Project Report - La Trobe University

she said. “I have never been taken care of
that way before.”
It was during the visit that Cameron and
Wise learned of the fears of the
Ichananaw elders.
“They were concerned that with the
younger generations frequently
interacting with the outside world, many
of the youth no longer know how to sing
some of their traditional songs,” she said.
Request and invitation
The elders requested the couple to help
the tribe document its customs and
traditions, and a community leader,
Fargwog Aga-id, invited them to stay
there for a year.
Cameron promised to return after
completing her stint as a volunteer, and
Wise decided to put his studies on hold to
work on the project.
Said Cameron: “Our skill and interest
matched their request.”
The goal was to produce books that could
also be used at the Dananao Elementary
School, where at least 160 Ichananaw
children are enrolled.
In February 2009, the couple began a fivemonth-long
work that introduced them
not only to the dedication and enthusiasm
of the Ichananaw but also to the
willingness of many other volunteers to
help a small community preserve its
identity.
Some 67 people directly contributed to
the fieldwork, Cameron said.
The project was conducted under the
aegis of the Ateneo Center for Educational
Development. The couple also received
financial support from the group
Volunteering for International
Development from Australia, which is
funded by the Australian Agency for
International Development, and from the
Philippines-Australia Studies Center at
the La Trobe University, where Wise is
pursuing his doctoral studies.
Indigenizing Education in a Kalinga Public School | 32
But starting the project was not a breeze.
Cameron presented the idea to the
Ichananaw at a big gathering, and many
members of the tribe said they had grown
tired of “being used” by volunteer groups.
But Cameron detailed the goals of the
project and ultimately earned their trust.
Oral traditions
Dananao Elementary School principal
Arlene Dawing said that prior to the
project, Ichananaw songs and stories
were merely told and retold orally.
“We are worried that we cannot stop the
influence of modern lifestyles on our
younger generations,” she said.
Dawing graduated from St. Joseph’s
College in Quezon City in 1990. She chose
to return to the community to serve, and
has been teaching at the school for 17
years.
She was among the elders who told
Cameron of the stories and songs they
learned from their parents—legends
explaining how their mountain village
was formed, and fables teaching good
values like humility and trust.
The Australian Embassy funded the
printing of the 26 books that include
illustrated storybooks, a collection of
photos, a compilation of songs, a book
authored by one of the elders, and a
dictionary of Ichananaw, Filipino and
English words.
The group Ilustrador ng Kabataan
provided the illustrations for free.
The storybooks are written in English,
Filipino and Ichananaw and, according to
Dawing, can be integrated in the language
and reading classes of the Dananao
Elementary School.
Said Australian Charge d’Affaires Stephen
Scott: “The project seeks to improve the
quality of education provided by the
Dananao Elementary School in Kalinga
through the provision of educational