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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study
The study is all about cultural practices of Bukidnon Higaunon tribe in the past as it is practiced in the present. The Higaunon people live in the northern regions of Mindanao. The Higaunon overall population is estimated between 10,000 and 0,000. !or most of the Higaunon people, farming is the most important economic activity for their subsistence. The Higaunon people produce a variety of agricultural products.
"n the backyards of their houses and
alongside the hills, the Higaunon grow a variety of vegetables #white beans, onions and others$, spices spices,, rice rice and other other corn. corn. "ccasi "ccasional onally ly,, the Higauno Higaunon n hunt on among among others others wild wild pigs, pigs, amphibians, wild birds and gather other food products from the forest such as tiger grass and timber. %n the last few decades the peaceful way of living of the Higaunon has been threatened by several circumstances. The threats were caused by the activities of big logging companies, the arrival of immigrants from other islands and the conflicts between the national army and armed groups in the region where the Higaunon live. %t will also seek for the strategies use by the tribe to withhold their practices as well as their hopes and aspiration. &hilippine 'onstitution of 1()*, 'hapter 1, section +, mentioned that the state shall recognie, respect and protect the rights of the indigenous people and to preserve and develop their cultures, traditions and institution. %n -e public /ct #-/$ )*1, known as %ndigenous &eoples -ights /ct, defined indigenous people as a group of homogenous society, who have continuously lived as an organied community on communally bounded and possessed
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land used as their abode, sharing common bonds of language, customs, culture, traditions and indigenous religions, become historically differentiated from the rest of the !ilipinos. /nnaya #+00$ also added that there will be descendants of preinvasion inhabitants of lands now dominated by others they are culturally distinct groups that find themselves engulfed by other settler who encroach their lands. -eport from 2nited 3ation 4ducational, 5ocial and 'ultural "rganiation #2345'", +001$. %t also mentioned that many rights of our indigenous people have been disregarded and there is a difference between indigenous group and the gene ral population e6ists. This was played a ma7or factor of contributing to social marginaliation, poverty and dispossession of indigenous people. pe ople. /s supported by 8ean #+00$, while the human h uman rights rights of the indige indigenous nous people are contin continued ued to be neglect neglected, ed, these these includ includee cultur cultural al and linguistic preservation, autonomy, environmental degradation, incursion and discrimination. !urthermore !urthermore,, the interaction interaction of indigenous indigenous and nonindigeno nonindigenous us societies societies throughout the history has been comple6, ranging from outright conflict and sub7ugation of mutual benefit and cultural transfer. %n the article published by %ndian /ncestry #/pril 1, +01$, it was mentioned that many of the indigenous people, their language and culture face a 9uestionable future. The relatively rapid decline in language diversity parallels the decline in cultural diversity. These changes are due in part to the product of historical relationships, global economic development as well as cultural beliefs that rationalie or 7ustify actions that have served certain cultures at the cost of others. /s supported by 3ieen #+00$, that globaliation relocates indigenous people, deny indigenous knowledge, eliminate indigenous languages, impose a gray uniformity on all of humani humanity ty,, stifli stifling ng and suppre suppressi ssing ng the creati creative ve cultur cultural al energi energies es of those those who are most most
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land used as their abode, sharing common bonds of language, customs, culture, traditions and indigenous religions, become historically differentiated from the rest of the !ilipinos. /nnaya #+00$ also added that there will be descendants of preinvasion inhabitants of lands now dominated by others they are culturally distinct groups that find themselves engulfed by other settler who encroach their lands. -eport from 2nited 3ation 4ducational, 5ocial and 'ultural "rganiation #2345'", +001$. %t also mentioned that many rights of our indigenous people have been disregarded and there is a difference between indigenous group and the gene ral population e6ists. This was played a ma7or factor of contributing to social marginaliation, poverty and dispossession of indigenous people. pe ople. /s supported by 8ean #+00$, while the human h uman rights rights of the indige indigenous nous people are contin continued ued to be neglect neglected, ed, these these includ includee cultur cultural al and linguistic preservation, autonomy, environmental degradation, incursion and discrimination. !urthermore !urthermore,, the interaction interaction of indigenous indigenous and nonindigeno nonindigenous us societies