community, and adherence to the Diocese’s commitment to IP Education.

The IP school teachers now receive a minimum wage and other benefits following the labor laws mandated by the Philippine government. Since the IP schools offer free education, the salaries of the IP school teachers and the materials they use are supported by donations, both local and international. Without donations, this mission work would be difficult to sustain.

Meet our IP School Teachers

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Join us in a sacred act of respect: Together, we embrace the Tagakolu people and their culture as God's gift. By nurturing their language, schools, and land, we ensure that every Indigenous child can grow, thrive, and lead their community into a future full of hope.

Ubun na Kettal Program

The Ubun na Kettal program, established by the Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) in partnership with the NGO iEmergence, serves as the youth arm of the Malita Tagakaulo Mission (MATAMIS), taking its name from the Tagakolu phrase meaning "those charged to care for the Tagakolu culture." Launched in 2015 after consultations with Tagakolu communities, the program's core aim is to form leaders who are deeply rooted in their cultural identity—seen as a gift from their God, Tyumanem—while remaining aware of the modern world. Ubun na Kettal provides a vital intergenerational platform where elders and youth gather to share, learn, and celebrate their heritage, ensuring the preservation of Tagakolu customs, and has successfully expanded its reach to seven communities as of 2019.

Address:

Matamis, Brgy. Demoloc, Malita, Davao Occidental 8012, Philippines

Packages

Missionaries of Jesus 19-A Model House, Belen Rd., Brgy. Pampanga 8000, Davao City Philippines

Mail:

c/o Catholic Rectory Sto. Rosario Parish Malita, Davao Occidental 8012, Philippines