Francisco Guerrero | The T'boli People

Photo © Francisco Guerrero-All Rights Reserved

I haven't posted much on the Philippines on The Travel Photographer blog...perhaps 2 or 3 posts at the most. It's no intentional fault of mine, but it's just that I haven't come across much travel photography from this lovely country.

In order to redress this, I have now found Francisco Guerrero's work on the T'boli people. The T'boli people live in the southern part of Filipino province of Cotabata, and around lake Sebu. It is estimated that there are between 100,000 and 150,000 T'boli people. They generally practice the primitive way of agriculture "slash and burn" to grow corn, upland rice, vegetables, and root crops; most of which is for their own consumption.

Twenty-five years ago, written T'Boli did not exist, polygamy was more actively practiced, and barter was the principal form of economic exchange. The latter has since been replaced by a money economy. The T'boli culture is tightly connected with nature, and their dances mimic the action of animals such as monkeys and birds, and their music is played on a variety of musical instruments, and is a form of connection to their ancestors and a source of ancient wisdom.

Francisco Guerrero is based in Spain and in the Philippines, and holds a degree in Anthropology and Communications from Goldsmiths College, London. His clients include Conde Nast Traveller, Travel and Leisure, Lexus Magazine, Budget Travel, Hemispheres, Afar, Town and Country, Continental Inflight among other publications.