societies throughout the history has been comple6, ranging from outright conflict and sub7ugation of mutual benefit and cultural transfer. %n the article published by %ndian /ncestry #/pril 1, +01$, it was mentioned that many of the indigenous people, their language and culture face a 9uestionable future. The relatively rapid decline in language diversity parallels the decline in cultural diversity. These changes are due in part to the product of historical relationships, global economic development as well as cultural beliefs that rationalie or 7ustify actions that have served certain cultures at the cost of others. /s supported by 3ieen #+00$, that globaliation relocates indigenous people, deny indigenous knowledge, eliminate indigenous languages, impose a gray uniformity on all of humani humanity ty,, stifli stifling ng and suppre suppressi ssing ng the creati creative ve cultur cultural al energi energies es of those those who are most most
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knowledgeable and prescient about the forces of nature. 3akashima #+000$ e6plained that the indigenous knowledge that is passed from generation, usually by word of mouth and cultural ritu ritual alss and has has been been the the basis basis for for agric agricul ultu ture re,, food food prep prepar arat atio ion, n, heal health th care care,, educa educati tion, on, conservation, and the wide range of other activities that sustain the societies in many part of the world. Today, there is a grave risk that much of the indigenous knowledge is being lost, along with it, valuable knowledge about ways of living sustainably. :ut #+01$ mentioned that the indigenous people who want to be recognied for who they are as distinct groups with their own uni9ue cultures. They want to en7oy and pass on to their children their histories histories,, languages, languages, traditions traditions,, modes of internal internal governance, governance, spiritual spiritual practices, and all else that makes them who they are. They want to be able to pray on their ancestral lands and live without interference from other people. The Higher 4ducation /ct of 1(( mandating the 'ommission on Higher 4ducation to undertake the task of ensuring and protecting the historical and cultural heritage of !ilipinos, yet there is still a dearth of such endeavor as evidence of the lack of initiatives undertaken by different agencies both local and national. 8ep4d "rder 3umber ;+, s.+011 known as 3ational %ndige %ndigenous nous &eople &eopless 4ducat 4ducation ional al !ramew !ramework ork,, sectio section n 1hat are the methods of transmitting the Higaunon Tribe@s cultural practices to the subse9uent generation? . >hat were the problems encountered during the process of transmission? . >hat are the challenges affecting the conservation of the Higaunon tribe@s culture? culture?
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O"ect#$e% of the Study
>ith the general ob7ective of identifying the communication strategies of the Higaunon tribe tribe in trans transmit mittin ting g their their cultur cultural al practi practices ces and the best medium medium use as well, well, the study study specifically aim to= 1. %dentify the e6isting cultural practices of the Higaunon tribe. +. %dentify the methods of transmitting the cultural practices of the Higaunon tribe. . %dentify the problems encountered during the transmission. . %dentify the challenges affecting conservation of the Higaunon tribe@s culture.
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Im&ortance of the Study
This study may and will serve as a reference as it will enrich one@s knowledge about the Higaunon tribe and their respective cultural practices. This will also 7ustify the vital role of communication in transmitting culture. The study will also encourage designing a program for the preservation, protection, conservation of the culture, beliefs and practices and for the designing of community improvement plan with the tribal leaders of the community. /ccording to Barndahard #+00)$, though the culture of %ndigenous people undergone ma7or upheavals, many of the core values, beliefs and practices have survived and are be ginning to be recognied as having an adaptive integrity that is as valid for today@s generation as it was for generations past. !urthermore, communication students, practitioners, andAor researchers may adopt and will use the insights of this study for better and effective information dissemination.
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Sco&e and the '#m#tat#on% of the Study
This study will be focuses in the communication strategies that which practice by the Higaunon tribe of 'anayan Malaybalay 'ity, Bukidnon in passing their cultural practices to the young generation. The respondents were the members of the society especially the elders as the key informants, and the youths of the Higaunon tribe. The study will be conduct from the period of anuary to March +01 at Barangay 'anayan Malaybalay 'ity, Bukidnon. The study site may cover the area of Malaybalay 'ity, Bukidnon particularly Barangay canayan. %t takes appro6imately < hours to travel by land from 'agayan de "ro 'ity. Malaybalay 'ity is in between of the Municipality of %mpasugong and Calencia 'ity, Bukidnon.
