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TAG ARCHIVES: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AN INTERVIEW WITH YÊ NIDA ANGGOL AN INTERVIEW WITH YÊ NIDA ANGGOL February 27, 2017

AN INTERVIEW WITH YÊ NIDA ANGGOL

Advocacy , Study , Uncategorized cloth, indigenous , indigenous people, interview, lake sebu, philippines , t'nalak , textiles Leave a comment

I was first introduced to Yê Nida Anggol back in 2013 when I was documenting the processes involved in the weaving of tnalak . She had a kind face, with a gentle and generous smile. She spoke to me in a Tboli that has its own cadence and rhythm, every word perfectly enunciated. She was a chanter and tnalak weaver, an artist through and through. I wanted to do a more in-depth interview because during the last time I met her, just as we were starting to pack our things, she chanted to the group a part of the story of Ibid and Kiyol, two comical and folk characters that are inspirations to tnalak designers. I wanted to record the full story so I asked for Jenita Eko’s help in setting up a date with Yê Nida. I met Yê Nida again in Klubi on February 8, 2017. She was in her traditional fandi, a plaid skirt, and Tboli beads of red and black around her neck. She had on her usual and familiar smile. I greeted her heyu hlafus , good morning, and she greeted me back. We had breakfast together with Jenita and some friendly exchange. After breakfast, she told us that she needed to be back before 10:00 in the morning as she has many chores to finish. I said that we can already proceed with the interview and I promised that it won’t take long. I introduced myself again to her. I told her that I am a student of Anthropology in Ateneo de Davao, trying to finish my thesis. I told her the objectives of my thesis and I also asked if I may use the quotes from our interview. The customary self-deprecation followed, that she is not worthy, not even educated, nor literate. I told her that I don’t know how to weave the intricate tnalak either, so that makes us even. She laughed at this and gave me her consent, so I thought I must have said the right thing. I gave a sigh of relief and smiled at her. Let’s begin, I said. I asked her first how she learned how to weave the tnalak and who taught her the art. She answered that she learned it late in her life, in her 20s when she transferred to Sitio Tablo in Lamdalag. Yê Nida explained that a girl normally learns it at a very early age, but she only learned how to weave when she got married to a man from Tablo. Tablo, she explained, was the center of weaving in Lake Sebu. Her sister-in-law taught her how to do all the processes, but she had to start with the tembong, the process of connecting individual abaca strands to make into a single bundle of strand ready for weaving. I asked Yê Nida where she was originally from. She answered that she was born in one of the villages in S’bu (now called the “poblacion”) the lakeside barangay of Lake Sebu. Her father was a fisherman in the lake, she said, and he also taught her how to fish using the traditional method of dule, or line fishing. I told Yê Nida that I was curious how the lake was like during her childhood years. Jenita translated this question, and so she was looking at Jenita when she answered this. She was talking in rapid Tboli, and I noticed a certain nostalgia in the way she smiled at the recollection of years gone by. She described the the lake as andô gonon gësëng matahem, which roughly translates as an unobstructed vista, the eyes can see only see lake, mountains, and the sky. She said there were no concrete buildings around the lake before, and no water lilies (fam. nymphaeceae) either that now choke the waterways. There was only the plant lagat , an aquatic plant that blossoms upward from the depths of the lake. There was an abundance of snails and shells which she described as smooth, shiny and semi-transparent, unlike the shells they get from the lake now. The lake itself was crystal-clear, that one can see right through the waters to its bottom. She lamented that with the introduction of tilapia, the pangasius, and the “Korean fish,” the lake, its fishes, snails, and shells have never been the same as before. She observed that the introduced fishes have already killed-off the bonol and the hait , their staple when she was younger. She recalled that when she was a young girl living on the lakeside, they could just ride one of the owong boats and catch some fish for their meals or walk along the shallower parts to pick some shells which they would cook. Yê Nida said that there were no boundaries in the lake before, everyone can just come in and fish or collect shells. No one owns the lake, the land or the forests, she added. Here she explained that the family of our friend, Jelly Escarlote, was the very first migrant settlers to Lake Sebu. They were considered as Tboli, and not as outsiders. Yê Nida said that everything started out with friendship, and the first families who migrated were very good friends with the Tboli who were living near the lake. But she added that it became complicated when those families started bringing in their other families from Luzon and the Visayas, especially from the Ilocos and Negros provinces. I thanked her for telling how it felt like before when the lake was that beautiful. I then told Yê Nida that I wanted to know more about the tnalak , the gains and the challenges that she is now facing as a weaver. I asked her first if there were areas around Lake Sebu that specializes on the weaving of tnalak . Yê Nida answered that the upper barangays, because of their cooler clime, are the areas where there are weavers. These are Lamdalag (proper), Tablo (a sitio of Lamdalag), and Klubi. She added that Klubi, because it was closer to the forests, was and still is, the source of abaca fibers which is the material for the tnalak cloth. I then asked Yê Nida if she can share to me her experience studying how to weave. She said that after helping out with the tembong, connecting individual strands, her first hands-on experience with the back-strap loom was when she practiced with a small piece of tnalak weaving a bëd hënda design. She appreciated the methods of her sister-in-law, her tnalak mentor, who never once touched her work but only gave verbal instructions and helpful criticisms. Her mentor afterwards taught her how to do the hëmto, the tie-dye method of covering certain areas for dyeing which gives the cloth its signature designs. Tnalak cloth that they would not use personally were sold to the store called “Local.” This was a store managed by the Sta. Cruz Mission, through Fr. Rex Mansmann. Yê Nida described it as a “buy-and-sell” store and she added that the women weavers can take out small credits from the store. Here Jenita shared that it was Fr. Rex who was the first to classify tnalak according to their quality, but in truth, she said, the Tboli were already classifying tnalak according to their quality and their specific uses. But it was Fr. Rex who introduced the idea that the tnalak has a monetary value. This changed the economic position of the women weavers, I commented to the two women. And they both agreed. Yê Nida commented that the women, before the introduction of the “Local” Store, had no right to the final product of their weaving. The finished cloth were considered as gifts, and the men, usually the father or the husband, would give them to other men [a gift economy]. I asked if the women had a hold of the money they received from selling the tnalak . She answered that with the “Local” Store, the women weavers were paid the money and get to keep them too but this led to some problems at first. The men did not like it, according to Yê Nida, but they persuaded them nonetheless telling them that the women would not have been able to weave if not for the men’s role in stripping the abaca or getting wood for the fire. Yê Nida and Jenita both agree that the women have been empowered economically by the tnalak as an enterprise, but gender asymmetry is still widely felt among Tboli families that women still have to ask men for their consent. But they insisted that the women now have greater rights to the products of their weaving compared before. When I asked if she ever dreamed of patterns like the “dreamweavers” popularized by different media, Yê Nida said that she had never been visited by Fu Dalu [owner/spirit of the abaca] in her dreams and that it was Bo-i Diwa Ofong who was truly the dreamweaver. Jenita, who is the granddaughter of Bo-i Diwa, commented that the bang gala design came to her grandmother in a dream but they were not clear designs, as was later confided to Jenita. Bo-i Diwa would work out on the several patterns presented to her in the dreams to make one design. Sometimes, Bo-i Diwa said to Jenita, Fu Dalu would even give her instructions on what the designs mean and what they are for. I asked Yê Nida if she knows of anyone alive who still dreams the patterns, and with a sad note said, “no one dreams patterns anymore.” She added that maybe all the basic patterns have already been revealed and that the weavers now have to work newer ones inspired by the “revealed patterns”. We ended our interview on this melancholic note. I thanked her profusely for her time and for granting me an interview. My head was still reeling from all the information I received from Yê Nida, but I realized that my heart was heavy form her last statement. The term “dreamweavers” have been synonymous to the Tboli but with the dreamweavers never dreaming anymore, has the tnalak been relegated to another inert cultural artifact?

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THE STORIES OF NAYO LUNGAN THE STORIES OF NAYO LUNGAN February 25, 2017 Collected on 6 December 2014 in Lamkwa, Klubi, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

THE STORIES OF NAYO LUNGAN

Uncategorized indigenous , indigenous people, narratives , stories , T'boli

Transcribed and translated into English from Tboli with the help of Bo-i Jenita Eko. Nayo Lungan, I would estimate, is in his late 60s (the Tboli do not reckon their birth years). These stories were collected late in the evening, in the gono bong (long house) of Klubi, in a circle of friends, family, coffee, and Tanduay.

Leave a comment The Tboli people were created by H’yu We and Sidek We. After creating them, the people at first could not speak. And H’yu We asked help from Litek (thunder) to catch all of the created men and women. The first people were so terrified of Litek’s booming voice when he called them that they eventually found their own voices and started to speak. That is why, when it thunders and lightning strikes someone dead, it is said that Litek has claimed his own voice back from that person.

