Dried and Preserved "Bunog" on a Stick from Bokod, Benguet

Dried and preserved 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗼𝗴 on a stick. This is one of the products on display by the Bokod booth during the "Panungkalan Trade Fair Expo" at the Benguet Capitol a few days ago. This was a trade fair that featured locally-made products from the 13 municipalities of Benguet.

A 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢) Spotted in Benguet

This is a 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝘏𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘢 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢). They're very common in the Cordillera region. They can grow really big thus people are often scared of them. But don't worry, they are basically harmless to humans. They have venom but not significant enough to harm a human.

Unlike other spiders, they don't spin webs to catch their prey. They use their speed. They are extremely fast runners which make them efficient hunters for prey like cockroaches and small lizards.

Dehydrated and Preserved Truffles (Buo) in Benguet

Dried and preserved "buo" on display last month during the "Panungkalan Trade Fair Expo" at the Benguet Capitol. Preservation is a great idea as the "buo" is only abundant for a few months. You have to wonder though how much the taste changes after dehydration and preservation.

The Fruits of the Rattan (Calamus manillensis) Known Locally as "Littuko"

These are the fruits of the rattan (𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴) displayed on a trade fair at the Benguet capitol. It's known locally as "littuko". It's very acidic and it's considered as one of the sourest fruits in the world.

You can eat it as is (raw). They are also commonly preserved and pickled. Some use it as a souring agent when cooking soups and stews because of its intense tartness.

The La Trinidad Valley Today and as It Was Described in the Past

Evening falls over the La Trinidad valley. It's a stark contrast to the descriptions of the valley from historical accounts by Spaniards and European travellers who saw this valley more than a hundred years ago. 

They describe a swampy valley dotted with little farms and huts by Igorots. They describe a lagoon or a lake where wild ducks and grouse play. They describe a sky that would sometimes go dark because of migratory birds. They describe a crystal-clear river where the Igorots wash their golden-brown skin. 

They describe hills with trees where the Igorots got their timber for building houses, sticks for fencing their farms, and wood for their kitchens. They describe little fires at night that seem to reach out and dance with the stars above.

Reading Resources on Igorot History and Their Historical Struggles as Indigenous Peoples

Context matters, indeed. If the admin of the Taga Lakandula page is genuinely interested in learning the context why I and many others are saying that he's wrong in telling indigenous peoples to 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 their indigenous attires in political demonstrations, here's a friendly advice for him: read more on Igorot history.

It would be great if he reads more on the issue to widen his perspective. I say this because based on his posts and responses, it's apparent that he has a black-and-white perspective on the subject. He seems to think that you can just create a line to separate the cultural from the political. As if it's as easy as separating apples from oranges. 

That is insulting given the fact that for centuries, the problems that the Igorot people have faced (and continue to face) always have political roots. Like what everyone has been saying and trying to explain to Taga Lakandula, everything is political. 

In this digital age, among the best ways to get context on issues about indigenous peoples is to read papers, documents, and books that tackle such issues. That said, I urge the admin of Taga Lakandula to read more on the history of Igorots and the political movements and social issues that shaped (and continue to shape) them as a people. 

To make it easier, I've compiled here a starting list of papers, documents, and books that are relevant to the issue. To Taga Lakandula, try reading these. I and countless other people have learned a lot from these resources. I'm sure you will as well. 

I lifted some of the resources from a list made by JD Gasmen which he posted as a comment on one of Taga Lakandula's posts. I added my own recommendations.

1) June Prill-Brett, Delfin Tolentino Jr. (Editor), "Tradition and Transformation: Studies on Cordillera Indigenous Culture"

2) William Henry Scott, "The Discovery of the Igorots: Spanish Contacts with the Pagans of the North"

3) Benedict Solang, Luchie Maranan (Editor), "Dap-ay Discourse Uno: Activist Perspective of Cordillera History and Social Change"

4) Howard T. Fry, "A History of the Mountain Province"

5) Maria Ceres Doyo, "Macli-ing Dulag: Kalinga Chief, Defender of the Cordillera" 

6) Rowena Reyes-Boquiren, "Ang mga Katutubong Lider ng Benguet sa Panahon ng Rebolusyon: Para sa Pambansang Paglaya o Lokal na Awtonomiya?," Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies 14, no. 1 (1998): 70.

 

7) William Peterson, "Performing Indigeneity in the Cordillera: Dance, Community, and Power in the Highlands of Luzon," Asian Theatre Journal 27, no. 2 (2010)

8) Titia Schippers, "Securing Land Rights through Indigenousness: A Case from the Philippine Cordillera Highlands," Asian Journal of Social Science 38, no. 2 (2010): 225.

9) Maria Nela B. Florendo, "Tracing Historical Confluences in Lowland-Cordillera Relations," The Journal of History 46, nos. 1–4 (2000).

Is It Okay to Wear an Indigenous Igorot Attire in Political Rallies, Protests, and Demonstrations?

Sabi ng admin ng Taga Lakandula na page, hindi daw nararapat na gamitin ang indigenous attire ng mga Igorot sa mga political demonstrations. He posted a photo of one of the participants in the People's SONA that was held yesterday in Baguio City. That participant was wearing an Igorot attire.

I was at that event listening and taking photos as an observer and for documentation purposes. I snapped this photo during the event.

Taga Lakandula is wrong in saying that indigenous attires have no place in political demonstrations. He has a very thin understanding of why indigenous attire is always present in mass movements especially in regions with large indigenous populations like the Cordilleras.

Taga Lakandula seems to think that you can just separate the political from the cultural. If you read on Igorot history from the first contact with the Spaniards to today, the political and the cultural are intertwined with each other. Mag-asawa ang dalawang yan. 

Yes, medyo mahirap intindihin. To really understand why this is the case, kelangan mo talaga magbasa about sa history ng Igorot struggle for independence and for their rights from the time of the Spaniards to today. Historical context is really important. 

William Henry Scott, the historian who studied the Igorots and wrote papers and books about them often highlighted the political relevance of the indigenous attires of the Igorots. 

In short, everything is political. When our Igorot ancestors fought back the Spaniards in their bahags, it was political. When Congressman Lam-en protested in Congress in the 1960s wearing his bahag, it was political. When Macliing Dulag and members of other tribes in Kalinga protested wearing their bahags against the Chico Dam, it was political. When Igorots in Baguio and Benguet wore their bahags and joined the protests last year to condemn the flood control corruption, it was political. 

In conclusion, nobody knows where Taga Lakandula got the impression that indigenous attires can't be political. Because history completely debunks his argument.