/lthough the
Higaunon natives are e6tended to other parts of the municipality and province, % chose this community for it is perceived that the culture, beliefs and practices of Higaunon culture are still rich, intact and somehow not yet acculturated by migrants. /ccording to :ocal Dovernment 2nit of Malaybalay 'ity Higaunon tribe is also the group of people who e6hibited a rare, beautiful, uni9ue and distinct culture of man worthy for cultural admiration.
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O&erat#ona! Def#n#t#on of Term% H#gaunon ( / group of people, this term will be used as the name of the group in the study.
They are %ndigenous &eople who are residing in Barangay 'anayan Malaybalay 'ity, Bukidnon. Then The word is the description of practices of the Higaunon tribe in the past. No) The word will be used as the description of practices of the Higaunon tribe at the present
time. Ethnogra&hy Eualitative research design aimed to provide indepth description of everyday
life and practice that includes cultures, routines and beliefs of group of people living in a certain community, Hoey #+01$. *outh +The period of life in between childhood and maturity. %n this research youth will be used
as the young members of the Higaunon tribe. Art F skill ac9uired by e6perienced. %n this research the word will be use us the skills of the
living tribe in 'anayan Malaybalay 'ity Bukidnon. Sk#!! F ability to use one@s knowledge effectively in doing something or ac9uired ability. The
word skill will be use as the term in ac9uiring something that which individual have the capacity to do something in there own master in field. Cu!ture Fthe act of developing education and training or customary beliefs, social forms, and
material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. The term will be use in this study as the act of developing education and training or customary beliefs, social form, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group of the tribe. Commun#ty F This term will be used as the study in the body of people who are living in the
same place under the same laws.
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Tr#e F The term will be used as a group of persons having their common character, occupation
and interest in the community. Pract#ce% F The term will have been use to an actual performance or customary action of the
tribe. Pre%er$#ng F The term will have been use as to keep safe or protect something that is valuable in
the community. R#tua! ( The term will have been use as the form of conducting ceremony in the specific place
and time that which the 8atu@s will lead the ceremony. Datu ( This term will have been use as one of the masters of the tribe, and the respected persons
of the tribe or official. Commun#cat#on Strategy ( This term will be used as one of the techni9ue that which the tribe
use to remain their ancestral domain.
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CHAPTER II Re$#e) of Re!ated '#terature The Tr#a! Ph#!o%o&h#ca! Thought% of the H#gaunon of I!#gan C#ty, Ph#!#&&#ne%
5tudies on tribal philosophical thoughts are rare or none6istent in a &hilippine society that included over a hundred tribes. This study brings into mainstream &hilippine philosophy the thoughts of the Higaunon tribe regarding space and time, being and the self, ethics, and epistemology. 8escriptive 9ualitative method was employed in this study. Higaunon stories from their culture and past were gathered through interviews with authoritative tribal leaders and shamans. /nalysis was substantiated through community immersion and regular interaction with the tribal leaders so that structures of their thoughts can be revealed and considered as philosophical. The study found that the Higaunon consider space and nature as e9ually important as human beings, and duration instead of time prevails in their stories. Their Gbeing is found in the will of the Magbabaya, their one Dod. Their concept of selfworks under a tripartite structure that enables the learning of the past to be manifested in the pro7ection of a future and in decisionmaking in the present. 8ecisionmaking is connected to their ethics, which essence is called Dinagawa, the source of love, compassion and 7udgment. The individual 7udges present circumstances and acts on them in the e6ercise of themselves as weighing scales referred as Dantangan. %n terms of leadership, the 8atu becomes Batasan /dansil, the e6ercise of Dantangan through tribal
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leadership. 4pistemology is taken from human engagements and is kept within tradition by the Baylan. The study concludes that tribal philosophical thoughts are indeed viable and the Higaunon is a good e6ample of it. The Stor#e%