When H’yu We and Sidek We were creating the Tboli from clay, H’yu We said that the clay figures should be placed beside the rocks so that when these beings fight each other, they would not be able to die. She also suggested to Sidek We that they could be placed in bamboos so that they would not be seeking food forever. Sidek We, on the other hand, suggested that the clay figures should be placed in bananas, so that the beings could die even whey they are young, when they are in the middle of their lives, or die in old age.

There was no water, no lake then. The people before would only get their water from three sources: amo teweng (early morning dew) [the dew then was as large as a bamboo container], lumet (a tree which stores water), and the mto sekel (rattan). The first person was Boi Henwu. She lived in Tebewow (which is now the so-called “three fingers” in Lake Sebu.) She was living with two companions, Ukan and K’ban. The Tboli were said to come from K’ban, that’s why they are sometimes troublesome. Both Ukan and K’ban are bong busaw (lit. big witches). Ukan follows the evil Sidek We and he also helps in the delivery of children, but only the male babies. Ukan even kills the mother after delivery of the child. Boi Henwu likes to take a bath, but only in the upper part of the gono (house), her feet never touching the ground. She had a house-help, and this helper would fetch for her the water that she uses for her bath. One day, he was not able to catch the early morning dew, and Boi Henwu was so enraged she beat the house-help from toe to head. Boi Henwu said, “Why is there no water?” And he answered, “even the rattan has no water.” When the house-help fell asleep, he dreamed of a spirit giving him instructions saying, “I pity you. This is what you should do. Look for the white frog in the middle of S’bu, it is hidden by a takul leaf. Raise the leaf and you will find the frog.” The house-help always had with him several containers, even if there was really no water then. He went to the place told to him in that dream and found the takul leaf. He lifted it and found a white frog. He then raised the frog and water emerged from the ground. He filled up all his containers and placed the frog to where it was before and the water stopped flowing. For many days, it was his secret. He would go to the frog, lift it, and fill his containers. His house companions became suspicious and interrogated him why he always had water in his containers. They were also wondering why he looked washed and clean than before. He eventually told Boi Henwu the source of the water after eight days. When Boi Henwu found the water, she took a bath which lasted from early morning to late afternoon. Other people eventually found out about the source of the water, and the water grew and grew filling up the lake that it is now.

In the olden times, there were two trees in S’bu, the Nabul and the Kekem. That is why there is still a placed called Tekekem and Lemnabul. And when the sun shines brightly in the sky and the lake is clear, one can even see the stump of the fallen Nabul tree under the lake. The people before could climb the giant tree Kekem which reached the window of angels in heaven. That is why hundreds of thousands of Muslims cut the Kekem and the Nabul. They reasoned that if all the people would climb the trees to reach heaven, then there would be no one left on earth. When they fell the Kekem, some of its branches fell into the sea. Its main trunk became the Ala river and its smaller branches became the tributaries of the river. Most of its branches fell in the mountains, that is why many of the springs are hidden in the mountains. When they fell the Nabul, its branches also fell in the water, that is why there is still a place called Lësok Gaaw. The branches of the Kekem are like the designs of the tnalak cloth. The design “Btek tofi gaway” was named after the patterns on the Kekem branches. But some of the women find it difficult to copy the designs on the branches that is why Fu Dalu would come to them in dreams. During that time, Boi Henwu had a pet python. That time when S’bu was filled with water, the Kekem tree was still there. Boi Henwu ascended to heaven with her python. You can still see the marks of the python in Tebewow. It’s the reason why there is an eclipse. Boi Henwu’s python would try to eat the moon in the sky. When the Kekem tree was cut, another branch also fell in Sitio Bulat. There is a spring there now called Tebul Doyow. It’s said that there is a rock in that place that used to be a snake. Ukan went to live in Bak Ngëb (a cave system in Lake Sebu). K’ban went down to the lake of S’bu (that is why the lake claims many lives). And Sidek We owns the Hikong Bente, the last waterfall in the “7 Waterfalls”. Boi Henwu ascended to heaven.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MÂ UNGKAL, SON AN INTERVIEW WITH MÂ UNGKAL, SON OF KAWIT OF KAWIT

February 12, 2017

AN INTERVIEW WITH MÂ UNGKAL, SON OF KAWIT

photography , Study Anthropology , fieldnotes , indigenous people, people, philippines Leave a comment

He was about the same age as my late grandmother. I first saw him at the but bnek (Tboli planting ritual) last April of 2015, he was telling us stories of how they did the ritual and the planting of upland rice in the 1960s. That day in 2015, he had a smile that was reflective and nostalgic, recalling the long gone past and perhaps memories of friends and families. Today, we met him in his house. He was squatting on his legs while expertly twining ropes. There’s still strength in his arms, I thought. We went inside his house and his daughter, who I guessed was in her early 40s, offered us coffee. Jenita explained to him that I wanted to interview him for my research. He looked at me inquisitively with his dim eyes and I recalled the exact same way my own grandmother would look at me behind her cataracts. I asked if I can interview him, and explained that I was at the but bnek ritual in 2015 where I first heard his stories. Jenita was my translator. She translated everything I said, passing messages between me and Ma Ungkal. I was curious, I said, with the ways the Tboli planted in his childhood years and the difficulties of those days. I asked if there was a difference to how people planted then and now. He answered that a lot has changed since then. He was around 15 years old when he first started helping in the swidden farms. They cultivated mostly kleb (taro), ubi (sweet potato), and ubi koyu (cassava) but the main work was cultivating the upland rice and bananas. There were no carabaos before, he explained, and work was laborious and manual. They also planted the selâ tahu, the native corn, which would take about 2 and a half months before it can be harvested. They planted these in time with the upland rice which would take about 5 months before harvesting. This way, he said, they have food while waiting for the rice to be harvested. Before any planting can be done, they would do the t’meba or the slash and burn method of clearing plots of land. A small cottage or lowig would be built during the t’meba, where they would rest even if they are away from home. Ma Ungkal explained that the t’meba was only appropriate for the corn planted in the forestlands because rice requires the flat plains between mountains and these are normally just grasslands. Ma Ungkal also shared that they would know the right time to plant based on the sun. When the sun is mo-ol or setting in the direction of Melê Botu (Mt. Parker), the land is prepared and plowed for planting. When the sun starts to set in the direction of Matutum, then the planting can commence. When the sun again sets in the direction of Holon, the rice may then be harvested. Cleared land is usable for 3-4 years, where it is best fertile, he explained. Then they would let it rest for the next 5 years. But he lamented that it is no longer possible today due to the increasing difficulty in the access to free land for them. Hënëk ! We just stay put in one plot of land now, he said. I asked him if he had any experience of severe drought when he was still young. He answered yes and he estimated his age by pointing to a neighbor’s child. He was around 12 years old. He recalled to us a drought so severe that people died in Klubi. He described that the sun was “sut kdaw hulo” (the sun was red) and “ëmën klikam” (like the red design of the traditional bed canopy). When the rain stopped falling, he said that it only took 5 months before all the plants dried up and famine ravaged the land. The drought lasted for 10 months. They had to go to the forests to look for the biking (Dioscorea esculenta) a plant, a kind of rootcrop that crawls on the forest floor. Mâ Ungkal explained that one must look for the roots of the crawling biking and dig for 5 meters before finally reaching the prized fleshy part of the tubers. He said that a single plant sustained them for a month. *This is estimated to be the El Niño event of 1931.* I was curious about his age and was also trying to infer the year of this drought, so I asked if he ever encountered the Japanese when he was young. Yes, he said, he was already around 20 years old when the Japanese passed the mountains of Daguma in Lësok (a valley near Datal Sboyun). He even said that he was the one tasked by the Japanese soldiers to get them cows to eat. They only stayed for 5 days, he said, since they were on their way to the mohin bong (sea) of Kiamba. I told Ma Ungkal that I heard him tell the story of Sélél when we were at the but bnek ritual and asked if he can expound on this. He explained that it is the name of a star used to determine the time of t’meba and rice planting. He said that when it appears in the night sky, the fak tahu (edible frogs) would also appear announcing t’meba. Sélél was once a man, the first farmer who was knowledgeable in the arts of agriculture. Ma Ungkal said that one day, Sélél said to his people that he no longer wants to be on this tonok (earth) and wished to ascend to longit . But before he went up to the sky, he instructed all the people in the ways of farming and told them never to worry and to look for him in the night sky from then because he will be the one who will tell them when to plant. He also left the people with the buli plant (patani or lima beans) saying that when the buli starts to bear fruits, it is also the time to plant rice. He added that Sélél was fond of drinking lëwag (traditional wine made from sugar cane) being the man who invented it. When he ascended to heaven he brought with him this wine and the old people say that when he throws out the last dregs of wine from his sokong (container), many people would get sick down here on earth. We ended the interview with this story of Selel. But his daughter asked me if I could take a photo of Mâ Ungkal. She said that they don’t have a single picture of their father. I said, of course, it would be a great honor to do this. After taking Mâ Ungkal’s pictures and his family, we went back to Lëmkwa, to Jenita’s house. But my mind was still wandering in distant lands, and in the long gone past. When men ascended to heaven with their wine cups full and the trees have names that I must discover.

