I returned to the United States on August 23, 2008. After Mindanao, I returned to Manila for a few days before embarking back to the Cordillera Mountains to participate in the Centennial Celebration of Provincial Government in Lubuagen, Kalinga. This return trip brought me full circle in my art research, my study of traditional arts, and my reconnection with a community that embraced me with joy.
I really needed to be back in the mountains that overlooked the Chico River, with nature healing me of the grief I felt over the death of Kulpna Mistry in Davao, and the despair I felt at the build-up of war in Mindanao over the failed Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF. By the time I left Mindanao, at least 160,000 families were displaced by the fighting. Even during my flight out of Manila on June 23rd, I sat behind a friend who told me of the 400 plus families displaced in his own town in North Cotabato. I am compelled to throw myself into intense fundraising. It is a small thing to help those that I feel connected to even though they are so far away.
But it is good to be home. Most things I couldn't post on this blog because I really didn't have internet access, let alone cell phone texting access in some regions...(which is completely necessary for Pilipinos--even farmers in remote areas use cell phones).
It really is good to be home and surrounded by friends and family. It's also good to know that in some regions of the Philippines, people accept me as being at home there too.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Only Notes on Mindanao
Now I am back in Davao, after a quick trip to Lake Sebu and Cotabato. Due to security issues people here only recommend traveling during the day and there are many that told me not to travel to certain places. The current peace agreement, stalled by the Supreme Court, in the ARMM- Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao area has altered the lives of many in Mindanao. Although I planned to spend much more time in both Lake Sebu and Cotabato, the reality was that I could not get a guide I trusted and knew personally to travel for over a week outside of Davao and even that- I could not travel at all while grieving over the death of a friend.
So how has this experience in Mindanao been?
I am experiencing the recovery of a friend in Davao Doctors Hospital, the death of another on Monday in Davao, whose memorial service will take place on Saturday in Sunnyvale, California, the fear of different tribes of the others, the anger of datus over the inclusion of ancestral domain in the proposed MILF peace agreements, the anger of a Bangsamoro Princess over the stalled negotiations by the Supreme Court, the generosity and kindness displayed by this Princess towards us, the frustration of IPs who cannot pay for their children's education, the compassion and unlimited giving of the Katribu artist collective, the joyous appreciation of musicality within a Maguindanaoan family, the gratitude of T'bolis for friendship, the creativity and exquisite compositional skills of one young photographer-Blue, the caring of a family for each other, the simple pleasure of a conversation at Ponce Suites with Kublai, the prayers of a special priest who inspires many and who many have a crush on, the privilege of being an American with money, the warmth of friends holding each up other in the midst of grief, the joy of musicians challenging each other-whether a T'boli love chant (1 is enough, but 4?) or Maguindanaoan agong contest, the peace one feels when sitting in People's Park, the fear one feels when military jumps on your bus or passing through the checkpoints, the sparkle in a weavers eye over recognition that you like her work, the laughter over a good joke or sometimes very bad ones, the comraderie of teachers, the embrace from a dance or music teacher you haven't seen for two years, the smile of an elder, the cry of a child, the friendship of college-age Lumads (Indigenous Peoples)...
Where does one start to even write about this?
So how has this experience in Mindanao been?
I am experiencing the recovery of a friend in Davao Doctors Hospital, the death of another on Monday in Davao, whose memorial service will take place on Saturday in Sunnyvale, California, the fear of different tribes of the others, the anger of datus over the inclusion of ancestral domain in the proposed MILF peace agreements, the anger of a Bangsamoro Princess over the stalled negotiations by the Supreme Court, the generosity and kindness displayed by this Princess towards us, the frustration of IPs who cannot pay for their children's education, the compassion and unlimited giving of the Katribu artist collective, the joyous appreciation of musicality within a Maguindanaoan family, the gratitude of T'bolis for friendship, the creativity and exquisite compositional skills of one young photographer-Blue, the caring of a family for each other, the simple pleasure of a conversation at Ponce Suites with Kublai, the prayers of a special priest who inspires many and who many have a crush on, the privilege of being an American with money, the warmth of friends holding each up other in the midst of grief, the joy of musicians challenging each other-whether a T'boli love chant (1 is enough, but 4?) or Maguindanaoan agong contest, the peace one feels when sitting in People's Park, the fear one feels when military jumps on your bus or passing through the checkpoints, the sparkle in a weavers eye over recognition that you like her work, the laughter over a good joke or sometimes very bad ones, the comraderie of teachers, the embrace from a dance or music teacher you haven't seen for two years, the smile of an elder, the cry of a child, the friendship of college-age Lumads (Indigenous Peoples)...
Where does one start to even write about this?
Many Stops Later & Now in Davao
It has been several weeks since I last wrote in this blog. Access to internet has been very limited for me--either my travels in the provinces or frozen computers kept me from entering anything in this blog. Since I last wrote I have experienced all the emotions life holds-from the joy of newly wedded couples, to the pain and grief of losing a friend tragically. This trip has gone beyond my mere explorations of art and culture. It has been an adventure exploring the deepness of one's soul, the unity in collective effort, the power of community and the comfort of family.
After Lubuagen, Kalinga, I went to Sagada in Mountain Province. We stayed at the house of Anthropologist Villia Jefremova, who has studied the Bontoc people and has participated in Bontoc rituals for thirty years... I listened well to the stories of Ruel and Villia, and of course, learned a lot about the traditional life of the Bontoc. We had many nights of fabulous food from Villa, joined by other friends in Sagada. I visited the pottery studio and received lessons from Siegrid & Manong Jessie--feeling like a failure after watching these fabulous potter do their thing. Good times in Sagada--with Ruel, Villia, Dudes, Siegrid and others...especially the gourmet cooking of Villia!
