This book provides a comprehenisve historical account of the struggles of the Manobo in Arakan Valley to keep their ancestral lands, and in the process assert their cultural identity across centuries of colonial rule and integration into the national political system. It describes their many experiences of resistance and accommodation, of creative adaptation, to external pressures and opportunities. Historians, anthropologists, and their students of Philippine society and culture will surely benefit from the many theoretical insights of the author about how indigenous groups like Manobo can increasingly become an integral part of the national and global community while maintaining their own social spaces and cultural contexts.— Carolyn I. Sobritchea, Professor of Philippine Studies, Asian Center, University of the Philippines.
Published in 2012. Winner, 2012 National Book Award, for Social Sciences.