May 27, 2013 Study Anthropology , climate change, ethnoecology , global warming, human

BLOTIK ÉHÉK (STAR OF THE SHARPENING BLOTIK ÉHÉK (STAR OF THE SHARPENING STONE) AND CLIMATE CHANGE: WHEN STONE) AND CLIMATE CHANGE: WHEN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE BLOTIK ÉHÉK (STAR OF THE SHARPENING BECOMES UNRELIABLE BECOMES UNRELIABLE STONE) AND CLIMATE CHANGE: WHEN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE Introduction BECOMES UNRELIABLE

ecology , indigenous

Several studies conducted by anthropologists have already substantially concluded the

people, ip, klubi, lake sebu,

effects of existing, anthropogenic climate change and how it compounds indigenous

T'boli

peoples’ vulnerabilities adding to “existing challenges, including political and economic marginalization, land and resource encroachments, human rights violations and

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discrimination” (Crate 2009). These studies underline the importance of using ecological and landscape approaches to climate studies, strongly relying on the emic point of view or the local people’s knowledge of their environment, geography and ecology. Susan Crate used this approach successfully in her study [1] on the effects of climate change to the sub-Arctic Viliu Sakha communities in northeastern Siberia, Russia and noted the transformations of “both symbolic cultures and subsistence cultures […] reframe the implications of unprecented global climate change (Crate 2009).” Sarah Strauss [2] , working with the community of Leukerbad in Switzerland, described and shared Leukerbadners’ stories of retreating glaciers in the Alps and warned anthropologists and scientists that “we are all feeling the effects, both long term and short term, of a changing climate, but the solutions that will be applicable to the global problem cannot be cast from a single mold.” Indeed, as landscapes, geography and cultures diversely vary on our planet, the challenge is to also diversify solutions to climate change to consider each local community’s socioeconomic and cultural capacities, resilience and vulnerability. This challenge falls particularly to anthropologists who “seek to understand and translate, helping make the experiences of one place/time/people intelligible to those who inhabit different lifeworlds (Strauss 2009)”. In this study, focus is given to the T’boli people whose traditional domains include the highland lake complex of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, the Daguma mountain range, Allah River, the crater lake of Holon in Mt. Melibengoy and the coastal communities of Kiamba and Maasim in Sarangani, Southern Philippines. Particularly, the setting is in Barangay Klubi, Lake Sebu municipality, South Cotabato with a total land area of 509 hectares, the only barangay in Lake Sebu considered “100% tribal area” [3] . Klubi is 4. 59% of the total land area of the Municipality of Lake Sebu. Particular interest was given to the area for its mountainous “hilly to steep hilly” (Socioeconomic Profile of Lake Sebu 2010) topography and to contribute a mountainous, tropical and agricultural setting to climate studies whose noticeable main body of concern are the Arctic, coastal and glacial regions. The T’boli are listed in ethnographies (cf Cultural Center of the Philippines Enyclopedia of Philippine Art 1994) as “a people in the mature hunting-gathering stage with horticulturalists”. While this maybe true when the ethnographic research was conducted, contemporary T’bolis have already cultivated vast hectares of agricultural land devoted to rice and corn. As a matter of fact, from the 89,138 hectares total land area of Lake Sebu, 24,404 hectares is appropriated as agricultural (Socioeconomic Profile of Lake Sebu 2010). Many of the T’bolis still use traditional methods of planting corn and upland rice, relying mostly on astronomical bodies (sun, moon and stars, specially the blotik éhék ) and geographic markers (mountains) to tell the season for planting and harvesting. But with the changes in climate and weather patterns, they are also increasingly experiencing difficulties in following any agricultural calendar. Field interviews with farmers describe March and April as the traditional months for planting, when there is no rain that may otherwise bring the farmers’ woes of forager and cutter insects and also the burrowing worms which eat the newly planted stalks. Some of the farmers, experiencing these difficulties, turn to non-traditional ways of planting like the use of fertilizers and planting hybrid rice and corn, just to secure their harvest and feed their families. This study aims to describe their present-day agricultural practices, most specifically in the planting of corn and rice, and also to describe the climate-related challenges experienced by the T’boli farmers. For this objective, this paper uses ethnoecology for its conceptual framework. Ethnoecology, generally speaking, is the study of what local people know about their environment, how they classify that information, and how they use it – an attempt toward the understanding of local understanding about a realm of experience. In this paper, we try to describe and understand the T’boli’s natural resource management in agriculture and how local knowledge of the terrain, weather, climate and astronomical bodies inform their agricultural practices. The interactions of traditional agricultural knowledge with the effects of climate change will be analyzed to understand how changes in the natural system will revise (or has already revised) current practices in T’boli agriculture. Methods used in this study include individual interviews, archival research and participant observation. This paper adds to the growing number of studies on climate and indigenous peoples and seeks to understand how indigenous peoples in mountainous habitats with an agriculturalbased economy, are experiencing climate perturbations and how they are responding to the risks brought by climate change. By investigating their agricultural practices, the inconsistencies of traditional knowledge with their landscape and weather, and their perception on climate change, policymakers, advocates and planners may better understand how to inform, update and apprise the T’boli S’bu on the realities of climate change. Ethnoecology as Situated Knowledge The seminal work which introduced ethnoscience/ethnoecology to the humanities and social sciences is Harold Conklin’s The Relation of the Hanunuo Culture to the Plant World (1954) which was to “dismantle the dominant view on shifting cultivating as a haphazard, destructive, and primitive way of making a living” (Nazarea 2006). If Clifford Geertz underlined anthropology’s work of “understanding others’ understanding”, ethnoecology rests on the imperative that anthropological inquiry must increasingly seek to understand local understanding (the so-called native point of view) about a realm of experience. This includes systematically documenting and analysing folk classification and paradigms pertaining to plants, animals, color,weather, soils, water, illness and the human body until “only the most incorrigible remain unimpressed by the logic, complexity and sophistication of local knowledge” (Nazarea 2006). Ethnoecology springs from the cognitive approach of studying peoples’ conception of events and objects, asserting that “culture is composed of logical rules that are based on ideas that can be accessed in the mind.”[4] This focus on the interaction between the society/culture and the mind seeks to understand and explain essential components of human social behavior. The concept of a “Native Science” is also related to the understanding of the role of the environment intertwined with the meaning/s humans place upon their lives. Linguistics, or the study of language, is integral to ethnoecology. Understanding the language and the native people’s linguistic system is one method to understand a native people’s system of knowledge of organization. Not only is there categorization for things pertaining to nature and culture thought language, but more importantly and complex is the relationship between environment and culture. Ethnoecology looks at the intricacies of the connection between culture and its surrounding environment. This system of understanding local people’s understanding takes into account the social and cultural embeddedness of knowledge, technologies and practices inherent to natural resource management and “recognizes the plurality of forms of knowledge, world views and the ethical values connected to them within different social and cultural groups”. We take for example the T’boli’s complex system of classifying rice according to their color, size and shape of the kernels. Halay is the generic term for unhusked rice but more specific upland varieties abound in their language: éfél (small white kernels inside a mottled black and yellow husk resembling the color of the éfél ‘bumblebee’), kedegsan (medium-sized white kernels inside a yellowish-colored husk), alì (long, medium sized white kernels inside a dark red husk) or the sendangan (large, stubby kernels inside a yellowish-colored husk covered with tiny thistles). [5] This unique (particular to a given group) system of classifying their material and social universe in turn, according to ethnoecology, becomes a means of gaining insight not only into the nature of man but also into the nature of culture. Traditional Domain of the T’boli S’bu The T’boli, also known as Tboli, Tiboli and Tagabili, are indigenous peoples of Mindanao concentrated in South Cotabato where the southwest coast range and the Cotabato mountains merge to form the Tiruray highlands, in an area circumscribed by the towns of Surallah, Polomolok Maitum and Kiamba. As settlers from other Philippine islands arrived, the T’boli gradually withdrew to the mountain slopes and lived in scattered villages. Their cultural heartland lies in the highland lake complex of Sebu, Seloton, and Lahit. Lake Holon in Mt. Melibengoy (formerly Lake Maughan of Mt. Parker) in T’boli municipality, South Cotabato is also an important body of water in the T’boli traditional territory. The T’boli are usually divided into the coastal-dwelling peoples, the T’boli Mohin of Maitum, Kiamba and Maasim, and the mountain-dwelling T’boli S’bu of the municipalities of T’boli and Lake Sebu, all in South Cotabato, Philippines. The T’boli S’bu are mostly located in the municipality of Lake Sebu in the Province of South Cotabato. It is approximately 40 kilometers away from Koronadal, the provincial capital of South Cotabato. Lake Sebu is approximately 6 hours away from Cotabato City, the Regional center of Region XII. