The Gift of Traditional Knowledge

Thanks to Borky for the artwork

Here are the lyrics of one of the songs in Chuwassi, Salidummay's 6th album, to be released in a launching concert on November 18, 2008, 6:30 pm, at the UP Baguio Auditorium. Don't miss it...

The Gift

The gift was nurtured through the times to be a guiding light

The gift was handed down the ages from the elders to the child

I learned to love my land of birth, the mountains and the trees

I learned the secrets of the earth, the sky, the wind, the seas

It taught me when to work the land, and when to watch and wait

When to sow and when to reap and when to celebrate

I learned to share my time, my skill, my harvest and my labor

I learned to give and to receive the caring of my neighbor

To give respect to nature, each creature has its ways

To celebrate all cultures, each people has their ways

Walk lightly on the planet, this message must be heard

The gift of simple living, we offer to the world

The gift was nurtured through the times to be a guiding light

And now it teaches me that I must carry on the fight

Ibaloi Centennial Initiative: In from the Margins

Some scenes from the founding congress of Chiva ni Doakan

top: lunch cooked in silyasi

bottom: Rosela Camte-Bahni explains Chiva

Some recent developments show the Baguio Ibalois taking steps to assert their identity and heritage.

Yesterday, a forum at the Baguio City Hall focused on the displacement of the native Ibalois in the formation of the chartered city, and called for rectification of the historical injustice. Joanna Carino presented a case study on how Mateo and Bayosa Carino were legislated out of their home in what is now the site of Baguio City Hall. Other Ibaloi clans were also in attendance, and shared similar stories of their families. Representatives of government agencies listened and responded that the Ibalois' voice must certainly be heard when the comprehensive land use plan for the city shall be updated at the end of this year.

Another welcome development was the founding congress of Chiva ni Doakan (Center for Ibaloi Heritage and Loakan History), held last October 18, 2008. The Ibaloi community of Loakan gathered to formally launch their efforts to collect, document, preserve and educate people about Ibaloi heritage and Loakan history. Their vision is for the Ibaloi and Loakan residents to be knowledgeable and proud of their active heritage. The initial result of their documentation efforts are presently available for public view at the Baguio Mountain Province Museum near UP Baguio.

With these, the Baguio Ibaloi clans are slowly making their presence felt in preparation for the Baguio Centenial, and coming in from the margins...

WANTED: Gaki from Balas-iyan

Lola Wilna and grandsons,

who were successfully breastfed

with the help of tengba.

Women from Besao would nod their heads in agreement. But for the rest -- gaki are small freshwater crabs, and Balas-iyan is the place where the right variety is found for a successful tengba.  And of course, tengba is that fermented mixture of gaki, salt, and pounded rice, which is said to help a mother produce enough milk to nurse her new-born baby.

When I gave birth to my first-born, my mother-in-law who hails from Besao brought me tengba. She explained the difficulty in getting the right crabs. Attempts to use available crabs in the Baguio market called kappi, resulted in a bitter batch. While crabs from the river in Besao resulted in a tasteless one. Thus, experience has taught the women of Besao that it is essential the crabs come from the river near Balas-iyan, found in the tri-boundary of Mountain Province, Abra, and Ilocos Sur, which is apparently clean, and not affected by pollution.

In Besao, tengba is served with etag and chicken to guests who come to celebrate the birth of a first-born. This is an occasion for the community to give support to a young mother, to help bolster her self-confidence as she faces a new task to care for her new-born, and to share experience and advise on motherhood. Of course, the tengba itself offers the right nutrition for a nursing mother. I guess calcium and protein from the crabs, and Vitamin B and carbohydrates from the rice, and possibly other vital nutrients for milk production still unknown. 

What a fine practice to show support to a young mother, far superior to the situation of urban-based mothers who, when confronted with problems in nursing their babies, run to the grocery to buy a can of formula milk!

Well, if you are fortunate enough to have some gaki from Balas-iyan, here's the procedure. Place your prized catch in an earthen or glass jar. Separate the legs from the bodies. Place lots of salt, and leave it to ferment for two weeks. Then pound some rice (the ordinary rice, not the sticky variety) and mix it with the fermented mixture. Allow the tengba to rest for at least one week and up to a year. You can use the paste for soups, with vegetables, or chicken. Enjoy!

Certified Organic by Mother Petra

Mother Petra needs no certification from the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP), and has no plans of going through the lengthy and expensive process of getting one. She has been practicing traditional organic agriculture her whole life, and has put to good use the practical traditional knowledge (TK) she learned in her hometown Mainit, Mountain Province (named after its hot springs) and also from her visits to demonstration farms of the Montanosa Research and Development Center (MRDC).