We next visited the Banaue Museum, Batad terraces and Hapao of Ifugao Province. Joined by Lilia & Jim of Chicago, we attend the funnest wedding in Hapao--3 villages merging to celebrate the joining of a newly wedded couple-Ruel's cousins. The rice wine was very potent & I thoroughly enjoyed the tons of food, along with hundreds of villagers, as well as the traditional dances by the groom's family. We left the wedding to venture through the rice terraces to the hot springs, where two locals needed money for more gin (or maybe rice wine) to continue their partying in the fields. The hot springs was relaxing, may too much so because we had to struggle back to Ruel's brother's house across the river (Lily & I were scared of falling off the terraces). I was walking like a little old lady, shuffling my feet ever so slowly only inches apart. We enjoyed good conversation & food @ Ruel's brothers, then we had to walk up the terraces with our flashlights. Ruel had to hold my hand-I was too scared. At the top of the hill the mumbaki was having rituals, but we were too tired, so Ruel brought us back to the homestay. Advice-don't drink rice wine when walking in the terraces if you are a foreigner, like me.
In Banaue we visited weavers from the Immota family. Manong Juan did not allow me to take video of the process, being concerned with his family's source of income and also explaining that many people make videos--but not to the benefit of any weavers. I later taught a mini-art lesson in Banaue at the school of Yolanda Nagulman. The sixth graders were angels & were also very interested in the documentary photography of Ruel Bimuyag... (I forced him to show his work & although hesitant b/c he was unprepared, the children found it fascinating and enjoyed his photography of the indigenous people of the Cordillera Mt. range.
I returned to Manila to rest by staying with family, but managed to squeeze in art lessons for preschoolers, elementary &out-of-school youth at Baseco through the HOPE Foundation. The Baseco Pier is home to many poor people...maybe the poorest in Manila. I felt good doing this one small deed for these children. I hope to return again for another small lesson. I also visited Leo Castro of Sanghabi, a collective of artists that provide music & dance workshops for the community to show the diversity of the Pilipino people. He taught me about Baybayin: The Ancient Art of Reading and Writing of the Filipinos. Very cool art lesson.
Tired fingers now...I guess my next entry will be about Mindanao... the land of contrasts & for me now even the land of contrasting emotions... where I've experienced great joys, but also great pain....
After Lubuagen, Kalinga, I went to Sagada in Mountain Province. We stayed at the house of Anthropologist Villia Jefremova, who has studied the Bontoc people and has participated in Bontoc rituals for thirty years... I listened well to the stories of Ruel and Villia, and of course, learned a lot about the traditional life of the Bontoc. We had many nights of fabulous food from Villa, joined by other friends in Sagada. I visited the pottery studio and received lessons from Siegrid & Manong Jessie--feeling like a failure after watching these fabulous potter do their thing. Good times in Sagada--with Ruel, Villia, Dudes, Siegrid and others...especially the gourmet cooking of Villia!
We next visited the Banaue Museum, Batad terraces and Hapao of Ifugao Province. Joined by Lilia & Jim of Chicago, we attend the funnest wedding in Hapao--3 villages merging to celebrate the joining of a newly wedded couple-Ruel's cousins. The rice wine was very potent & I thoroughly enjoyed the tons of food, along with hundreds of villagers, as well as the traditional dances by the groom's family. We left the wedding to venture through the rice terraces to the hot springs, where two locals needed money for more gin (or maybe rice wine) to continue their partying in the fields. The hot springs was relaxing, may too much so because we had to struggle back to Ruel's brother's house across the river (Lily & I were scared of falling off the terraces). I was walking like a little old lady, shuffling my feet ever so slowly only inches apart. We enjoyed good conversation & food @ Ruel's brothers, then we had to walk up the terraces with our flashlights. Ruel had to hold my hand-I was too scared. At the top of the hill the mumbaki was having rituals, but we were too tired, so Ruel brought us back to the homestay. Advice-don't drink rice wine when walking in the terraces if you are a foreigner, like me.
In Banaue we visited weavers from the Immota family. Manong Juan did not allow me to take video of the process, being concerned with his family's source of income and also explaining that many people make videos--but not to the benefit of any weavers. I later taught a mini-art lesson in Banaue at the school of Yolanda Nagulman. The sixth graders were angels & were also very interested in the documentary photography of Ruel Bimuyag... (I forced him to show his work & although hesitant b/c he was unprepared, the children found it fascinating and enjoyed his photography of the indigenous people of the Cordillera Mt. range.
I returned to Manila to rest by staying with family, but managed to squeeze in art lessons for preschoolers, elementary &out-of-school youth at Baseco through the HOPE Foundation. The Baseco Pier is home to many poor people...maybe the poorest in Manila. I felt good doing this one small deed for these children. I hope to return again for another small lesson. I also visited Leo Castro of Sanghabi, a collective of artists that provide music & dance workshops for the community to show the diversity of the Pilipino people. He taught me about Baybayin: The Ancient Art of Reading and Writing of the Filipinos. Very cool art lesson.
Tired fingers now...I guess my next entry will be about Mindanao... the land of contrasts & for me now even the land of contrasting emotions... where I've experienced great joys, but also great pain....
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