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Surallah; on the Southwest by the Municipality of Kiamba and Maitum; in the East by the Municipality of T’boli and in the West by Palimbang of the Province of Sultan Kudarat. It is located at 6”10” N Latitude and 124”44”E Longitude. The Total area of Lake Sebu is 89,138 hectares or approximately 11.59% of the total land of South Cotabato. Its biggest barangay is Ned with 41,247 hectares or 46.3 % of the Municipality. The smallest barangay is Lahit with only 528 hectares or 0.6% of the municipality’s land area. (Socioeconomic Profile of Lake Sebu 2010) The T’boli and Ubo Ancestral domain cover a total area of 39,852 hectares or 44.70% of Lake Sebu, including 18 barangay out of 19 Barangays, namely: Hanoon, Lower Maculan, Upper Maculan, Halilan, Denlag, Lamcade, Klubi, Lamdalag, Lamlahak, T’konel, Seloton, Poblacion, Lahit, Talisay, Bacdulong, Lamfugon, Tasiman and Luhib. The only barangay outside the domain is baranggay Ned. The largest portion of the domain, which is 20%, is within Barangay Lamfugon, Barangay Lamlahak and Tasiman equally covering 12% each, T’konel, Lamdalag and Klubi, 10% each. Upper Maculan 4%, Lower Maculaan, Hanoon and Lamcade 3% each, Luhib, Halilan and Poblacion 2% each. The barangays with the smallest land area are Seloton, Lahit, Bacdulong 1% each. The climate of Lake Sebu belongs to the Fourth type where rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year. Its temperature is relatively cool like that of Baguio City. The dry season usually falls during the month of March to April. Significantly, however, showers usually occur during the afternoons between the month of February and May. Lake Sebu has a rugged terrain. It is surrounded by mountain ranges, including Daguma and Talihik along its eastern portion, Mt. Busa in the south-eastern portion with an elevation of 2,064 meters; Pitot Kalabao Peak along the central portion with an elevation of 1,6000 meters and Mt. Talili in the eastern portion with an elevation of 1,410 meters. Barangay Poblacion of Lake Sebu itself is estimated to be 700 meters above sea level. The Lake Sebu Watershed Forest Reserve is a protected landscape under Proclamation no. 65 signed on August 4 1966, covering a total of 9,900 hectares. Lake Sebu (S’bu is the T’boli word for lake) is a natural lake in the municipality of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and within the Allah Valley Watershed Landscape region. The lake itself and the rivers that drain from it is part of the Allah Valley Watershed which covers South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. The Allah Valley Watershed is the southernmost tributary of the Pulangi River that drains in Illana Bay in Cotabato City. (Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance 2007) The total delineated area of the Allah Valley Watershed is 252,034 has. that extends to the Province of Maguindanao. Surface waters that are drained along the Allah and Banga rivers subsequently find their way into the Liguasan marsh, the second largest in the country. The Allah Valley Watershed is a major sub-watershed unit of the CotabatoAgusan river basin in Mindanao. It covers the jurisdictions of the Province of South Cotabato (Municipalities of Lake Sebu, T’boli, Surallah, and Sto. Nino, Banga, Norala) and the Province of Sultan Kudarat (City of Tacurong and Municipalities of Isulan, Esperanza, Lambayong and Bagumbayan). (Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance 2007) The 3 lakes of Sebu, Seloton and Lahit (all part of the Allah Valley Watershed) are fed by underground springs in the mountain ranges of Daguma and surrounding mountains that made up mostly of porous sedimentary rocks that store and catch rainwater. Water from the lakes then cascades down the 7 waterfalls namely: Hikong Alu (passage), Hikong Bente (immeasurable), Hikong B’lebel (zigzag), Hikong Lowig (booth), Hikong Kefo-i (wild flower), Hikong Ukok (short), and Hikong Tonok (soil). The water then travels down the Allah River that combines with the Banga River finally joining the bigger Pulangi River and Liguasan Marsh to drain in Illana Bay. Agricultural Practices of the T’boli in Klubi: Blotik Éhék (Star of the Sharpening Stone) and the Fu (Spirit Owners) The study is set in Barangay Klubi, Lake Sebu. The topography of Brgy. Klubi is hilly to steep to very steep (30% – up slope range). One would easily notice that there is considerable forest loss due to conversion of forest land to agricultural purposes. Going up from Korononadal City, capital of South Cotabato, to Lake Sebu, it is plain to see that many areas have been converted to rice and corn farms. Surallah, an important trading center between Lake Sebu and Koronadal, is considered a rice granary because of its wide valleys planted with rice, corn and other products. Surallah is predominantly inhabited by settlers from the Visayan islands, mostly Ilonggo, and as a matter of fact, the T’boli of Lake Sebu have to learn the Ilonggo language for them to be able to communicate with the settlers (most of them merchants) and for them to study in schools (most teachers are Ilonggo-speaking). Going up Barangay Klubi from the Poblacion of Lake Sebu, commuters will have to hire a habal-habal motorcycle for P50 and go up a steep dirt road. This makes it also hard for the farmers who have to transport their produce from their farms up and down the mountains and explains why they opt to plant corn and rice instead of vegetables, as vegetables will not be able to stay fresh in this arduous trek down the mountain-farms. Houses in Klubi are set in a compound of 1 family, usually numbering more than 5 houses but not exceeding 10 in a compound. The Sulan Family’s compound (research partner) has 7 houses not including their grinding center, the LASIWWAI office and the gono bong (long house), currently used as a Designers’ House for the women weavers. The following are the neighbors in the Sulan Compound: 1. Sitio Malun 2. Sharon Gumatao 3. Rio Sulan 4. Rey Sulan 5. Jenita Eko 6. Eko Sulan 7. Stephen Bihan 8. Semlon Landayong 9. Rodrigo Lamdayong 10. Waning Lugong 11. Ugon Nalon 12. Dima Abid 13. Lendi Tinggal All of the neighboring families are involved in farming, directly planting and harvesting or helping in the marketing of produce. Another noticeable feature of Klubi is the abundant water flowing in creeks and springs. A few meters of digging a hole would already tap in the aquifer as in the case of the planned septic tank for the Day Care center that they had to abandon due to the restrictions of the elders. Some families’ compound has a fishpond fed by this underground aquifer or a spring. At this point, it is worthwhile to note how the T’bolis of Klubi believe in the fun (owner or spirit). Several fu are said to reside and own certain natural resources like water (‘el), abaca (kdungon), rice (halay), forests (dlag koyu), wild animals (Taha Kilang – or in some chants , Tud Bulul and Taha Kilang are the same), Lake Sebu (S’bu), mountains (bulul) and others. My host family’s fishpond is believed to be inhabited by one of these spirits. The patriarch Eko Sulan used to give offerings near the fishpond to appease this spirit due to the belief that it claims human victims, in some accident or another. The farm of the Sulan family was divided equally (even among women) among the sisters and brothers. This farm is located in Sitio Datal Sbuyon, Barangay Klubi mostly hilly to steep. Datal Sbuyon is a 45-minute hike from Sitio Lamkua, Barangay Klubi. Facing south of the farm is the mountain of Te Tofuk, and facing east is Meli Botu. They get water for their farms from the spring Sboyun, named after the spirit/owner (fu) of the water that comes from the aquifers of Te Tofuk. It is believed, by the people interviewed, that this fu is fickle and is regularly appeased with demsu or offering. ‘Fickle’ because there are times when the springs become dry and the farmers have to look for another source of water, and also because of the belief that disrespecting fu sboyun will also cause illness to the farmers. The soil within the forest areas is classified as undifferentiated mountain soil, which has no agricultural importance at present. Along the flat lands, the soil classification belongs to silty loam and sandy, which range from very good land to moderately good land for cultivation. [6] Soil in the rice and corn farm is dry while the abaca farms are moist, dark humus shaded by tall trees. The T’boli also believe that the soil is owned by fu tonok (lit. owner of the earth). This general belief in the fu may point to the local people’s cognition that resources are not theirs to exploit but as something borrowed from the ‘owners’ hence the rituals of asking for permission to use those resources. Land ownership is considered communal. The watershed, forests, river systems, farm and pasture lands are considered communal properties and therefore their use and conservation are the responsibility of the whole community. Lake Sebu is an ancestral domain with a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claims (CADC) Nos. 003 and 004 facilitated through the Lake Sebu Ancestral Domain Claim Association (LASADCA). The 2 CADCS (CADC 003 for the Ubo tribes and CADC 004 for the T’boli tribes) have a total land area of 19,377 and 20,475 hectares respectively (Logong 2000). In the case of the Sulan family, their farms are in the ancestral domain claim and no title from the government has been issued to them. According to an interview, the farm lands were acquired through the uncle of the patriarch Eko Sulan. His own father was a hunter and had no hand for farming. It was Eko Sulan who first cultivated the land and then passed it on to his daughters and sons. Jelly Escarlote, a farmer who manages a farm in Datal Sboyun and Lamkadi talked about land ownership in an interview: Yung sa amin, sa tatay ko mismo tapos namana niya na rin sa lolo namin… Ang pag-aari ng lupa ay depende sa sipag mo. Kung gaano ang sipag niya, yun na rin ang lupa na mapa-sakanya. At sa ngayon, dahil hindi pa ito napatituluhan, kasi ancestral domain, mabagal siguro ang pag-ano ng NCIP. Kahit yung assessment nila, parang on the table pa lang. (6 May 2013, 2:33pm) T’meba or slash-and-burn is done to clear forests in preparation for planting. This is usually done during the beginning of March. Before, they used to clear small patches of forests to plant rootcrops and transfer to other locations for the next planting cycle, but in contemporary time, they no longer practice this due mainly to decreasing availability of land and increasing number of families who owns land. Land ownership is through clearing and planting. If a person clears a forest and plants it, then that land would be his or hers. During the time of Eko Sulan’s father, they would move on to another land after harvesting and let the soil rest. T’meba is done in another area where they would plant again. But this time, they are using the same plot of land and never let it rest for the entire year. Eko Sulan said that because of this they have lesser and lesser harvest each year. Farmers are both men and women, and starting from a very young age, children are exposed to the farm life. Traditionally, farming is the exclusive domain of the men, but in contemporary time, women are now helping and even owning their farms as in the case of nd child from the 1st st Jelly Escarlote and Jenita Eko. In the case of Jenita Eko, she is the 2nd

