Edge Davao 8 Supplement 98

EDGEDAVAO SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

Kadayawan Special

That rich

Dabawenyo

culture

Photo by Lean Daval Jr.

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IP CUISINE

Lumads and their gastronomic journey through time

By BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO Photo from the web

I

N todays’ social scenario, we oftentimes forget to pay homage to our humble beginnings. For us, what matters most is the now – the present – and never the past. Although this is correct, we must not forget how the present evolved from the past.

As we celebrate 30 glorious years of bountiful harvest, the Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival has become

one of the most sought after festivals in the country. Not only is it fun, colourful and festive, the Kadayawan has also become an avenue for educating the public on the significance of the past.

In every occasion, food is the inevitable star. From experimental appetizers and main courses to desserts passed on from one generation to another, any celebration won’t be complete

without food. In essence, many of these dishes have been forgotten and taken for granted. For one, our aim to be different and innovative has paved the way for us to incorporate flavors of the world to local cuisines.

The Lumad or Indigenous People of the southern Philippines have an assortment of dishes that have formed part of who we are

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Photo by Skippy Lumawag, SDD-CMO

IP cuisine... FROM 2 today. However, the question remains: are their cuisines still present in today’s ever changing times? Or have they been forgotten?

One study reveals that the term lumad is short for Katawhang Lumad and is understood to refer to a collective group of indigenous (locals, aboriginals) people living in Mindanao. There are about 18 indigenous groups of Lumads in Mindanao alone. These groups live in a rather more traditional way – from their language, culture, tradition, clothes and of course, food.

Their food preparations and ingredients used also play a significant role in their identity.

Most often, they would be cooking with bamboo and clay pots.

The use of herbs, curries, coconut milk, and exotic meat and finds from the forest and the sea is also a reminder that there is more to Filipino food than the typical sinigang and adobo we’ve grown up with.

Furthermore, their food or dishes are representative of occasions. There are different set meals for specific celebrations –

Photo from the web

natal day, death, weddings, and the like. The variation is culturally rooted, hence the reference to the past.

Yes, there are still those who prepare and cook just like in the old days. However, there are also those, because of the availability of present-day ingredients, infuse the present with the past, thus resulting in a more appealing taste for today’s generation.

There is another side to that story. As much as they want to cook and relive the past with their dishes, the unavailability of resources is a hindrance that limits them to do it. If in the past there was an abundance of food from the sea, land, and air, nowadays there is scarcity.

Hence, they tend to cook and eat what they can easily find.

Truly, we are blessed to live in a diversified community that respects each other. Although we are moving forward, it is not an excuse to let go of the past.

The Lumads value their culture, tradition, and their identity.

They stand out and make themselves known for who they are and not just what they are.

Photo from the web

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Tribal Games:

Showcasing Lumad tradition, culture

By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY PHOTOS BY: Tommy S. Iñigo and Skippy Lumawag, SDD-CMO

F

IRE making, water fetching, tug of war, and hitting targets using bow and arrow are just some of the games the indigenous peoples of Davao City will be showcasing when the 2nd Davao Indigenous Tribal Games gets underway on August 20 at the People’s Park.

“It’s all set and we are ready to stage the Tribal Games,” said Tommy Iñigo, chair of the Lumadnong Dula of the 30th Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival.

To be staged by the Government of Davao through the Sports Development Division-City Mayor’s Office (SDD-CMO) for the second straight year, the 2nd Davao Indigenous Tribal Games is not only a competition among Lumads but a showcase of their tradition and culture.

A total of five tribes led by defending champion Ata Manobo are competing in this year’s Games. Also set to display their skills in 12 events associated with their culture and language are the tribes of Matigsalog, Obu Manovu, Tagabawa, and Kla-

ta Manobo.

The events include pana, sisibow, kakasing, bubuntug, solopot. bibinayo, siklot, aakow/ karang, totarngki/paning, sosakoro/panikado, dagan (running), and tug-of-war.

“It’s going to be bigger,” Iñigo said.

The Tribal Games will also be highlighted with a ritual chanting to be performed by a Tagabawa and the playing of balakaw, the biggest musical instrument of the Lumads, to signal unit and happiness, and cultural presentation by Datu Jaime Epi of the Obu Manovu.

For this year’s Games, the city government has allocated P580,000 to cover cash prizes, transportation expenses, and food of the participants and guests.

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Preserving the art of the Lumad

By JON JOAQUIN Photos by LEAN DAVAL JR.

T Over the years, however, questions have been raised as to how much the city really values and protects its indigenous peoples. Indeed, the Kadayawan itself has been criticized for paying mere lip service to the tribes and even of exploiting them for the sake of tourism. It has been pointed out time and again that the performers at the street dancing competition are not even Lumad themselves but are city dwellers who have turned the event into a major production number. The average Dabawenyo is hard pressed to describe what indigenous art is.

