Echoes of the South: Tboli & Ubo Culture Through the Lens of Paul Barreto

This digital photo collection by photographer and documentary filmmaker Paul Barreto focuses on the Tboli and Ubo communities around Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Philippines. The images were taken during two visits to Lake Sebu.

Paul first met Boi Myrna Pula, a Tboli cultural worker and storyteller, in May 2024 during a speaking tour in San Diego, California. She invited him and his partner, Kristine Angeles, to visit the community and introduced them to fellow cultural worker Mechie Belleza Mafok and Datu Benjie Manuel, School Head of the Tboli Sebù Senior High School. Boi Myrna, Mechie, and Datu Benjie work collaboratively on cultural preservation and advocacy.

According to Boi Myrna, historically:

“Boi means princess—a title given to a wealthy woman with a genuine heart. Datu is a prince, someone who possesses the qualities expected of him: wealth, leadership, and pure governance. Nowadays, datu and boi are also used as terms of respect.”

In 2025, Paul returned to Lake Sebu to meet additional Tboli and Ubo elders from across the region. During an event held at Gónô Tmutul in Barangay Lamdalag, a traditional bamboo hat belonging to the late Datu Jessie ‘Mafil’ Angkoy was repatriated. The hat had been sent by Sandra Castro from New York City. The occasion was marked by traditional music played on the hagalong (boat lute), dancing, and chanting (lemingon) to celebrate the return of the item, with members of Datu Mafil’s family in attendance.

The event highlighted the deep cultural ties and shared traditions between the Tboli and Ubo communities of Lake Sebu.

These photographs are made publicly available with the permission of the Tboli and Ubo community elders.

Image Use Guidelines

No permission is needed for non-commercial educational purposes such as:

  • Community education programs
  • Classroom lectures
  • Student presentations
  • Academic conference presentations

Commercial use requires permission from the photographer, Paul Barreto.

Please credit the images with the following statement:

Echoes of the South: Tboli and Ubo Culture Through the Lens of Paul Barreto by Paul Barreto, Philippine Studies Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa Library Digital Image Collections.

All photographs are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.