wife of Eko Sulan. According to her, because of her father’s frustrations of not having a son, she was brought up like one by her father and so was exposed to hunting, farming and other men’s activities, most interesting is her involvement in conflict mediation. Her father and is one of the mediators in the tribe or tau mugut kokum. Bo-i Diwa (a celebrated tau mugut kokum) is the aunt of her mother. Jelly Escarlote is a farmer and member of Lake Sebu Indigenous Women Weavers Association, Inc. (LASIWWAI). She is also a pastor of the Alliance Church in Klubi. In an interview, she was introduced to farming through her father who would bring her to their farm in Lamkadi and taught her through hands-on experience. Bata pa ako, sumama na ako sa papa ko lalo na sa pagtatanim ng palay. Mga ano siguro ako, Grade 4, nagoobserve na ako kung paano magtanim ng palay at paano rin magtrabaho sa palayan. (6 May 2013) The T’boli S’bu were described in ethnographies as hunting-gathering societies, with swidden farms, and not until recently did they plant rice, corn and other agricultural products. Several interviews suggest that the great grandfathers of the current generation (i.e. Jenita Eko and Eunice Sulan’s) are still exclusively planting rootcrops and hunting for their food. The generation of Eko Sulan may be the first farmers of rice and corn in the area. Planting may be considered organic, although there are already instances when they have to use insecticides. Jelly reasoned that when adjacent farms use insecticides, pests would transfer to their own farm giving them no choice but to also use insecticides. As much as possible, Jelly shared, they never use synthetic insecticides. Traditional organic means of killing insects include placing fak binuten (frog with warts, i.e. Hawaiian frog) in the farms to eat the insects, and wong (spiders) are also left to make their webs in the farm to eat insects. Another method is to create boundaries of bamboo forests in between corn/rice and the abaca farms. The bamboos serve as natural screens for flying insects that might bring diseases from the corn to the abaca or vice versa. Madre de cacao (Gliricidia sepium) bark is also used as insecticide by soaking it for 3 days then mixing with chili pepper (capsicum frutescens) and detergent powder. This is then sprayed to the corns to kill the worms that eat the corn stalks. In an interview with Eko Sulan, he said that there were no rat infestations before because they used to eat the field mice by setting different traps in the farm. He shared that when migrants increasingly brought in their different varieties of corn and rice, the diseases and pests have also increased Melem éhék is a ritual done to call for rain. A sharpening stone is placed in the river and is said to call for rain within a few days. The symbolization, according to Jelly Escarlote, is that a sharpening stone always feels cool and it becomes wet when being used. The coolness and the wetness symbolize rain. The person making this ritual must bathe several times every day until the rain comes. Jelly shared that when she went to a place in CARAGA, Mindanao, there was also a similar ritual done by the family who housed them. A sharpening stone was placed in the river and then placed at the edge of the roof. Several plants are planted in the gardens of the Sulan compound. This include: taro, garlic, malabar spinach (alugbati, Basella alba), Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa), cabbage (Brassica oleracea), cassava, eggplant, okra and sweet potato. While crops planted in the Datal Sboyun farm are: corn (sweet corn variety, Zea mays ), upland rice (different varieties) and abaca. The following are varieties of upland rice cultivated by the T’boli (Awed, et al 2004): halay – unhusked rice, generic halay awot – (a Visayan variety) short, round, white kernels, matures early halay blabud – brown, semi-round, large kernels halay blibóy – white, elongated kernels halay blinow – smallest, white kernels halay blogo – large kernels, nice for making puffed rice halay fut – striped skinned, white kernels and heavy halay hegna/hlóng – a variety of very fast growth halay hulô gunù – red skinned, white kernels halay kambing – brown skinned, whiskered, white kernels halay kbahù – red skinned, small, white kernels halay kmagi – red skinned, elongated, white kernels halay kmamang – white skin and kernels, heads are scattered instead of in clusters halay nadal – yellow skinned, white kernels halay nongul – any kind of rice that is not glutinous halay óngô – very small, white kernels halay sendangan – large, yellow skinned with fuzz, brown kernels, very good for soup halay sgandal – striped skinned, long, white kernels halay swani – yellow, small, elongated skinned, white kernels halay teng – large, elongated, black skinned, white kernels halay tugom – very small, short, brown skinned, white kernels hulut asam – black and white striped skin, red kernels, very small, glutinous hulut balut – striped skinned, red kernels, glutinous kernels hulut dlong – brown, large variety, red, glutinous hulut koti – dark skinned, black, glutinous kernels hulut wak – glutinous, dark purple skin and kernels Animals domesticated by the T’boli in Klubi: dogs, cats, carabaos, cows, chickens, horses, ducks, goats and turkeys. The following are the harvesting and planting implements of the T’boli in Klubi: Alab/galab – sickle Asay – hatchet Badung – bolo with a curved, wide blade Bakbak – hammer Bangkung – work bolo Beyung – long-handled axe Blis – sharpened piece of bamboo used for harvesting corn Dadu – plow Dulis – scraper or knife used to scrape the burned hair off a pig or deer hide Dwél – prybar Egel – sharpened stick used for making holes in the ground when planting corn Ehek – dibble stick, a pointed stick used to dig holes for planting rice Ehek tefak – dibble-stick with a noise maker on the top so that it makes a clapping sound as the holes are made Éhék – sharpening stone Fala – shovel Fat dangaw – four-handspan long bolo used in bartering at weddings. Fiku – pickaxe Gbut – long work bolo, but accidentally broken off, with about one-fourth left at the base Get – handsaw Hokol – short wide-bladed bolo Hotuk – hatchet or axe of the T’boli before World War II Kadas – harrow used in field work Kbahù – small all-purpose knife used by men Kdang – type of work bolo Kleng huhed – fancy knife (bolo/kris) Klo – weeding tool Klut – saw-toothed piece of rounded metal used for scraping and grating coconut out of the shell Kongò – large bolo having a curved end Lebaha – razor blade Legadaw – sickle Legadì – file Lendasan – anvil Lenggaman – rice harvesting knife Limbas – iron file used to sharpen metal Lumak – scabbard Okol – digging stick Sanggut – hoe with a pointed blade Sokul – hoe Sudeng – kris, a dagger with a serpentine blade used for trading between chiefs and worn by the bridegroom at weddings Suk – bolo, generic Tabas – bolo with a long curved blade Tahù – blade of an abaca stripper Tefek – largest work bolo Teksì – tool (knife) used to strip abaca from the plant Tiba – bolo used for cutting tall grass Tók – bolo with a long blade Tumba – large, thin, wide sharp bolo The T’boli in Klubi uses the the phases of the moon, positions of stars and directions of sunrise, sunset, mooonrise and moonset to guide them in planting and harvesting. Awed, et al described the phases of the moon in relation to rice planting: This is specifically for the months of March s élél and April, tdanan hotuk , the months for rice planting. nengel ohu – it’s in the ground, can’t be seen. New Moon. uluk lanab – it appears just above the ocean as large as a wild pig’s tusk. New Moon. sebwól tikung – it is one handspanc above the ocean, red in appearance. lulón klembew – it appears over the tops of the mountains. nù lem léhéken – it appears halfways between earth and sky. Crescent. (Poor harvest if planted at this phase.) slafin – it appears at the highest point of the sky. First Quarter. (Excellent harvest if planted at this phase, when the moon and blotik ehek ‘star for planting’ are in direct line, one above the other). deng semf óy ón – it has just passed the sky’s highest point. stileng – it is halfway down the sky (by daylight reckoning), beginning to be large. Gibbous. (Poor harvest if planted at this phase, because the moon and the blotik ehek have passed each other). mangu – becoming larger. (Not good to plant at this phase). saif – Usually the best time for planting. Last Quarter. tngel – Full moon. kbit – still very large. sotu knifuhen – ‘first night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up. lewu knifuhen – ‘second night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up. tlu knifuhen – ‘third night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up. limu knifuhen – ‘fifth night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as kifu lóbô ‘night of the wild things’ as animals, snakes. (Good harvest only if the owners themselves do the planting). nem knifuhen – ‘sixth night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as kifu likò ‘night of being afraid’ (because the darkness is so intense). [According to Jenita Eko, it is the ‘night of being afraid’ because the T’boli believe that many bad things happen during this night, most especially ‘robbery resulting to homicide’ committed by the Ubo tribe. hitu knifuhen – ‘seventh night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as tanay ketfesen or tfes udì. (Good harvest if planted at this phase). wolu knifuhen – ‘eight night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as tfes sumy or tfes bong. (Good