Until the past decade, Ilianen Manobos, representing one of the more than 100 "Indigenous Religion" societies of the Philippines, lived in relative isolation, maintaining their folk practices and traditions handed down to them by their Manobo ancestors over the centuries.

Although formal linguistic investigations into their language, with the subsequent publication of literacy materials, did not begin until the late 1950s, Ilianen Manobo oral tradition has preserved many legends, epics, and historical accounts regarding their origin and cultural heritage.