Timpuyog in Diversity
October 22, 2008 by Sherma E. Benosa filed under Arts&Culture, Featured | 305 viewsPhotos by Antonio Bayona, III
The Philippines is a multicultural society. According to the National Center for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the country is home to more than 80 major ethno-linguistic groups, plus numerous subgroups.
Centuries of colonization have ensured that the countries’ indigenous peoples (IP), as well as their cultures, beliefs, and traditions, would fade as foreign customs and ways of life were brought to the fore. Through time, the Filipinos lost their identity, save for those ethno-linguistic groups who managed to hold on tight to their own cultures. Today, they represent the country’s minority.
And in the month of October, they take the center stage as the Philippines joins the month-long celebration of the indigenous peoples of the world, through the weeklong Timpuyog festival spearheaded by the NCCA in cooperation with various government agencies.
Held in Santiago City on October 7-12, 2008 and envisioned to be a celebration of peace and unity — timpuyog being an Ilokano word meaning ‘unity’ — the festival brought together 16 major cultural communities in Luzon, namely, Kalinga, Ibanag, Bugkalot, Gaddang, Isinay, Ayta/Agta of Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga & Tarlac, Kapampangan, Ibaloi/Kankanaey, Bontoc, Iloko/Bago, Ifugao, Tinggian, Apayao/Isnag, Agta/Ita of Bicol, Mangyan, and Tagbanua.
Highlights of the celebration include cultural exchange through performances and lectures. The indigenous peoples shared their traditional dances, chants, and songs, as well as their arts, crafts, and cuisine. They also gave lectures on their beliefs, rituals, and traditions, and workshops on their arts and crafts.
Another highlight of the event is the 3.5-hectare IP village which features the traditional houses of the indigenous peoples. After the event, the village, according to Santiago City Mayor Amy Navarro, will be maintained and turned into a tourist attraction.
A significant part of the celebration are the different discussions and fora wherein the indigenous peoples were given the venue to air their problems and concerns, as well as their suggestions on the preservation, promotion, and development of their culture, among other things.
Performances by the CCP cultural dance group and the IP-inspired fashion show by Rene Salud and Rikko Escano spiced up the opening night of the event.
Discrimination — Still a Lingering Concern
The Philippines being home to diverse ethno-linguistic groups, the country is thus expected to be not only tolerant of other cultures, but also to be supportive and sympathetic of the wellbeing of minority groups.
Sadly, that isn’t the case.
As of yet, minority groups lament that they are being discriminated against, and that the non-indigenous peoples have a very limited knowledge and tolerance of minority cultures. Apparently, the society that fights off discrimination against its OFWs and actively decries foul comments about and depictions of its people on foreign TV shows, is also guilty of discrimination and bigotry against its minorities.
“Tinitingnan ninyo ako ngunit hindi ninyo ako nakikita” (You are looking at me, but you don’t really see me), cried Felixberta Villamer, the leader of the Agta-Bicol delegation to the Timpuyog festival in her short speech before her tribe’s cultural performance.
The same message was put forward by the other minority groups in the media forum and in one-on-one interviews. Perceval Garcia, a Mangyan teen-ager, lamented: “Tinatawanan nila kami pero hindi na lang namin sila pinapansin” (They laugh at us, but we just ignore them).
The tribal leaders also decried the stereotypical depictions of them as “ugly, uneducated, filthy, and barbaric” in soaps and movies, thus contributing to the negative general perception about them.
Evelyn Taclobao of the Bontoc tribe related that the younger generations are ashamed to be called Igorots because of these negative portrayals. “Our children cry when they are called Igorots,” she said.
Another major concern of our indigenous brethrens is on the promotion and preservation of their culture amidst modernization threats. The indigenous groups need to work double time in order to preserve their culture. Otherwise, they may end up losing their indigenous cultures and traditions.
Antonio Cayyug of the Gaddang tribe related that they still do not have a written form of their folklore and that although their children are still aware of and take part in their rituals, some of them are already questioning their rituals and traditions, especially the bad ones. He added that he hopes to get a grant that would assist him in the documentation of their cultural heritage.
Insightful
Despite the fact that the event left a few things to be desired, like some explanations on the dances of the indigenous peoples that would aide the non-indigenous viewers in interpreting them, as well as on the designs of the traditional houses, some of which bore some mistakes, according to Jim P. Domingo, consultant at the Cagayan Museum, the event was insightful. The event exposed the participants, many of whom were students, to the rich cultures of the various indigenous groups in the country’s biggest island and were made aware of the plights of our indigenous brethrens — their problems, their needs, and the challenges that they face.
There are still a lot of things that need to be done in order to address the concerns of our indigenous brethrens, but the Timpuyog festival is a great start. Cultural activities such as this open those that must be opened — our eyes and minds.
