HERE - Philippine Culture

Preservation and Promotion of theCordillera Cultural Heritage andAddressing Prevailing Issuesin SocietyCARIDAD B. FIAR-OD, PhDCollege Vice President, MPSPCCouncil of Elders, Igorot Global Organization4 th International Conference of BIBAK in EuropeDublin, Ireland

The Philippine Cordillera• located in the north-centralpart of Luzon• dubbed as “watershedcradle of North Luzon”• has a mountainoustopography with toweringpeaks, plateaus, valleys,winding rivers thatcontributed to thesignificantly unique lifestyleand culture of the people.

• The 1987 PhilippineConstitution finallyrecognized the clamorof the Cordillerans forautonomy which isexpected to promotedevelopment.• The CordilleraAdministrative Region(CAR) was created byvirtue of EO 220 issuedby President CorazonC. Aquino on July 15,1987

…. however, the organic act thatwould have granted the region itsautonomy was rejected twice by thepeople of the Cordillera in 1990 andin 1998… hence, CAR remains anadministrative region instead of anAUTONOMOUS region…

• CordilleraAdministrativeRegion (CAR)• Abra• Benguet• Ifugao• Kalinga• Apayao• Mountain Province• Baguio City• 76 municipalitiescomposed of 1172barangays.

BAGUIO CITY• regional center• Summer Capital ofthe Philippines

NATURAL RESOURCES• Gold and copper mines• Climate suitable to uplandvegetables, fruits andornamental plants -cabbage, celery, carrot,potato, beans, lettuce,sweet peas, broccoli,beets, mushroom, banana,pineapple, strawberrycitrus, persimmon, passionfruit, several varieties ofcutflower, coffee, tobacco,mango, apple and pears

TOURIST DESTINATIONS• Benguet FlowerGardens• Handicraftindustries• Banaue RiceTerraces• Maligcong RiceTerraces• Sagada Caves

LANG-AYPANAGBENGAARYA ABRAADIVAYULLALIM &PINIKPIKANIMBAYAH orGOTADSINURSOR/SINANGDILA

the identity of every province is capturedin each provincial seal

The commonality of all provinces as reflectedin the seals are the following:1. Abundant God-givenresources- symbolized by themountains, valleys, hills, riversystems, water falls, majesticterraces, green fields that carrywith them the people’sresilience, steadfastness, andself-reliance in the face ofadversity and challenge. Amongthe Igorots are their innateindigenous engineering skills,and agricultural potentials todevelop tourism landmarks.

2. Heavenly Bodies. The stars andsun in emblems give impression ofsun rays at day break heralding thedawning of a new era. The starssignify that the region is integralpart of the Philippines contributingsubstantially to nationaldevelopment. The rising sun depictsthe glories of the people’s past. Therays of the sun symbolizes thepeople’s indigenous knowledge asthe light in attaining the people’svision.

3. Gong. This instrumentgives sound to conveyunity, cohesion andsolidarity towards theattainment of asingular and unifiedvision for developmentand industrialization. Italso symbolizes thehighland culture of theCordillerans beingoptimistic in theiroutlook.

4. Shield/Spear andHead Ax. Thesegadgets speak of thecourage of the people,the traditional weaponfor self-defense. Theseare all symbolicweapons of war,protection againstignorance, apathy andintolerance. They alsosymbolize the Igorots’indomitable spirit ofpreserving their way oflife, their environment,their customs andtraditions.

5. Symbolic shapes. Thetriangular shape manifestsstability and strength. Thecircles and wheels stand forthe earnest vision of everyprovince towardsdevelopment andindustrialization.

…should be preserved and promotedbecause it is the identity of theCordillerans wherever they are…1. Intangible heritage - songs,chants, dances, rituals,values, indigenousknowledge andtechnologies.

2. Tangible heritage - ourdifferent bamboo/rattancrafts, our costumes, theengineering structureslike the rice terraces, thefarm implements andthe rice granaries, aswell as the man-madedams

Guidelines on chants, dances, costumes…1. Among the Benguets, most gong-dancesare to be performed by elders only and notto be performed by the teenagers or childrensince the music of the gongs are part of theritual to appease or drive spirits. Gongdancesare played during wakes. Allowingthe young children is a taboo since they donot understand the ritual. On the contrary, inMountain Province, gong-dances are not onlypart of ritual but part of communitycelebrations like weddings, welcome parties,family reunions.

2. As a Cordillera cultural protocol, thespecific ethnic culture should berespected in terms of the performance ofchants and dances. The Bendian danceamong the Benguets, victory or festivaldances among other provinces may belearned, performed with the appropriatecostumes for identity. There arecommonalities and differences in stepsand arm positions as well as specificcostumes that should be properlyfollowed.

3. If cultural presentation or performance isto satisfy viewers, the original ethnic danceshould be differentiated fromchoreographed presentations. Originality ofdances is hardly maintained since mostcultural artists have the tendency to dochoreography. In most choreographedIgorot dances, steps of Muslim dances areintegrated. To some extent, costumes aremisused.

4. To maintainoriginality, the properuse of costumesshould be observed.The tapis amongwomen is worn kneelevelor below theknee. The g-string isworn with a knotworn without brief.

5. When rituals are to bepresented for informationpurposes, it should beaccompanied withliterature and the actualbutchering of animals onstage be stopped unlessthe ritual is performed forits actual specific purpose.

6. In order not to mislead viewers, it should bemade clear if the dance is choreographed and hasintegrated several dance steps and costumes.

IDENTITY OF CORDILLERA ETHNIC GROUPS1. Rice wine or anyother wine is alwayssipped to maintainfriendly relationshipwith the living and thedead. It is to beoffered freely asmeans to acknowledgethe bountiful harvestfrom Kabunyan, theAlmighty.

2. Gong-dances are always in circulararrangement as a sign of unity, solidarityand teamwork and with specific purposes.

3. Wisdom in elders is manifested in theirindigenous knowledge of extemporaneousrecital of prayers during rituals; narration ofhistorical events, commitment in doingassigned tasks for the community’s welfare.

4. Dance-chantsperformed by bothsexes duringfestivities or wakesare common amongall ethnic tribes inCordillera.

5. Rattan or bamboo wares andother farm implements wereoriginal among the Igorots asmeans to maximize theirresources and for specificuses. While these antiquesreveal the ingenuity and tellsthe life of Igorots in the past,it is getting lost due to lack ofappreciation and advocacy. Asa result, remnants of suchancestors’ legacy have gone toworld museums for exhibits.

6.The indigenousknowledge of backstrap weaving,tattooing,mummification, foodpreservation, stoneengineering, ricefarming, cooperatives,local governance isinnate among theIgorots.

7.The spirituality of the Igorotsin general is encompassedin their strong belief on thepower of the Almightyreferred as Kabunyan,Alawagan, Lumauig orsometimes termed asAdikaila, Nintotongdo orManakaalin. With such belief,the core values of inayan,laton, may kasiyana, lawlawabaw etc. are their guidingphilosophies in theireveryday living.

Recommendations:Towards the abatement of such societalissues, the following recommendationsare posed:1. Documentation of tangible andintangible heritage should becopyrighted as the Igorots’intellectual property before theyare pirated by other artists orauthors.

2. There should be continuing advocacy andpromotion of the Igorot culture throughconferences, symposia and other forms.3. There should be an aggressive continuingeducation among the youths on the dances,chants, indigenous technologies for them tounderstand their implication for development.

4. A Guidebook for tourists or travelers should bemade as to the DONTs, and DOs when in theCordillera.