Mount Kalatungan, also known as Keretungan by the indigenous Manobo people, is a volcanic mountain located in the province of Bukidnon in the southern Philippines. It is a stratovolcano with no known historical eruptions and classified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) as a potentially active volcano.[1] It is the fifth highest mountain in the Philippines and is an indigenous and community conserved area (ICCA).[5]
| Mount Kalatungan | |
|---|---|
| |
 Aerial view of Kalatungan Mountain Range | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,860 m (9,380 ft)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 1,502 m (4,928 ft)[3][4] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 7°57′18″N 124°48′09″E / 7.95500°N 124.80250°E[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Kalatungan .svg) Mount Kalatungan | |
 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Northern Mindanao |
| Province | Bukidnon |
| Cities and municipalities | |
| Parent range | Kalatungan Mountain Range |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Holocene[1] |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano[1] |
| Last eruption | Unknown[1] |
Description
editMount Kalatungan is the fifth highest mountain in the country with an elevation of 2,860 m (9,380 ft) asl. It is one of the several high elevation peaks in the Kalatungan Mountain Range in Bukidnon on the island of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines.
Ancestral domain
editThe mountain is part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous Manobo and Talaandig people. It is inhabited by around 531 households (2,652 people) as of 2015. The Manobo comprise 85% of the population, while the remaining 15% is composed of the Talaandig and the non-indigenous Dumagat (recent Visayan settlers). The ancestral domain covers approximately 3,242 hectares (8,010 acres) of the Kalatungan mountain range in Bukidnon. It includes six barangays, namely Nabaliwa, Bacusanon, Concepcion, Mendis, and Pigtauranan in the municipality of Pangantucan; and Dominorog in the municipality of Talakag.[5][6]
Conservation
editMount Kalatungan is regarded as a "sacred forest" (Idsesenggilaha) by the indigenous peoples in the area. It was formally declared as an Indigenous and community conserved area (ICCA) in 8 February 2012, through a ritual known as Gulugundu by participating tribes. Anyone wishing to enter the area must obtain permission from the Ebmegurangen (the council of elders) of the indigenous tribes, as well as follow the rules, regulations, and policies outlined by the ICCA.[5]
As a sacred environment, the regulations of the ICCA are partly based on ancestral beliefs as revealed to the Datu or Bai (male or female community leaders, respectively) and the Beylan (shaman).[5]
Mythology
editThe summit of the mountain is known as Apu ("revered elder", compare with Mount Apo) by the Manobo people, because it is believed to be the abode of a spirit of the mountain (collectively known as Elembiten, "invoked spirits"). The spirits work in a hierarchy of spiritual beings known as Kedelisayan, and are regarded guardians and nurturers of the tribes.[5]
In the Manobo mythology, the whole mountain was formerly known as Apu before the great flood submerged the lands and only the tip of the mountain remained above water as a small island. This island was known as Keretung where a human survivor named Apu Agbibilin and two trees remain. The two trees were closely-spaced and when the wind blew against them, it caused them to rub against each other and emit a spark that became a small flame. Apu Agbibilin used the flame to build a fire which emitted smoke. The smoke was seen by survivors also stranded on the peaks of other mountains. They came to Apu Agbibilin to ask for fire and from them arose a new people known as the Menuvù (Manobo).[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Kalatungan". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ Henares, Ivan (February 2, 2008). "The Highest Mountains in the Philippines". Pinoy Mountaineer. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
- ^ de Ferranti, Jonathan; Maizlish, Aaron (c. 2005). "Philippine Mountains: 29 Mountain Summits with Prominence of 1,500 Meters or Greater". Peaklist. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
- ^ "Kalatungan Mountains High Point, Philippines". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f ICCA Registry Case Study: Idsesenggilaha of the Menuvù Tribe in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon. ICCA Consortium. August 22, 2015.
- ^ "Indigenous Tribes of Bukidnon". Jesuit Bukidnon Mission. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Mount Kalatungan at Wikimedia Commons- Mount Kalatungan - Mounta Wiji Traverse
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