For prominent Dabawenyo artist Vic Secuya, art is the soul of a people. Man, he said, paraphrasing the Bible, “does not live by bread alone” but also by expressing what he sees around him through painting, music, dance, and other art forms. Unfortunately, he added, indigenous art is dying, and perhaps with it the ethnic tribes are also beginning to fade away. “I once asked an antique dealer in Aldevinco where I could order an authentic Okir design. The old man told me that most of the artists are dead and no new generation of artists are coming up. It shows that Okir as an art form will soon be gone,” he said.

Secuya said one of the problems is the current condition of many Lumad communities. This is perhaps best exemplified by the 700 IPs currently living in the Haran compound of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Davao City. They have evacuated there because of militarization in their homes, and while in Haran their only concern is how to keep themselves alive.

“If indigenous communities are oppressed, destitute, and poor, they will have no opportunity to make art. Indigenous artists must be recognized and supported financially for them to be creative and productive,” Secuya said.

He has been dreaming of the time when Davao City, given its diverse cultures and large

HE Kadayawan is a festival celebrating Davao City’s indigenous peoples and their rich cultures. Each year the Kadayawan Festival revolves around the culture of the city’s 11 tribes – Iranun, Sama, Bagobo-Klata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Maguindanaon, Kagan, Matigsalog, Maranao, Ata, Tausug, and Ovu Manubo – and one of the highlights, the street dancing competition, showcases the movements and colorful traditions of each. The artistry of the Lumad both in dance and visuals is beyond compare, and every year tourists from all over the world flock to watch the revelry and take countless photos that tell of the vibrant diversity in these parts.

number of artists both indigenous and modern, will become the center of the arts for the country.

For artist Dadai Joaquin, indigenous art comes mainly in music and dance – which are the ones highlighted in the Kadayawan – and in crafts and weavings. She said these should be preserved by encouraging the IPs to continue their oral tradition and pass on their art to the younger generations.

A foreign ethnomusicologist studying indigenous Filipino music said as a foreigner, she sees indigenous art here as “being so beautiful, valuable and unique.”

“Unfortunately, I am concerned that a lot of it is in danger of dying out. For example, I am studying Kalagan kulintang music, but I haven’t seen any young Kalagans playing it, and I’ve never seen any books or articles published about it or recordings released to the public. I’ve seen articles about Maguidanaon, Tausug and Maranao kulintang music, but not Kalagan,” she said.

“I also think that the fusion art and music that uses indigenous elements is also very special. As a foreigner, I don’t want to hear Filipino imitations of Western music. I’ve heard that all before. I want to hear original Filipino music.

Unfortunately what is promoted on radio stations is usually either foreign music or Filipino music that sounds Western.

It’s usually really difficult to find music that is influenced

by Filipino indigenous music, you just have to go to live gigs and hopefully find some,” she added.

There are currently no ordinances in Davao City specifically giving support to Lumad art, but councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta pledged to do her best to create legislation that would give IP artists the much needed support they need and deserve. Perhaps only when such laws are instituted will we see the Lumad being honored not just during Kadayawan but every single day of the year.

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Tribal Games... FROM 6 Invited during the staging of the Tribal Games are Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato Jr., City Administrator Atty. Jesus Melchor V. Quitain, SDD-CMO officer-in-charge William “Butch” Ramirez, and

Councilor Halila Y. Sudagar, IP Representative to the City Council.

The activity is one significant occasion for the Lumads and this also reminds everyone of the United Nations (UN) declaration protecting their existence. The United Na-

tions, during its 61st session at the UN Headquarters in New York in September 2007, adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well

as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

It also “emphasizes the rights of indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, cultures and traditions, and to pur-

sue their development in keeping with their own needs and aspirations.”

The identity of the Lumads was aptly depicted when the city government of Davao first staged the Tribal Games last year

also at the People’s Park.

For this year, around 300 Lumads will converge once again at the same place to display their tradition and culture.

This is their way of life.

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San Isidro’s women hog raisers Davao Oriental’s game-changers S

AN ISIDRO, Davao Oriental -The remote village of Cambaleon in San Isidro town in Davao Oriental is the recent beneficiary of a community-managed livelihood project through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Rich in marine resources and agricultural products, San Isidro was selected for the national pilot run of the then CIDSS (Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services) in 1993.

Most of its barangays have also been included in the Core Shelter Assistance Program (CSAP) in early to mid-1990s.

Apart from SLP, the municipality presently enjoys other DSWD programs such as Kalahi-CIDSS, Pantawid Pamilya, Supplementary Feeding, and Social Pension.