Ten hours away from Baguio city is Mother Petra's farm in Maligaya, Nueva Vizcaya Her crop is rice, and she has succeeded in convincing her neighbors that farmers do not need to buy chemical inputs to have a good harvest. Such a radical idea, but proven right by many seasons of bountiful harvests that continue to improve as years pass.

Instead of chemical fertilizers, Mother Petra scatters taep or rice husk after planting. She goes to the rice mill to ask for or buy so many cavans of taep to fill a kuliglig (tractor), and she applies 10 - 15 cavans per hectare each season. It if food for the bisukol (edible snails living in the rice paddies), and when it rots, it is organic fertilizer. Applying the rice husk is laborious, and it helps if there is a wind which can carry it further. Only thing is, her face gets covered with the rice husk powder which makes her look like al-alya! But no problem. What is important is that her land continues to get more fertile, her expenses are low, and she has a stock of organic rice, which she shares with her fortunate family and friends. 

Mother Petra is now 76, still going strong, as she makes her rounds to visit her children and grandchildren to give them their supply of organic rice, in Baguio, Bontoc, and Metro Manila. Asked about her secret to good health, she answered: Eat organic, work, and when you are tired, rest. Words of wisdom which I should pay heed to...

Watch for Chuwassi, Salidummay's sixth album

New generation of Salidummay

When we started out 21 years ago, our goal was simple: to record the protest songs which we heard, as we joined fact-finding missions, multilateral peace pacts, Macliing Memorials and early celebrations of Cordillera Day in the 1980s. The result was our first album released in 1987, which we named after the chorus line of the indigenous song form.

Since then, we released Dong dong ay in 1992, Elalay in 1995, Diway in 2000, and Ay ay in 2003. Presently, we are working on a sixth album Chuwassi, soon to be released on November at UP Baguio. It is produced by the Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK) with support from Tebtebba Foundation and EED Task Force on Indigenous Peoples (EEDTFIP). 

Chuwassi focuses on the contributions of indigenous peoples in caring for the environment. The album has 12 original compositions, with each highlighting various angles of the Cordillera people's efforts to conserve their mountain ecosystem.

Kullilipan ni Kaigorotan traces back in history the roots of the discplacement of Kaigorotan from his homeland. It translates into song the mime and verse "Ako si Kaigorotan", originally written by Nonilon Queano and directed by Lulu Gimenez in the 1980s, for a cultural production against the government-sponsored Grand Canao. The song blends the traditional melody kullilipan with a nose flute and acoustic guitar.

Bakir tackles the indigenous knowledge and practices involved in caring for forests. It brings forward traditional values such as generosity, reciprocity and concern for community, which play a key role in preserving forests and present a stark contrast to the profit-orientation of modern society. 

Chumma, written in Ifontoc language, highlights the importance of saving our heirloom seeds and genetic resources, which do not require buying chemical inputs, but make use of naturally organic fertilizers and pesticides. The song expounds on the negative impact of high-yielding varieties and genetically modified seeds threatening the food security of the mountain folk.

Lubong Ko tells the story of the indigenous peasants and mineworkers of Mankayan, as they deal with the devastation brought about by the large scale mining operations of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. Welga recounts the victorious strike of the Lepanto Workers Union in 2005, which asserted workers rights to higher wages and better working conditions, and also resulted in a stronger and consolidated union.

Datayo nga Agrigrigat, composed by the ladies of ORNUS (Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad), relates the hardships of indigenous migrants in Baguio city, as they seek greener pastures, resulting from their displacement and marginalization in the Cordillera countryside.

Women of Asia was first sung in 1993, in the first Asian Indigenous Women's Conference. It highlights the role of indigenous women in society, and signaled the birth of the indigenous women's movement in Asia. Remember Your Children is a reprise of the song first recordedin 1993 by then nine-year old twins Karlo and Maria Cleto. It reminds so-called "development" planners to consider future generations when planning dams, mines, and logging operations. It also calls on the Cordillera people to safeguard their heritage.

Hustisya calls for justice for all victims of political killings in the Philippines, and pays tribute to the martyrs and victims of extrajudicial killings, who gave their lives as the highest sacrifice in the movement for national liberation.

Underground relates the growth of a mass movement starting with a few seeds transforming into a powerful force unleashed towards a change in social structure. Entayo shares the experience of joining Cordillera Day, which celebrates the solidarity among peoples fighting for freedom.