The first oral account was entitled 3anangun ho /lagasiya about a time when giants still roam Mindanao. %t tells the story of a tribal leader and a shaman who used their wits instead of their power to defeat a brutal giant bent on destroying a Higaunon settlement. The second one was /mbawa about a rat that was blinded by his delusion to sing the most beautiful song that he failed to observe his surroundings, which resulted to his failure to learn the said song and eventually to his death. There was also a narrative titled IaboliBoli, a man who was obsessed with this selfworth that he pro7ected his value towards his own feces. /nother narrative was 5u &ino ha 8atu daw 5u &ito ha &ipinditon, which was about the challenges met by seven Higaunon warriors as they were tested by a rival tribal leader. The triumph of the warriors became possible only with the help of their old and wise father, who was their tribal leader. The ne6t story was Ialimanggud, which was about a caterpillar, challenged by a snake in terms of beauty. The caterpillar won when he became a butterfly. The si6th was a narrative on the Higaunon ancestor named Baybayan, whose lineage came from the shamans that fought the 5paniards during the 5panish con9uest of Mindanao. 3e6t was the story about /poa &amulaw, a kindhearted tribal leader who welcomed both the Muslims and the 5paniards in his domains. Then there was the story of Bata Buling, a despised man known as Gdirty since childhood but became surprisingly strong and eventually turned out to be a very capable leader. Mantawantaw was a story of a man who was warned by Magbabaya #god$ of a great flood
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coming from a river near their domain. The last narrative was 5u Tultulanon ho Tambacan, a story of how the Higaunon ancestor :ungkayaw defeated and massacred a group of %ranun pirates about to raid their land. 5haman 5angcoan also included the Higaunon story of the creation of the world and of man, but this will be discussed in a later section. The most obvious observations that one can get out of these stories are that they are not definite in time and space, and that chronology does not matter at all. %n the telling of these stories, there was no attempt to arrange them in a chronological manner the same way history arranges dates and events in a chronological timeline. However, what is important here is that truth is not a sub7ect of verification but that of tradition. >hen the researchers asked whether these stories did happen, the shaman 4ladio 5angcoan answered that they did. 5ince these stories e6isted for generations, they are beyond 9uestioning. S&ace and T#me
&lacing the stories in a synchronic manner manifests outright the absence of the modern and contemporary conception of time, and the prevalence of human e6perience within space rather than the space itself. 'ontemporary society is much accustomed to tracing space in relation to time that the researchers felt great discomfort when these stories ended up not having definite time and specific locations. The Higaunon place emphasis on the e6periences that occurred in space and see duration in it rather than sub7ecting it to time. &hrases like Jin the neighboring landJ and Jon the top of the mountainJ #in the /lagasiya$, Jfaraway placesJ #in /mbawa$, Jtwo kingdoms facing each otherJ #in 5u &ino ha 8atu daw 5u &ito ha &ipinditon$, Jthe wide plainJ #in Ialimanggud$, Jthe world specifically to the mountainsJ #in the Baybayan$, J5paniards from the northJ #in the story of /po a &amulaw$,
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J%n the midst of a thick forest in a mountainJ #in Bata Buling$, and Jon this worldJ #in the story Mantawantaw$ offer the observer with a glimpse of the Higaunon@s understanding of space. The Higaunon accepts the benevolence of the natural world. There was no need to ask metaphysical in9uiries on the nature of space, for it is merely accepted as such, as nature. 5pace is a givenKpart of creationKwhat is relevant are the things done on and in it. %t is enough to point to a general understanding of the Gwhere, without giving weight to the Gwhere e6actly because the relevance is on the meaning of the events. 5pecific locations are not relevant to the telling of stories. 'hronological reality is fundamentally absent when recalling past events considered relevant by the Higaunon. >hen Iaboli Boli saw a fly on his feces, it is not on this disturbance in space that made him angry. The elements of space, particularly his feces, are only given meaning by his fondness for his life for space is, according to Iaboli Boli, Gconnected to my entrails, the very entrails that % woke up with in this world. %t was not dirty inasmuch as it was part of him. %n this story, like many others, space is a mere background. Because space, within which nature settles almost in static, is created by the deities, it is alienated from active participation in most of the stories. The same thing can be said when the tribal leader Bataay set a trap against /lagasi the giant. The agong #gong$ that the giant was so fond of found a twin in space in the shape of a beehive, which coincidentally appeared provided by nature for the triumph of the hero. >hen /mbawa went on his 9uest for a song, one is not offered a sense of direction at all. %t was only when the &ugo #an owl$ specified a place that space arrived unfortunately to the ruin of /mbawa. He was instructed not to go to certain place, yet he did. %t was the cause of his death.
