INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES
Dionie Chungalan
BARLIG, Mt. Province – To maximize the role of indigenous peoples mandatory representatives (IPMRs), the indigenous cultural community (ICC) or indigenous peoples (IPs) representative, aside from the powers, duties and functions listed in the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Administrative Order No. 03, s. 2018 Title II section 7, IPMRs as stakeholders and member of the council of elders should coordinate and cooperate with the Dept. of Education (DepEd) to assist schools in the province in strengthening implementation of indigenous peoples education (IPED) for the younger generation to be appreciative of their origin.
IPMRs are familiar with their community culture and enjoy acceptability from the barangay/town or tribe they represent, hence, they can help in IPED full implementation.
Our children of today, despite information and communication technology, need to be instructed of indigenous knowledge, skill and practices (IKSPs) based on ancestral domain education.
IPED learning competencies while lacking integration in centralized curriculum must have bearing to the indigenous students to comprehend and find worthwhile their benefits on social, political, economic, spiritual beliefs and even their dialects relevant to daily lives within their ancestral domain to better understand the world at large.
Before the United Nations (UN) coined the word “indigenous peoples,” a term used all over the world, we were described as non-Christian tribes, then called cultural minority to indigenous cultural communities to tribal Filipinos.
These are the effects of colonization that created two identities, that of the cultural minority who are asserting their identity and cultural majority who adapted easily the ways of the colonizers.
With the creation of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) R.A. Act 8371 (known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997), it is necessary to rectify the notion of other non-IPs that our ancestors’ traditional practices were wrongly described as paganism.
Our culture is a way of life, an outcome of human interactions that became tested experiences resulting to indigenous knowledge systems – which to the western world perspectives were considered superstitious ritualistic practices, and beliefs.
Let us implant to indigenous learners that our social customs and practices were fruits of culture deeply rooted in the philosophies and values of the community. Truly a sign of evolutionary civilization from the past to the present time.
A very tangible beginning of man’s existence merged in today’s educational system – the IPED embodied by DepEd Order No. 62, s. 2011 (Adopting the National Indigenous Peoples Education policy Frame Work) based in our 1987 Constitution.
The vision therefore is functional participation of all IPMRs either in the barangays as well as the municipalities to give importance to IPED to hasten government program of assimilation and eradicate discrimination to IPs like elders, women and youth to a just and human society where our children shall be proud to be Filipino in nation-building.
Of course, with strong cultural bond from NCIP in coordination with DepEd and Commission on Higher Education. go ahead, beat the goings inviting everybody to dance to the rhythm of its blended music to sing songs of bravery and wisdom into this competitive global village.