Organized in November 2014, the Cambaleon Hog Raisers SEA-K Association is composed of 20 women who obtained a capital assistance of Php 200,000.00 following several social preparation activities.

Joining the women recipients at the turnover program were local officials and DSWD officers led by SLP provincial coordinator Julius Duterte.

Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer Elna G. Arenal expressed optimism on this latest DSWD engagement.

“At this early, I foresee the success of this all-women venture. I am very positive that they can do it given their sheer enthusiasm and the technical inputs being provided by DSWD project development officers.”

I am just so excited because in the past, San Isidro has extensively worked with

DSWD on the core shelter units constructed in several barangays here. Now, we still have Kalahi-CIDSS, Pantawid Pamilya, Social Pension, Suplementary Feeding, and others.

In a way, our town is blessed with a lot of social protection programs from DSWD and we are grateful for this, Arenal shared.

ABC President Reynaldo Peñafiel and some members of the barangay council also conveyed their happiness and pledged to support the project.

Association President Renefe Quilisadio delivered her message of acceptance and promised to take good care of the fund entrusted them and committed as well to deliver the roll back payment in a quarterly basis.

“Initially, we will start working on 40 piglets with an average weight of 10 kilos each,” she said.

Based on SLP Policy Memo 04-2013 from the Office of Secretary Soliman, Cambaleon Hog Raisers SEA-K Association will serve as the SLP-Supplementary Feeding Program Commodity Cluster Model (CCM) in San Isidro, Duterete shared.

Hence, the group is responsible in supplying the pork meat requirement in the conduct of Supplementary Feeding Program in the town which provides nutritious hot meals to children in day care centers, Duterte added.

DSWD continues to empower poor families nationwide through SLP, a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve socio-economic status of family recipients, in partnership with local governments, national government and non-government agencies. (DSWD/Carmela C. Duron)

Distribution of hogs to members led by association president Renefe Quilisadio [in violet].

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Photo by Skippy Lumawag, SDD-CMO

Healing and educating the Lumads

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

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HE National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) aims to intensify its campaign among national government agencies to bring their respective government services for health and education to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) this year. “Only through partnerships with other agencies can we deliver government services to IP communities in the region,” NCIP technical and management division Chief Shirley B. Iguianon said.

Regional health director Abdullah Dumama Jr. earlier described IPs as the most vulnerable sector. With limited access to health services because of their location, they are part of the marginalized population.

For 47-year-old Benito D. Bay-oo of the Ata Manobo tribe from the hinterlands of Barangay Talaingod in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, hospitalization is not a priority. Not even the time when his wife delivered their 10 children. His

wife did not experience any pre-natal checkup because of the kilometers-long walk to the nearest health center. She delivered all her unborn child all by herself. “I only attended to my wife when I heard the baby cry,” he said.

It was not until their baby was stricken with measles in 2010 that they found the need to go for a medical checkup.

“Kuyaw na to na sakit maong gidala na namo sa ospital,” he said, recounting how he was asked by hospital personnel for his down payment before his child was attended to.

This is not a unique scenario to the indigenous groups of Talaingod. Dumama said first semester data for maternal death for the Davao del Sur revealed that of the 25 deaths, 15 were IP women, 13 of whom were from Malita while the re-

maining two came from the IP community of Jose Abad Santos.

“The number one cause of death among IP women was hemorrhage,” he said, adding

Compostela Valley said young Lumads in Talaingod often die from dehydration and measles.

“The lack of basic health training among Lumad mothers and the distance from health facilities usually contribute to the death of a young lumad,” she said.

Balonga, who has been a nurse for 10 years in Talaingod and its nearby communities, said Lumad communities only receive medical attention from government through medical missions that happen once in a while.

It is crucial to educate Lumads because it is the first step you can empower them the irony that the region is one of the areas in the country that have high blood supply in different blood banks. He said some IP women died because of complication in labor and delivery.

Nurse Elegyn Balonga of the community health program for Davao del Norte and

Education It is not just health services but also quality education that is limited for IPs. “You can barely count with your fingers those young Lumads who can finish elementary,” Iguianon said.

She said there are tribes in the region that have large

number of professionals ranging from teachers, lawyers and doctors. But in some groups, many members remain at the elementary level, or worse, have no education at all. “It is crucial to educate Lumads because it is the first step you can empower them,” Iguanon said.

Iguianon said the NCIP extends financial assistance to only 700 young IP dreamers yearly out of more than 2,000 applicants. “As much as we want to accommodate them all, our office only has P11 million for education of college students,” she said. She said she herself belongs to an IP group and through perseverance was able to send herself to college while working as a student assistant.

She said the region is still “kilometers away” from attaining 100 percent literacy rate among IPs in the region. Even with the government intervention, she said it is necessary for members of the IPs community to help themselves even in little ways.

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