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The modern and contemporary understanding of time found no position in any of the stories. The sense of duration, not the sense of time, mimics the Higaunon understanding of duration in space. This is not surprising since the Higaunon did not develop a calendar as e6tensive as that present in some sophisticated ancient societies. 8uration in a day is determined using the position of the sun and Gthe direction of shadows. They do not tell time nor have any understanding of it the same way as most people today would #I. !. 8emeterio, personal communication, anuary 1, +01$. :onger durations are measured through the phases of the moon #4. 5angcoan, personal communication, "ctober +;, +01+$. The sun and the moon played its role in knowing that certain duration in space has occurred. The glaring conse9uence of these views on space and time are as follows. 5ince space is alienated from human activity #space considered as an entity in the background, not as human possession or sub7ect to human control$, treated as sacred and as belonging to the proper domains of the deities rather than that of humans, private ownership of land became impossible. G/ng :umppad #nature$ is a creation of the deities and so are human beings thus, it is difficult for the Higaunon to imagine that a creation can own its fellow. Many of the 8atu during their meeting, where the researchers were invited as guests, emphasied that they do not worship nature. %nstead, what is mistaken by modern man as nature worship is the Higaunon@s proper gesture of respect to the natural world that stand coe9ual in dignity with human beings G5ama rana sa murespeto ka sa tagiya sa balay nga imu bisitahon o kanang murespeto ka sa mga butang nga dili imoha #That is the same when you respect the owner of the house you are visiting or when you respect properties that are not yours$ #I. :. 5angcoan, personal communication, anuary 1+, +01$.
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Be#ng and the Se!f
There are two realms in the interpretation of reality by the Higaunon. The concept of space and time presented above composes what the Higaunon believe to be the material realm, which is signified simply as :umppad #nature$. The spiritual realm, signified as Baya, is the realm beyond space and time. Before the :umppad came to be, the Magbabaya resided within the Baya. The Magbabaya is so powerful that it e6ists in and for itself. G3agpuyo siya didto sa iyang kaugalingong kagahum #The Magbabaya resided in its power$ #I. !. 8emeterio, personal communication, anuary 1, +01$. Then within this power, the Magbabaya created from within itself= Magbabaya 3angadun, Magbabaya :uminimbag, and Magbabaya 3ananghaga. The Magbabaya :uminimbag then created the :umppad through the Hulmahan /gpangan, words in dreams used in the Gpaghulma sa kalibutan #moulding of the world$ and in the Gpagbuhat sa tao #creation of humans$. This happened within the spiritual realm called :imbagan #the place where everything is created$. /fter nature took shape upon creation, the Magbabaya :uminimbag then created the first humans, known as 3atanyag and 3atanghaga. They were neither male nor female. The Magbabaya 3angadun was responsible for providing faces and appearance to all creatures. The Magbabaya 3ananghaga was responsible for giving names to all of creation. %n these early moments of human e6istence, the Baya and the :umppad were not far apart that if someone e6ists in the :umppad he or she could reach and feel the Baya with his or her arms. #4. 5angcoan, personal communication, "ctober +;, +01+$. Thus, there e6isted the spiritual realm of the Baya and the material realm of the :umppad.