harvest is planted at this phase). syóm knifuhen – ‘ninth night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as yewen bong; half of the moon is seen. Third/Last Quarter. sfolò knifuhen – ‘tenth night with a (time of) darkness’ before moon comes up, known as yewen udì; only a small part of moon is seen. Crescent. sudù kdaw – Moon is no longer seen it sets the same time the sun comes up. New Moon. limu butengen mbut bulón glimun – ‘five nights until the fifth month starts (i.e. May 1, the last chance to plant rice). sélél – month of March stileng – month of July tdanan hotuk bulón – the dry season, usually from the last week of February through March, after the field has been cleared while waiting for it to be dry enough to be burned (lit. time of resting). In an interview with Eko Sulan, he shared that they should only plant banana when it’s a full moon and when the moon rises from the east. Rice and corn are planted during the full moons of March and April. Eko Sulan explained that when the moon rises from the ‘sea’ (this was explained as a metaphor for sea of mountains surrounding Klubi) or geographic west, accompanied by the star blotik éhék while it rises, is the proper time to plant rice and corn because the earth will be dry (hence no worms) and maya birds will not eat the corn and rice. The star blotik éhék literally means the ‘star of the sharpening stone’. It is a celestial marker for T’boli agriculture not unlike the star Sirius in ancient Egyptian agriculture that marks the annual flooding of the Nile River. Éhék is the stone used to sharpen knives, tok or sudeng and other implements. Whetstones or water stones are hard rocks, and according to Eko Sulan, are also very hard to find. This star’s name, marking the agricultural planting season, may also be interpreted as preparing the farming tools for the coming planting season. When this star rises together with the moon, as if riding on the moon’s back, then that month is the lunar month for March-April. Lake Sebu Municipality is a Type IV climate according to the standards and categories of the the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) which is characterized by “a more or less evenly distributed rainfall througout the year.” Climate data for a representative city, General Santos City [7] , show that the lowest recorded precipitation in a year is during the months of March and April, 1.6 and 1.9 inches respectively. Annual average precipitation is 42.2 inches, with June having the highest average precipitation at 4.8 inches. This scientific data validates the practice of planting during the dry season to avert pests that multiply during the rainy season. Another detail here: Eko Sulan added that the blotik éhék must not be flickering so much because this will also mean a bad harvest. Stellar scintillation is caused by “small-scale fluctuations in air density related to temperature gradients”[8] . This marker shared by Eko Sulan is part of the compendium of traditional knowledge on agriculture that, seen through the lenses of western, modern science, considers atmospheric conditions that are essential to a good harvest. One of the striking observations during the interviews and fieldwork in Klubi was the increasing unreliability of these astronomical markers in the agricultural practices of the T’boli. Jelly Escarlote put it succinctly: Noon, sinasabi nila, oh buwan ng Marso, buwan ng Abril, kahit hindi mo tingnan ang araw, kahit hindi mo tingnan kung saan siya magsikat o ano, basta yan na buwan, mabilang ng mga matatanda, yan ang buwan na maganda ang harvest, maganda ang lahat ng mga produkto, pero sa ngayon dahil sa pagbabago ng panahon, mahirapan na kami. Kasi hindi mo na ma-ano, hindi mo na mabibilang sa kalendaryo na ito pagmag-tanim ako ngayon, bilangin ko lang hanggang, isa, dalawa hanggang pitong araw, hindi pa yan tutubo ang mga damo, pero sa ngayon kahit ilang araw lang maya-maya uulan nanaman. So malaking epekto, nahihirapan kaming mag-timing sa pagtatanim ngayon. Kung minsan, ano na lang, sinusunod pa rin namin ang mga buwan na sinasabi ng mga matatanda na ganito, maganda ang pagtanim, pero ang problema, may deperensya talaga sa produkto tapos, sa tayo ng mga halaman. Kagaya nito (points to the corn field), ito sinunod namin ang buwan ng pagtatanim ng mais dito, pero tingnan mo, kinain ng mga uod. Kaya kita mo doon sa baba, hindi nalinisan ng mabuti, kasi kung maulan doon lalabas yung uuod. Ulan tapos mainit nanaman, biglang uulan, biglang iinit. Yun lalabas yung mga uod. (6 May 2013, 2:33pm) Erratic weather systems have been blamed by the informants for the confusions in the planting calendar. Although the stars, moon, sun and mountains are still there to tell them when to plant, the weather tells a different story. When the elders tell them that it is the right time to plant, as it is the dry season, it suddenly rains and brings with it pests that eats the newly planted corn stalks. In a Focus Group Discussion conducted on 30 March 2013 in Klubi, several of the elders answered that they will not change their planting calendar believing that the seasons will go back to normal. They shared the story of the long drought experience by the generation of Eko Sulan’s grandfather when there was no rain for months and all their crops failed. They said that eventually the rains came and the seasons ‘normalized’. This attitude may not be shared by all the farmers in Klubi, many of whom are no longer following the traditional methods of planting, but the elders are still thinking along these lines of ‘it will get better soon’. One sees in these events the dilemma of following the old, static cultural system (illustrated here as the traditional knowledge in agriculture) in the face of a very dynamic natural system, but certainly any researcher must take into consideration the capabilities of a society to adapt and undertake “actions necessary to maintain the capacity to deal with future change or perturbations to a social-ecological system without undergoing significant changes in function, structural identity, or feedbacks of that system while maintaining the option to develop” (Nelson, Adger, and Brown 2007). Indeed, ethnographies of many different indigenous groups reveal their resilience in the face of adversities, human or environmental. But here, one is reminded of the synergy of a resilient ecosystem reinforcing the resilience of the social system (and vice versa). Indigenous place-based resilience requires understanding the traditions and sustained relationships with the land. Relationships are embedded in the land. This becomes tied to the personal identity, spiritual development of people, and their overall relationships with others. Can maintenance of community relationships be part of indigenous resilience? How can this be realized when place-based traditions are already being compromised by climatic perturbations? How can this relationship to the land be guaranteed when most are already leaving the mountains for the cities? Can the T’boli of Klubi be resilient to anthropogenic climate change, compounded by other “existing challenges, including political and economic marginalization, land and resource encroachments, human rights violations and discrimination? The now unreliable blotik éhék may have a stark future as just another star against the millions twinkling in the night sky of the month of s élél. No one knows for sure, if the blotik riding the moon of a cloudless night, will still call the T’boli to prepare the okol, fiku or the tok, the sharpening stone eager in a dark corner. References: Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance. Watershed Resources Management in the Allah Valley Landscape. Koronadal City, Issue Poster no. 2 series of 2007. Awed S., Underwood L., and Van Wynen V. 2004. T’boli-English Dictionary . Manila: Summer Institute of Linguistics. Crate, S. Gone the Bull of Winter? Contemplating Climate Change’s Cultural Implications in Northeastern Siberia, Russia, In Anthropology and Climate Change, eds. Crate, S., and Nuttal, M. California: Left Coast Press. 2009. Logong D. L. 2000. Experiences and Challenges of the Indigenour People in Co-managing Forest Resources: The Lake Sebu Ancestral Domain Community Association, In Decentralization and Devolution of Forest Management in Asia and the Pacific, eds. Enters, T., Durst, P. B., and M. Victor. RECOFTC Report N. 18 and RAP Publication 2000/1. Bangkok, Thailand. Nazarea, V. The Environment in Anthropology: A Reader in Ecology, Culture and Sustainable Living, eds. Haenn, N. and Wilk, R. New York: New York University Press. 2005. Nelson, D. R., W. N. Adger, and K. Brown. 2007. Adaptation to environmental change: Contributions of a resilience framework. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 32 (11): 113. Office of the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Lake Sebu Socioeconomic Profile 2010. Simova, B., Robertson, T., and Beasley, D. 2012. Cognitive Anthropology, http://anthropology.ua.edu, retrieved August 30, 2012. Strauss, S. Global Models, Local Risks: Responding to Climate Change in the Swiss Alps, In Anthropology and Climate Change, eds. Crate, S., and Nuttal, M. California: Left Coast Press. 2009. Weatherbase. General Santos, Philippines. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=15889&cityname=General Santos-Philippines.com, retrieved on 27 May 2013. Wikipedia. Lake Sebu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Sebu, retrieved August 24, 2012. Wikipedia. Scintillation. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillation_(astronomy ), retrieved on 27 May 2013.

