Starting 2017, the Davao City local government set up the Kadayawan Cultural Village at the Magsaysay Park to popularize the traditional houses in the ancestral domains of cultural communities. This way, visitors to the annual Kadayawan Festival could see and experience for themselves the traditional homes of the 11 tribes predominant in the city.
For the first digital Kadayawan Festival, Filipina Architect features the 11 structures at the Kadayawan Cultural Village.
- Bolloy, Traditional house of the Bagobo Klata House
The Bolloy is a traditional house of the Bagobo Klata. It is usually made of light materials sourced from nearby flora. The whole house stands on stilts, forming an underfloor space called palung which is used to shelter livestock or as extra storage for farming implements and a variety of other items.
- Binanwa, Traditional house of the Ata Paquibato
Binanwa is the term for the Ata’s traditional house. It is usually elevated by one floor’s height, and has a gable type roof. The house has 20 square meters of floor area, and it has a common area where the family usually sleeps and eats.
- Baoy, Traditional house of the Obo Manuvu
An Obo-Manuvu house, the Baoy floor plan is usually shaped like a rectangle or square. One family can fit inside the Baoy, and the house is usually built on stilts. The house’s elevation from the ground offers protection from the dampness of the ground, as well as from pests and snakes.
- Baley, Traditional house of the Matigsalug
A Traditional Matigsalug house is called a Baley. It is a family shelter built on stilts about 0.6m high from the ground. Livestock is usually kept at the space below the house.
- Bale Bagobo Tagabawa
The Bale is considered the Bagobo Tagabawa’s basic residential unit with the size just enough to shelter one family. The whole structure is supported above the ground by timber poles and is usually dispersed near swidden patches.
- Luma, Traditional house of the Sama
The Luma is the traditional house of the Sama. It is made of lumber and nipa leaves found in the surrounding flora.
- Torogan, Royalty house of the Maranao
The torogan is the ancestral communal house of the Maranao sultan or datu. It is the largest house in the community, which signifies the sultan or the datu’s rank, prestige, and power. The most distinctive feature of the torogan are its seven to eight intricately carved panolong or end-beams.
- Turogan, Royalty house of the Iranun
The traditional Iranun house is called the Turogan. It consists of three storeys. First is the basement space or tunnel called Kuta or Bag’r or Pacsol. Historically, this was the portion of the house where residents hid when feuds or wars happened. Second is the main space for kitchen and living spaces where the residents sleep and also do domestic chores. Lastly, the tower is called gibbon, or bilik or lamin or the princess room. This is where the princess stays.
- Togan, Royalty house of the Kagan
The Togan is the traditional house of the Kagan. It is made of thatched roofing with bamboo walls, windows and doors. In modern construction, a blue torch is used to make artistic embellishments to the bamboo, forming creative patterns.
- Walai, Royalty house of the Maguindanao
The Walai is a traditional house of the Maguindanao. It is rectangular and is embellished with Okir at the fascia boards and other areas.
- Astana, Royalty house of the Tausug
The Astana royalty house is the royal house of the Tausug. It is rectangular in plan and has two storeys. The first ground floor is open with exposed large columns. The dominant feature of this royalty house is its Y-shaped grand stairs in the center facade which and it is surrounded by large verandas on the second and third floors.
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Researched by the Mindanao Architecture Advocacy Network.
Mindanao Architecture Advocacy Network is a network of architects, designers, engineers, and enthusiasts who have a conscious effort to promote and preserve the rich cultural and built heritage of Mindanao traditional architecture by way of research and a tangible book publication.