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This was where Gbeing began. The will of the absolute and eternal Magbabaya held sway among all creations, all of :umppad. The Magbabaya provides meaning for everything, including the meaning of e6istence. GTo be is defined by the Magbabaya. /s for the early humans, 3atanyag and 3atanghaga, they were offered the fruits of the Ialintubo, the Tree of :ife in the Baya. They were to eat from the fallen fruits of the Ialintubo. !rom such fallen fruits the immortality of the two were secured, including eternal bliss. They were prevented from doing only one thing, to get the fruit from the tree itself and to eat it. 3evertheless, the Magbabaya wanted to test the capacities of the two by sending entities to tempt them in getting the fruit from the Tree of :ife. 2nfortunately, they disobeyed the Magbabaya and committed the first Gsala #fault or inappropriate behavior$. There and then started their lives as woman and man #nagsugod ang kinatao sa bae og laki$ #4. 5angcoan, personal communication, "ctober +;, +01+$. They were no longer provided the fruits from the Tree of :ife and they became mortals and suffered the finite nature of e6istence 7ust as the rest of :umppad. /ll their descendants shall then become mortals too. The Baya began moving away from the :umppad until its gap can no longer be fathomed. Thus, began man@s becomingKgiven the freedom to choose a life of his own with purpose unknown and with immortality gone. The Gself is comprised by the being provided for by Magbabaya and human actions. This story of the beginning of everything demonstrates well the structure of the mind of the Higaunon Baylan. Being and self are defined in two realms. GBeing as the nature of e6istence provided for by the Magbabaya, and the Gself as the nature of e6istence within the world or man@s world hood, the self that can determine the G%. GBeing is the role already ac9uired by birth. The lines of 8atu and Baylan are already determined by the Magbabaya, so one can be born following the footsteps of those who became
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8atu or Baylan in the clan or one is simply born to a common family. / Higaunon, in a sense, is thrown into the world by the Magbabaya and he or she has no dictates over which family he or she is born with. The Higaunon is molded by the Magbabaya to e6istence, but Gdestiny is limited to the circumstances the Higaunon find himself or herself in. Mantawantaw cannot go against circumstances provided by the Magbabaya. The fact of the Higaunon@s e6istence is no longer necessary to in9uire, the same way, as there is no need to ask the essence of space or nature. %n9uiries on the nature of things, such as those in metaphysics, cannot change the Gfact of one@s e6istence. This is the Higaunon@s being. The G5elf or Iagwolong is the understanding of the Higaunon individual of his or her role in Higaunon society #being$ and awareness of his or her actions that resulted into choices of what he or she can become #becoming$. The Higaunon sees himself as a creature of the Magbabaya, acknowledges his being upon recognition of the clan circumstances he found himself in, and then determines his becoming by creating the path of his career. %t is through this engagement in the world that Iagwolong is weighed. Though in the spiritual realm one may assume that the Magbabaya values its creation, in the material realm the action and engagement of the Higaunon individual determines the worth and value of the individual. %n a personal conversation with Baylan 8ionesio 5angcoan, he complained about a distant relative of his who ruined his path by going against his parents and the clan, dropped out of school, and became a drug addict. #Ianang inana nga tao, nahulog nga walay bili$ Mas maayo pa magbuhi og iro, sa saktong pagka storya #/ man like that is worthless. %t is better to raise a dog, practically speaking$. 5o when the researchers asked if the value of the individual is already set, or that one must prove value through actions, he agreed on the latter. #8. 5angcoan, personal communication, "ctober +*, +01+$.
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The becoming of the self can be viewed in a tripartite structure. !irst, the Iagwolong, the identification of the Higaunon of his or her Gself and everything that happened to the self as it stands in the present. The Iagwolong includes all human engagements that the Higaunon undertook and the role #being a tribal leader, a shaman, a farmer, etc.$ the Magbabaya set for him. The Magbabaya determines a Higaunon@s being. Then second, the Higaunon, by looking at his engagement in the world and by understanding the role the Magbabaya set for him, utilies his Iagwolong to pro7ect a future for himself or herself. %n any given moment, the Higaunon looks at his past and his role and weighs it to pro7ect future outcomes of his choices. :ong before %slam and 'hristianity influenced the Higaunon, the bases of their lives were actual engagements in the world and not scriptures and te6ts. The Higaunon used their lives and its connection with nature #its involvement in the world$ as the source of its decisions and choices. They never needed any book whatsoever. However, 7ust as the Magbabaya tested 3atanyag and 3atanhaga, so are the Higaunon tested with its ability to weigh situations every day. GMao nang dili mawala sa ato ang pagsulay #that is why we always face trials in life$ #4.5angcoan, personal communication, "ctober +;, +01+$. Thus, the third is that the present continues to provide trials for the self in order for it to make choices. / conse9uence of the first sala #fault$, the Higaunon must face trials and act on different situations. The self must act under a sense of propriety. %ts Iagwolong is already provided by its being and by its past, it has the ability to pro7ect future outcomes, but it must learn to weigh the present. This act of weighing is what comprises Higaunon ethics.
