The region's name is derived from its Bagobo origins. The word davao came
from the phonetic blending of three Bagobo subgroups' names for the Davao
River, a major waterway emptying into the Davao Gulf near the city. The
aboriginal Obos, who inhabit the hinterlands of the region, called the river
Davah (with a gentle vowel ending, although later pronunciation is with a hard
v or b); the Clatta (or Giangan/Diangan) called it Dawaw, and the Tagabawas
called it Dabo. To the Obos, davah also means "a place beyond the high
grounds" (alluding to settlements at the mouth of the river surrounded by
high, rolling hills). When
