Tribal games, a window to IP culture
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“The Indigenous Peoples (IP) know the proper stewardship of nature”, Tamayo added. However, he said that they, who are 75% of the worlds population are the ones seriously disadvantaged by the effects of Climate Change.
By ALMA B. SINUMLAG
www.nordis.net
SAGADA, Mt. Province – “The indigenous games are the window to katutubo culture that can be an answer to Climate Change,” Jeff Tamayo, executive director of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) said.
PANA SA LUPANG NINUNO. A Sagada amateur archer aims at the target with his bow and arrow in the Archery Tree Top level called “Pana sa Lupang Ninuno” during the Tribal Games launching which was part of this year’s Sagada Etag Festival. The games was initiated by KATRIBU, Peoples Center for Peace and Development, and a tour guide association in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). Photo by Alma B. Sinumlag
Going back to basics and a lifestyle overhaul could be an answer to the effects of climate change, he further said in an interview during the Sagada Etag Festival.
Change he said should not be imposed by the higher government units. Change should be from the bottom to the top. Communities, he added should strengthen themselves and initiate solutions and influence the larger community.
This he said is one of the goals of holding tribal games; to boost the confidence among the Ips, in their knowledge of traditionally tested solutions to the persisting effects of environment destruction and encourage them to suggest these solutions to the mainstream.
He stressed that these games do not have any intention to promote eco tourism.
Patronizing our own games
Tamayo said that it was only in 2009 when they started the tribal games among the Dumagat tribes with the help of the present NCIP commissioner for Region 4, 4A and 5.
This game Conchita Calzado said is also a way for “the IPs to gain confidence that was lost due to historic marginalization.”
These games have been conducted in the areas of Aetas and Dumagats and they want it popularized and patronized specially among IP groups in the whole country.
“We have been patronizing and playing foreign games for a long time. It’s high time that we play our own,” Tamayo added.
In the international level, two Aetas from Barangay Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga were able to compete in Malaysia with the IP groups in the South East Asia.
Tribal games he added is a new category in the Asian Olympics.
Reviving cultural awareness
On the other hand, Gwendolyn Gaongen of KATRIBU said, it is the first time that Tribal Games competitions are conducted in Sagada. She told this writer that when they learned about the concept, Katribu in partnership with the Peoples Center for Peace and Development and the local tourist guide associations contacted the Philippine Olympic Commission (POC).
They proposed the conduct of the said games in the municipality. It is timely, she said that the Etag Festival was near.
They then coordinated with the municipality to include the tribal games in the Festival program.
KATRIBU, she further said has a program to revive the cultural awareness among the IP youth and that they see this kind of games as a way to revive it.
She added that after the activity, they will continue to train the youth with the help of the Department of Education. She extend her gratitude to the elementary and high school institutions.
This includes: Antadao Elementary School and High School, Sagada National High School, Bumabanga Elementary School and Bugang Elementary School who sent their students to participate in these said games.
These institutions are their partners in the said program.
KATRIBU also aims to institutionalized these particular game competitions in schools of the province.
The Tribal game competitions include: Blow Pipe and Archery (Bow and Arrow). It was explained by Tamayo that Blow Pipes were used and are being used by the tribes for hunting smaller animals and the Bow and Arrow is for animals as large as deers.
These items he said were not only used during war in the olden days. For the tribes, he added, it was used as a weapon and means of livelihood.
The concept of the Bow and Arrow for the IPs according to Tamayo was not really for war thus, a bow has only one arrow used for hunting. The hunting activity itself he said has sportsmanship.
An archer should only target once and if he/she missed, then its over. The animal is given the chance to live. Among some of the Aeta and Dumagat tribes, animals that were killed by guns are not eaten.
It then boils down to the point that IPs are the ones who know how to conserve the forest that sustain their life, he further explained.
Further, in Archery, there are three stages. The first stage is called the Basic Archery or the “Gintong Pana”. Second is the Archery Tree Top or the “Pana sa Lupaing Ninuno”.
And the last one is the Assault which is also called, “Hari ng Gubat”.
The mentioned games before the Kankana-ey youth of Sagada tried were demonstrated first by the two Aetas who played in the international tribal games.
KATRIBU, Gaongen said plans to make this tribal games part of the Cordillera Day this year in Mt. Province that is why they with the help of other organizations in the province will continue training the youth in preparation for the said day. She is hoping that an international player could also hail from the Kankana-ey tribe. # nordis.net