[1] See Gone the Bull of Winter? Contemplating Climate Change’s Cultural Implications in Northeastern Siberia, Russia. [2] See Global Models, Local Risks: Responding to Climate Change in the Swiss Alps. [3] Interview with Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator dated May 2, 2013. [4] Bobby Simova, Tara Robertson and Duke Beasley, Cognitive Anthropology, http://anthropology.ua.edu, retrieved August 30, 2012. [5] Silin Awed et. al, “T’boli-English Dictionary” as validated by Jelly Escarlote in an interview dated May 5, 2013. [6] Ibid. [7] http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=15889&cityname=General Santos-Philippines, retrieved on 27 May 2013. [8] Scintillation. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillation_(astronomy ), retrieved on 27 May 2013.

PAGPAPAKABULUHANG EKOLOHIKAL SA PAGPAPAKABULUHANG EKOLOHIKAL SA TALINGHAGA NG LEMLUNAY TALINGHAGA NG LEMLUNAY

October 10, 2012

Anthropology ,

PAGPAPAKABULUHANG EKOLOHIKAL SA May umiiral na diin patungo sa makaluntiang kamalayan at makakalikasang kalinangan TALINGHAGA NG LEMLUNAY

ecological, indigenous

nagbabawal sa plastik, paninigarilyo, o ‘di kaya’y ang mainit na pagtutunggalian (sa lebel