Finally, The Gift pays tribute to the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, nurtured through generations, and passed on from elders to child. Traditional knowledge teaches sustainable and equitable ways of living, supportive and respective of the environment. It contains practical guides for living off the earth, while teaching values for community, simple living, hard work and generosity. Valuable lessons can be learned from traditional knowledge, which is gaining recognition around the world, as a stock of viable ways of living and caring for the planet in these days of global warming and climate change.

All 12 songs are inspired by and grounded on the musical tradition of the Cordillera. They use traditional melodies and rhythms, bamboo flutes, tuned percussion instruments and gongs. But because Salidummay is a contemporary music group, it also employs modern instruments and musical instruments, such as guitar, harmonization, and instrumental accompaniment which are innovations on the traditional and the fruit of creative effort of the group. Like earlier albums, Chuwassi showcases contemporary Cordillera music which expresses the issues that face the Cordillera people today, advocates and asserts cultural integrity and self-determination, in a package that focuses the spotlight on a rich and colorful musical heritage.

The Salidummay has gone far beyond our initial modest goal of recording the indigenous protest songs for posterity. Instead, it has proven to be larger than us individual musicians. It has grown into a musical crusade and battlecry, which involves the youth, children, women, elders, community folk, as we assert our cultural identity and pursue our self-determination.#

Traditional Knowledge is Alive Among the Talaandig

Jill and Manang Vicky from Baguio City

 joined the Cross Visit

to the Talaandig Tribe

 in Barangay Sungco, Lantapan, Bukidnon.

On September 8, 2008, fifteen of us indigenous people from different areas in the Philippines visited the Talaandig Tribe, to learn from them. We had heard about their successful efforts in consciously reviving the ancient wisdom of the tribe. We went with a desire to see for ourselves what they had accomplished, and whether we could bring home lessons for our own communities.

Indeed, the Talaandig tribe shows the way to bring culture to the heart of the struggle to assert identity, and rights to territory and ways of life. The whole community is involved in the regeneration of their culture. Datu Vic Migketay Saway compares the various groups in the community to the different parts of the body, which have particular contributions and work together harmoniously.

The women and elders play the role of peacemakers and mediators. They have revived the tribal ways of resolving conflicts, and offer an effective and cheaper way of maintaining peace than court litigation. They were successful in resolving critical feuds which had involved murders. They also effectively confronted outsiders who threatened the Talaandig territory.

The cultural guards were organized to defend the territory of the tribe. They are the enforcers of customary law. They conduct patrols and fight against those who threaten the tribe and their territory. They employ ancient weapons and magic that have proven effective against their foes.

The elders also teach in the school for living tradition. They share their expertise in such fields as chanting, embroidery, dance, and story telling.

The youth are active in reviving and further developing their tribal arts. Waway made a first drum in 1996, based on his memory of a community drum during his childhood. And now, all children are adept in playing the traditional rhythms on their drums. Instead of discos and benefit dances, the youth are engaged in creative work in music, earth paintings, production of musical instruments and accessories, and traditional dance.

All of us cross-visitors were quite amazed that here in the Philippines is a community that is consciously pursuing their cultural identity, keeping alive their ritual, arts, and traditional knowledge in the face of the ever-present and never-ending invasion of western/modern ways. Our lessons were many, which I hope to share more of in future posts. Meanwhile,  I am digesting this experience, and seriously thinking about ways to revive the Ibaloi culture in Baguio city...

Why Traditional Knowledge?

This stonewall keeps the road out of my front yard garden.

It was built by master stonewall builders from Maligcong, Mt. Province,

and has withstood many a storm.

Herbs that heal, wild edibles, the best time to plant the seeds, the right crop for a long dry spell. These are some of the practical knowledge learned and nurtured through generations, passed on from elders to child.

Traditional knowledge, TK for short, is gaining recognition worldwide for its invaluable contributions to the well-being of planet Earth, and the creatures it hosts. This knowledge is valuable, not only for the bearers or those who use it for their daily survival, but also wider society. TK is the source of many widely used products such as medicines and food. TK also teaches sustainable and equitable ways of living, in contrast to the excessive consumption and profit-seeking of the modern world.

 This blog focuses the spotlight on TK, many times taken for granted, but which actually plays a great role in keeping our world upright and stable.

Let's give credit to the kabiteros, those stonewall builders, whose sturdy creations allow the mountain city of Baguio to carry ten times the number of people it was planned for. Those able-bodied men and women hail from Cordillera mountain villages, where they learned from their elders the art of stonewall building, which is essential in their ricefields, gardens, and villages built along steep mountain slopes.

TK is a gift from past generations and the birthright of future generations. Before it's too late, let's go visit our elders and learn from them.#