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Last 10 posts by Sherma E. Benosa
- Dagiti Babassit nga Alipugpog - January 2nd, 2009
- Nangina ti Balligi - December 5th, 2008
- Underneath the Sheaths - November 27th, 2008
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- Happy 74th Birthday, Bannawag! - November 3rd, 2008
- Life is a Performing Art - October 29th, 2008
- Princess Success and her Balls of Chance - October 21st, 2008
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- Alona - September 19th, 2008
VF
I don’t think that ‘tourism’ is the best approach in promoting awareness of our ethnic minorities. They’ll become like exhibited inanimate objects and will only put more injury to the stigma already inflicted by our ignorance, if not (already) indifference. What do tourists go look for in a society anyway, except for exotics? Would anybody want to be called ‘exotic’ merchandise? The profits made from such idea is not worth the mockeries they get from the tourists.
What these peoples really need are anti-xenophobic laws coupled with realistic programs to promote cultural integration. They need better protection of their means of livelihood including protecting the environment they live within. Look at those massive deforestations and irresponsible miners slowly killing the natural resources they so heavily dependent with to earn a living. The academia should also play a greater role in educating our youth to build a firmer foundation of eradicating ignorance.
I was expecting to read that GMA-TV and ABS-CBN were also there to produce a constructive documentary. Tsk tsk…
One perfunctory program like this is not enough. It’ll be lost as a mist in the Cordilleras once the mighty sun is up!
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 pmSherma E. Benosa
Hello Buddy! Thank you for your thought-provoking comment.
You said, ‘tourism’ is not “the best approach in promoting awareness of our ethnic minorities. They’ll become like exhibited inanimate objects and will only put more injury to the stigma already inflicted by our ignorance, if not (already) indifference.”
Let me point out that in my understanding, it will only be the houses that will be maintained — the indigenous peoples will of course go back to their homes. I would say ‘tourism’ is not enough (to promote the culture of our indigenous peoples), but given that the traditional houses have been built, it would be a pity if the local government will not do anything to maintain it. Tourists will learn from the village, more so if the NCCA or the local government would also include explanations about the designs of the houses, why they used the materials that they used (which logically has something to do with the indigenous materials in their environment), why they designed the windows that way, why the doors were located in a specific location, etc.)
I think the turning of the village into a tourist spot is more for educational purposes than for profit. More so, for Santiago to have a tourist spot.
As to your second paragraph, I’d say that indeed, we need to promote un-xenophobic and un-ethnophobic views about other cultures. As a people, we really need to change our perspectives.
I agree that we need to protect the natural environment of our indigenous peoples. (That reminds me of the Dipidio project in Nueva Vizcaya). Our greedy government and the greedy businesses in the country do not care much about the rights of the “small” segments of the society — meaning the poor as well as the minority. I am reminded that in many aspects of the so-called development, our minority brethrens have been negatively affected or worse, sacrificed.
Indeed, the academia has a big role in all of these, but so are the media and other agencies. Just by proper portrayal of our indigenous brethrens in soaps and in movies, as well as careful and sensible reporting, the media will already be able to effect change in how we view ourselves and our minority brothers and sisters.
Although I agree that the NCCA project is not enough to effect the kind of change needed to fully support the indegenous peoples, the holding of festivals like this is already a good start. I also would not call it perfunctory. Just something that requires more concrete actions. But that I am sure, requires lots of help from other agencies.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:27 pmJake
Mamatiak met a saan nga umdas ti programa ti NCCA tapno agballigi daytoy a gannuat. Kasapulan ti ad-adu a makipartisipar kadaytoy a proyekto tapno uray kaskasano maipreserba ti kulturada a gangganin maungaw. Ayanna ti National Commission on Indigenous Peoples(NCIP) nga isu koma ti mas nga adda jurisdiction kadaytoy? Wenno koma ti Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) a mangilibro kadagiti pagsasaoda koma.
Ti pangpreserba iti pagnanaedanda ken ti paggarawanda ket maysa pay a banag a segun iti panagadal ni Thomas Headland, no apay a pati ti pagsasaoda (Casiguran Agta) ket agngangabit ket gapu ta dagidi banag nga adda katukadna a balikas kadakuada ket napukawen. Kasanom a panaganan ti maysa koma nga specie ti billit iti anakmo no diam metten makita ida. Umdas kadi laeng iti sarsarita a kasla piksion nga idi ket adda gayam kastoy a klase ti nagbiag? Ti panagtultuloy a panagtroso wenno panagmina ti maipatpatuldo nga akimbasol kadagitoy ta daddadaelenda ti namungayanda a panagbiag.
Kadagiti tallo nga extinct a lengguahe ket naggapu iti Luzon, ket agingga ita awan man laeng ti ebidensiya wenno tugot ti kulturada a naibati, wenno nailibro koma.
Sapay ta saan a daytoy ti umuna ken maudi nga addang ti gobierno a mangipromote iti Cultural Tourism no dayta ti kaibatuganna kadakuada.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 amSherma E. Benosa
Hello! Ne, ta siak metten ti nayaw-awan. Diak nasiputan ti postem, gayyem Jake.
Nagpintas dayta kinunam, sika. Awan mainayonko.
Sinaludsodko ket awan sa kano ti pakainaigan ti NCIP iti dayta a programa ti NCCA. Hmmm… apay ngata?
Diak sure no ania ti eksakto a mandate ti KWF. Ngem wen, adda koma mangdokumento kadagiti minoridad a lengguahe iti Pilipinas…
… amangan no agpukawdanton! Saan koma met.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:23 pm