English - Balay Mindanaw

LUMADNONG PAGKINABUHI NGADTO SA KALINAWInto Bigger ResponsibilitiesTatay Malindahay was first taught about the rudimentsof conflict resolution by his grandfather and his uncle, DatuPanawagon. Before he was ordained, he had already beenassisting in the conflict mediation process. His first mediationconcerned petty theft. “My grandfather and uncle were notaround at that time. Had they been present, they would havedone the settlement. I ended up mediating three conflicts allby myself. My delighted companions then said I was ready tobecome a datu because I could already solve problems.”Eventually, the datus proposed that Tatay Malindahaywould be ordained as datu. But he refused at first because,like Amba Palasambag, he felt that the ordination would puta big pressure on him. “I was apprehensive because the job ofa datu is dangerous. Once he commits a mistake, he would bekilled. And the punishment is executed right away, no morequestions asked, because a datu is presumed to be aware ofthe laws, and so has no reason to violate them.”To convince Tatay Malindahay, his uncle datu invited thedatus from Mangumabo, Malindag-os, Kabuka, Pinalit andMalagwas to talk to him and make him accept his fate. Finally,he acceded. “I was told of the tradition that anybody offered thedatuship should not refuse, lest he suffer bad karma.” He was20 when he was first ordained as datu. Tatay Malindahay saidhe had been ordained four times. His first dang-ol was in Pinalit,a sitio of Eureka, in 1979 during a dumalongdong. Ordinationor dang-ol is done with a ritual or religious ceremony like thedumalongdong. To the Higaunons of Kalabugao, tagulambunghu datu patalawas, a rite synonymous to dumalongdong, isconducted mainly to confirm the succession of a new datu(Biernatzki 1956:35).As a datu, many people would come to seek his help. Inhis own words, Tatay Malindahay said:68