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Eth#c%
/t the heart of Higaunon ethics is the concept of balance. %n the stories, this is a repeating theme. The great devourer giants /lagasi and his family were made to pay for their crimes by the 8atu Bataan using their weakness as the source of their downfall. Their lack of wisdom made them devour their servants, and that lack of wisdom resulted to an unbalance. The same lack of wisdom was used for their death. /mbawa was made to realie that gaining something means losing something. He gained a song, but lost something in return. >hen he succumbed to his whims by doing what was forbidden, he lost the song and eventually his life. Iaboli Boli by defecating caused an unbalance in his surroundings. / fly came for his feces but it also invited the curiosity of a chicken, which got the attention of a dog, which in turn got the attention of a boar. 5ince Iaboli Boli gained satisfaction in his action, he must realie that if he values his feces e6traordinarily then he must guard it. His anguish ended only upon this realiation. The seven warriors on the other hand were made to realie by the &ino ha 8atu that the arrogance and strength of youth must be complemented by the wisdom and knowledge of old age. They are strong that is true, but since they lack wisdom, they endangered themselves and was only saved through their loving brother who learned from their wise father, who in the beginning of the story they agreed on burying alive as he was old and already a nuisance. /gyu, Baybayan and the 5panish Missionary who courted /gyu@s sister, despite having been granted a place in Baya, still re9uested to return to :umppad. %t was granted but the three returned as 8wata #nature spirits$ in e6change.
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This giveandtake structure, which echoes the fate of 3atanyag and 3atanghaga, and the occurrences of unbalance because of the whims of humanity, is a good demonstration of the concept of Dinagawa #balance$. There is balance in nature that is re9uired to be kept, and this balance resembles the perfection, the oneness, of the creation of the Magbabaya. The /poa &amulaw, for e6ample demanded respect from the 5paniards for they are all created by a common Dod. Dinagawa is intrinsic in creation and as such is part of the Iagwolong of the Higaunon e6istence. To deny the Dinagawa is to deny oneself as being Higaunon thereby causing unbalance. %n ethical 7udgment, the Dinagawa becomes the concept of Dantangan #weighing or scaling$, wherein the Higaunon weighs the circumstances of his lifeKor, in the case of the 8atu during times of settling conflicts, weighs arguments and decides upon them. This system of weighing and keeping balance is called Batasan /dansil . The Batasan /dansil ad7usts in every situation, uses the past as a guide for 7udgment and e6ercises the Dantangan to weigh things down and deliver 7ustice. udgments passed are recorded in memory and oral tradition and becomes part of the Iagwolong of the 8atu in times when the 8atu becomes Batasan /dansil, meaning the system of 7ustice. Thus, the Batasan /dansil is thus a role played by the 8atu in e6ercising 7udgment. %n this instance, the 8atu also becomes Dantangan in a political sense, for his decision becomes part of conventions that found e6pressions in oral tradition. %n most cases, decisions are always towards keeping Dinagawa. There are hundreds of e6amples in this, but the Higaunon 8atu and Baylan treat them as a compendium of laws already beyond the scope of this paper. Human engagement is thus the dynamic process of becoming in the mandates of his or her being. The very nature of the Higaunon self is directly connected to the foundations of his or her ethics. %n the decisionmaking process, the 8atu observes as a Dantangan, as Batasan
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/dansil, in the moment, and pro7ects possibilities of decisions and its outcomes from Iagwolong. Educat#on, Ind#genou% -no)!edge and Trad#t#on #n focu% at .an#!a Conference
The indigenous people@s cultures in &hilippines are the 1* tribes from :uon, +* from Mindanao and four from the Cisayas %sland. Their traditional clothes, dances, implements and crafts, languages and chants are a living witness of their enduring cultural tradition. Dovernor Miguel 8omingue #&rovince of 5arangani$ spoke of building partnerships in 4ducation with :D2s #local government units$. He said it was time to ma6imie our competitive advantage and reverse the condition of the marginalied. He stressed that culture should not be written out of curriculum development and we should promote an appropriate curriculum and a culturebased education system informed by a survey of local needs. He believes that kind of education would enhance economic development in the area. The economic phenomena of the informal sector as well as poverty contributing to the peace and order problems were 7ust some of the key issues highlighted by 5ilvano B. Maranga, Technical 4ducation and 5kills 8evelopment /uthority #T458/$ -egion 10 8irector. The &hilippines@ T458/ is similar to /ustralia@s T/!4 K a government agency providing technical education and skills development programs. T458/@s focus is microenterprise development, with a will to support 7obs. Board members are drawn from broad sectors= women, labour, industry and church, encouraging community based training for enterprise development. Maranga would like e6isting local skills, such as loom weaving, woodcraft and smithing, to be encouraged and recognied.