Study

na nagaganap sa bayan. Ito ay pinatutunayan ng mga nagsisisulputang batas na

people, lemlunay , T'boli

ng propaganda, adbokasiya, o sa lakas ng ingay) ng mga pabor at hindi pabor sa

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pagmimina. Nagsimulang umusbong noong dekada-sisenta nang magkaroon ng eskandalo sa mga nakalalasong pamatay-peste na dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane o DDT sa Estados Unidos hanggang sa nasalin ang mga argumentong ekolohikal sa iba’t ibang mapanirang pamamaraan, halimbawa sa agrikultura, pagmimina, sa mga naglalakihang pagaawan at pabrika, hanggang sa pagpapalagom ng makakalikasang agenda sa mismong pansariling pamumuhay. Pati na sa larangan ng antropolohiya ay nakapasok rin ang pamamaraang ekolohikal sa mga teorya at usaping pangkultura, na siyang nagdagdag ng bagong pananaw sa diskurso ng ‘pagkaka-kultura’ kung saan sinasabi na ang kapaligiran ang siyang nagdidikta at nagkakahon sa kung anong kultura meron ang isang tribo o kumunidad. Kaya naman napapanahon ang pag-aaral na ito, hindi lamang dahil sa nararamdamang epekto ng pagbabagong-klima (climate change) kundi pati na rin sa mga nakapanlulumong mga pang-aabuso sa mga katutubo na siyang napapagitna sa mga diskursong (o promesang) sustainable development at kaliwa’t kanang mga polisiya patungkol sa kanila o sa kanilang lupaing sakop – kadalasan ay ang huli. Hindi maikakait na dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga pakikipagbuno ng mga katutubo sa panahong ito kung kelan mabilis, panakaw at ganap ang mga pagbabago sa kanilang kultura. Nang nakalipas na linggo, nagsulat ako ng isang mala-paghuhukay sa mga naipababawang mga pagpapakahulugan (hindi malayo sa isang arkeyolohiko) sa mitolohiya ng mga T’boli, bukod tangi sa kwento ni Boi Henwu at Lawa ng Sebu. Napatotoohan natin na ang mga mito ay may nilalamang mga istrukturang panlipunan ng tribong nagmamay-ari nito. Ang mga istrukturang ito na nasa kanilang mga mitolohiya ay para bagang mga bakas ng kanilang kultura, na walang malay na napaloob dito – naglakad sila sa baybayin ng mga matalinhagang mitolohiya, at naiwan ang mga bakas na siya ring marka ng kanilang pagiging sila. Ngunit sa ganoong pagsusuri, nakakaligtaang pagtuunan ng pansin ang mga elementong labas sa lipunan, ang kapaligiran ng tribo, ang mga hindi hawak ng tao. Isang awit ng mga T’boli ang nagpaalala nito sa akin – ang awit sa paghahanap ng Lemlunay. Makikita at madarama dito ang kapaligirang ginagalawan ng mga T’boli at kung paano nila inaasam-asam ang pagbabalik sa lugar ng lemlunay . Ngunit bago tayo pumunta sa lemlunay, dumako muna tayo sa aking bayan sakay ng Bikol Express . May naalala akong ritwal na ginagawa sa amin tuwing mag-aalas diyes ng gabi sa araw ng Biyernes Santo. Tinatawag namin itong ‘soledad’ sa Bikol na hango sa salitang espanyol at nangangahulugang kalungkutan. Ang imahe ng Mahal na Birhen Dolorosa ay ipinuprusisyon sa buong bayan, sinusundan ang direksyon ng mga ‘altares’ o ang way of the cross, kasama ang grupo ng mga kababaihan na umaawit ng patangis. At bakit naman sumagi itong ritwal sa aking isip? Sapagkat sa aking mga limitasyon at kahong ginagawalan (bilang isang Bikolano na magdadalawang taon pa lamang sa Mindanao) nangangailangan ako ng mga bagay na maari kong balikan sa paghahalintulad ng mga saloobin, emosyon o mga pangyayari. Nais kong ihalintulad ang kalungkutan na madadama sa soledad sa isang awit ng mga T’boli na aking narinig sa Lake Sebu, at kahit na nga magmumukha akong tanga sa paggamit ng isang talinhagang naiiba naman sa teksto at konteksto ng mga T’boli, mainam na ibahagi ko ang aking nakaugaliang lasa at dama ng soledad sa paghahambing ng isang awit ng T’boli. Sa pagnanais ng mga pantas ng agham-pantao na mailarawan ng sapat, tapat at ganap ang ano mang lipunan o grupo ng tao, hindi pa rin maikukubli ang mga personal na damdamin, saloobin, opinyon o haka-haka sa kanilang pagsusulat. At ganito marahil ang aking punto: kahit gaanong pilit nating gawing objective ang pagsasanaysay, dahil gumagalaw ang manunulat-antropologo sa kanyang kinapapaloobang lipunan, ideolohiya at relihiyon, hindi mai-aalis ang mga pansariling pananaw sa kanyang mga gawa. Samakatuwid, tama si Clifford Geertz sa kaniyang sinabi na ang antropolohiya daw ay hindi isang agham, na sumusunod sa pamamaraang siyentipiko, kundi isang pag-aaral ng mga kahulugang napapaloob sa kultura gamit ang pamamaraang pagpapakahulugan (interpretation) o dagdagan natin, pamamaraan ng pagpapakabuluhan – yaong pagbibigay ng halaga, diin, lalim, lawak at bigat sa bawat elemento ng kultura. Ngunit sa isang banda, may isang pamamaraan sa pag-aaral ng agham-tao na pumilit sa pamamaraang siyentipiko. Ito yung sinuportahang Ecological Anthropology ni Leslie White, Roy Rappaport, Julian Steward, atbp. Sa teoryang ito, pinaniniwalaan at pinagaaralan kung papaano hinuhulma ng tao ang ginagalawan niyang kapaligiran at kung paano ito naka-aapekto sa kanyang buhay- panlipunan, politikal at pang-ekonomiya man. Ang pamamaraang ito ay nagtataguyod at nagsusuporta ng biological diversity o ang pagiging mayaman sa iba’t ibang uri ng hayop, halaman at ano mang may buhay, kakabit ng human diversity o ang pagiging iba’t-iba ng sangkatauhan. Magkakabit ang dalawa, ayon sa mga teyorista nito, dahil pinapakita sa mga pag-aaral ng Biology na mayaman at kinakailangan ang mga pagkakaiba’t ibang ito sa pagpapatuloy ng buhay sa ibabaw ng mundo (teorya ng ebolusyon ni Charles Darwin), ganoon din daw dapat ang sangkatauhan at ang mayamang pagkakaiba-iba ng lahi, itsura, ideolohiya, kulay ng balat, kultura, relihiyon atbp. Ang teoryang ito, samakatuwid, ang nagbalik ng siyentipikong pananaw at pamamaraan sa pag-aaral ng antropolohiya. Sa sulating ito, nais kong gamitin ang lente ng pagpapakabuluhang ekolohikal sa pagpapalalalim ng makakalikasang kamalayan ng mga T’boli sa Timog Kotabato gamit ang isa nilang awit; ito na nga ang sinasaloob sa kantang Lemlunay. Sa puntong ito nais kong isanaysay ang awit na aking nakolekta’t nasalin sa Bayan ng Lake Sebu noong nakilahok ako sa isang pagtitipon ng mga manghahabi ng ikat dito sa Asya, na ginawa sa Lake Sebu, Timog Kotabato. Sumusunod ay ang awit: Lemlunay gono setifun ne Lemlunay gono sesotu. Lemlunay gono kemulo ne Lemlunay gono setambul e se waten uni sembakung e Lemlunay tey lemobun. Kapag literal na sinalin sa Filipino ay: Ang lemlunay ay ang lugar kung saan tayo’y nagtitipon-tipon sa pagkakaisa Hinahalina ng mga tunog ng piging, sa hampas ng mga agung at tambol, Sinasalubong tayo ng mga ito sa paraisong nakukubli ng hamog. May madaramang pinaghalong sabik at tangis ang awit na ito, hindi nalalayo sa tono at salimbay ng soledad na aking naririnig tuwing Biyernes Santo. Lalo na kapag sasagi sa isip mo ang mga aninong gumagalaw sa lawa ng Sebu na napapaligiran ng mga bundok at makapal na hamog – isang imaheng tumatatak sa mapaglarong isipan. Marahil isa lamang itong haka-haka na hindi nababagay sa metodolohiya ng agham-pantao, ngunit may karampatang pagpapasatotoo ang mga imahe at fantasma na ito. Upang mas maintindihan natin ang kalagayang ekolohikal ng mga T’boli S’bu hayaan ninyo akong balangkasin muna ang heograpiya ng kanilang lupang sakop bago pumunta sa pagsusuri: Ang mga T’boli S’bu ay tradisyunal na naninirahan sa bayan ng Lake Sebu sa probinsiya ng Timog Kotabato. Mahigit-kumulang 40 kilometro ang layo mula sa Koronadal na siyang kapitolyo ng probinsya. Napapalibutan ng mga bayang ng Surallah (sa hilaga), Kiamba at Maitum (sa timog-kanluran), T’boli (silangan) at Palimbang ng Sultan Kudarat (sa kanluran). Kasama sa ikaapat na klase ng klima ang Lake Sebu kung saan umuulan sa buong taon. Malamig at maaliwalas ang Lake Sebu na di nalalayo sa klima ng Baguio sa katimugang Pilipinas. Napapalibutan ito ng mga bulubundukin ng Daguma at Talihik sa bandang silangan, Bundok ng Busa sa timog-silangan, Pitot Kalabao sa bandang gitna at Bundok Talili sa bandang silangan. Kabilang din sa kanilang sakop ang lawa ng Sebu na parte ng Allah Valley Watershed na lumalagos sa ilog ng Pulangi patungo sa Look ng Illana sa Lungsod ng Kotabato. Tumungo tayo ngayon sa pagsusuri ng nasabing awit. Hindi maikakaila na ang paksa ng maikling awit na ito ay ang lemlunay. Ngunit ano ang lemlunay? Maraming maghahambing dito sa paraiso ng mga Kristiyano, ngunit hindi naaayon ang paghahambing na ito sa layunin nating buo at tapat na pagpapakahulugan. Kulang at ‘di sapat ang ‘paraiso’ na siyang nasa isipan nating kanluranin at saklaw ng Kristiyanong pag-iisip – wala itong bahid ng anumang konsepto ng kasalanan na katulad ng sa Henesis kung saan pinaalis ng Dios sina Adan at Eba mula sa paraiso ng Eden. Ito ay magkasabay na lugar at hindi lugar. Hitik na hitik ito sa kahulugan. Masasabi natin na ito ay isang ‘hindi-lugar’ o kaya’y talinghaga na napapaloob din sa epiko ng Tudbulol, kung saan pumunta ang kanilang kapita-pitagang bayani na si Tudbulol nang ito ay mamatay (hindi nalalayo sa langit) na nagpapakita na ang lemlunay ay napapaloob sa teritoryo ng mito at mga kwento ngunit sa isang dako ay isa ring lugar na hinahangad ng mga T’boli sa kanila mismong bayan, kung saan walang mahirap, walang nagugutom, walang gulo, walang sakit, walang pagnanais dahil ang lahat ng nais ay natatamo o kaya’y natamo na. Ang lemlunay samakatuwid ay talinghaga para sa buong kalupaang-sakop ng mga T’boli na hindi lamang nakakahon (kung ito man ang tamang metapora) sa dimension ng mga mito kundi sa kanila mismong ginagalawang kumunidad kasama ang mga bulubundukin nito, mga ilog, lawa, kakahuyan at mga sapa. Itong pagiisa ng dalawang konsepto ng lemlunay –ang lugar na lugar at ang hindi-lugar o ‘talinghaga’– sa lupaing-sakop ng mga T’boli ay maaaring sintomas ng pagtakas (escapism) mula sa mga hindi kanais-nais patungo sa inaasam-asam. Pagtakas kaya mula saan o ano? Hindi maikakaila ang ganda at yamang-likas na sakop ng mga T’boli. At marami nang nagpatotoo sa sinasabing sumpang dala ng mga likas yaman. Pinasok ang kanilang lupang-sakop ng mga taong may dala ng mga ideolohiyang banyaga na nagpunla ng mga bagong konsepto ng pagmamay-ari, pangangahoy, pagsasaka, pananalapi, relihiyon atbp. Sa pagpasok na ito, masasabi nating may nangyaring paghahalo ng mga kultura, may nangibabaw at may nagharing kultura. Ngunit hindi lubusan na naglalaho ang mga elemento ng kultura ng isang tribo o kumunidad, nagbabalat-kayo ang mga ito, nag-iibang itsura at pangalan o sa teoriya ng kultura ay diffusionism. Makikita natin ngayon ito sa pag-iba ng pananamit, lenggwahe at relihiyon ng mga T’boli. May paghahalo na naganap. Pinasok rin ang kanilang lupang-sakop ng mga ‘taga-labas’ na namuhunan sa mga naglalakihang palaisdaan ng tilapia sa lawa ng Sebu, mga mangangahoy at pati na rin ng mga maliliit na nagmimina sa kanilang mga sakop na bundok. Hindi nagtagal ay nakalbo ang mga kabundukan, lumaki ang posibiliad ng pagtagas at pagguho ng lupa na nagdadala ng putik at mga pamatay-peste sa katubigan. Pati na rin ang lawa ay nangibang-anyo. Punong-puno na ito ng mga kulungan ng isda at ang mga endemikong isda ay kinain na rin ng mga mas naglalakihang tilapia hanggang sa ito ay mas mahirap nang mahanap ngayon. Ibang-iba na ang lemlunay. Ito marahil ang katuwiran sa kanilang ‘pagtakas’. Ito marahil ang nadaramang kalungkutan ng mga mang-aawit ng lemlunay at ang pagnanasa na makabalik, kahit man lang sa talinghaga at imahe ng mitolohiya, sa lemlunay ni Tudbulol kung saan may piging at ang mga tunog ng tambol at agung ay muling naririninig na umaalingawngaw sa mga bundok. Maganda ang imahe ng hamog sa awit. Isa rin itong talinghagang nagpapahiwatig na natatago ang inaasam-asam na lemlunay ng hamog – marahil ng kamangmangan, kahirapan, pagpapawalang-bahala, kasakiman o papapawalang-kabuluhan sa mga mito at sa kalagayan ng kanilang ginagalawang kapaligiran. Sa ritwal ng soledad sa aking bayan, sinusundan ng mga kababaihan ang mga dinaanang paghihirap ni Hesus patungo sa Kalbaryo. Binabalikan ang bawat kaganapang puno ng sakit at pighati. Ngunit alam ko na ang paggunita ay mayroon ding kakambal na paghilom. Ganito rin marahil ang nadarama ng mga mang-aawit ng lemlunay. Sa paggunita ng mala-paraisong lemlunay at habang napapaligiran ng nagbabagong bayan ng Lake Sebu, ay hinihilom ang mga sugat sa memorya at inuudyok ang sino mang tagapakanig o marahil siya na mismo, na hawiin ang hamog na bumabalakid tungo sa natatagong lemlunay – tungo sa lugar na lugar, ang mayamang-likas na kanilang sakop, at sa bayan ng mga talinghaga.

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