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/s an e6ample of local industry, 8atu Mampahaluna from the Higaonon tribe in Mindanao came up to the stage and invited a few people from the audience to sample /gkod, their local wine made from ginger and rice. He said this is something that can be developed in a commercial environment. The %ndigenous &eoples -ights /ct passed in 1((* was a good start to protect indigenous peoples. This law acknowledged indigenous peoples@ right to their ancestral domain, called for the people@s protection and empowerment, recognied their capability for self sustenance and the right to preserve indigenous cultural tradition. 5enator amby Madrigal, 'hair of the 5enate 'ommittee on 'ultural 'ommunities, however, warned that we may find these rights eroded if we are not vigilant. 5he said that under this administration, the 3ational 'ommission on %ndigenous &eoples #3'%&$, an independent body created to oversee this law, was subsumed under the "ffice of the &resident. The protection of ancestral land, flora and fauna and community living may be under threat, she said, because 3'%& was placed as an agency attached under :and -eform. %mplicit in this restructure is the suggestion that indigenous peoples are willing to accept Gland reform. >hy land reform, she asked, when indigenous peoples already own their land? 3ow that people in high places have used up resources, they want to move into other untapped land. The Cu!tura! Pa%t of Ind#genou% Peo&!e
Manobo tribe is one of the populous indigenous groups of people in the island of Mindanao, &hilippines and that includes the /gusan Manobo tribe in the province of /gusan del 5ur, 'embrano #+01$. Moreover, the areas inhabited by manobos covers from the &antaron Mountain -ange of Bukidnon and 8avao del 3orte provinces to the west and to the east is the 8iwata Mountain -ange. /t the heart is the great /gu san -iver. %t runs from the south at the
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Municipality of 5ta. osefa and winding to the north going to Butuan 'ity to the mouth of Butuan Bay. !urthermore, the aborigines of /gusan were the ancestors of the presentday Mamanwas who were driven to the hinterlands by the waves of Malay immigrants from nearby Borneo, 'elebes and Malaysia. The &rovince of /gusan del 5ur has five groups of %ndigenous people, the /eta, Mamanwa, Bago bo, Banwaon, and /gusan Manobo. /mong the five e6isting tribes in the province, only /gusan Manobo, Banwaon and Higaonon tribes are distinctly identified since they live along the 3ational Highway and river towns going to 8avao del 3orte while others live in the town of 4sperana towards the boundaries of Misamis "riental, 5urigao and Bukidnon. The same author said, archeological research found out that in Maug, &rosperidad, at the eastern part of /gusan val ley, points to the emergence of the &aleolithic period. Moreo ver a linguistic reconstruction study revealed that the proto Manobo language was spoken in the northeastern Mindanao about hile the religious
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practices of the Manobo vary slightly, there seems to be at least one common thread linking them together. 4ach culture believes in one Jgreat spirit.J This Jgreat spiritJ is usually viewed as the creator figure. /s the various Manobo groups have been separated, the religious beliefs of other peoples have influenced them somewhat. However, the Manobo have often incorporated these new practices into their belief system, rather than abandoning their practices and being converted to new religions. In#t#at#on of R#tua!%
The initiation of rituals involves separating neophytes #initiates$ from everyday social life and forcing them to pass a luminal state in which the boundary of the human social world seems to blur. The ritual communication is established between human beings and non human beings such as spirits, divinities, and the spiritual owners of natural species, sub7ectivities that inhabits animal bodies and plants and so on all that is endowed with different capacities. #5tutman, +00)$ !urthermore, humans know that much of what they possess what we call culture was not merely invented by them but taken during mythic times, from other species not seen since distant past. To celebrate, an intense network of repayments above all of food and drink but also on some occasion@s songs and artifacts is set in motion. 5upported by 'ole #+01$, rituals are a means of praying to the Dreat 5pirit and sacrificing oneself while retaining a direct contact with the tree of life. %n the study conducted by Buenconse7o #+00
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