Celebrating the gains of the Ridge-to-Reef Young Leaders Camp Project’s first year

INTERWEAVE. The campers and facilitators spin a web of camaraderie as the camp comes to an end.

Report by Lyle Justin Egay
Photos by Jan Michael Amper

“No one taught the first musician and the first artist,” renowned Lumad musician Waway Saway said to 29 aspiring Lumad artists and musicians from various tribal communities of Maramag, Cabanglasan, and Portulin in Bukidnon. It was the last leg of the camp and Saway wanted to send off the participants with a few inspiring words and his music.

For three days, they stayed in the Talaandig ancestral territory on the cold hills of Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon, for the “Tribal Recognition Through Indigenous Bands Upliftment” or TRIBU, a three-day music, arts, and youth leadership camp.

TRIBU serves as the fourth project by the Ridge-to-Reef (R2R) Young Leaders, a volunteer group advocating for sustainable development and environmental preservation through youth leadership. Years in the making, TRIBU was made possible through the funding of the United States Embassy through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI).

Held in late November 2016, TRIBU was conducted in line with the Mindanao Week of Peace, and as a kickoff activity for the YSEALI YOUnified, an ASEAN-wide celebration of the leadership and regional collaboration.

The TRIBU camp aimed to preserve and promote the Lumad culture by allowing the campers to hone their skills in traditional music and art, develop appreciation for their identity as tribal youth, bring out their leadership potential, and finally, foster an intertribal cultural exchange.

The campers participated in house visits with local artists and musicians and got to make their own soil artwork and bamboo flutes. To inspire the campers to engage with their fellow young people, youth leaders also delivered talks on leadership and volunteerism.

The TRIBU camp culminated with a cultural night, a concert featuring tribal performances from local Talaandig youth, as well as the delegates from Fr Leoni Memorial School, Mindanao Tribal School Inc, and the Kulahi band from the Portulin Talaandig Tribal Association.

LUMAD PIONEER. Amid the tools of his trade, Lumad musician Waway Saway shares a few inspiring words to the campers. 

The Lumad way

The Talaandig ancestral territory is located at the outskirts of Lantapan, Bukidnon. Despite being a remote area, it is no stranger to visitors, as delegations from all over the world have come to the area to be immersed in the Talaandig culture, engage with its people, and help build the community.

As people come and go, Victorino “Datu Migketay” Saway, the tribal custodian, keeps a watchful eye over the area. He has long since been a champion for indigenous peoples’ rights, and the Lumads’ claim to their ancestral domains. He also spoke with the campers at length about the true meaning of indigenous culture.

To Datu Migketay, the preservation of culture transcends music and art — most importantly, it involves the preservation of the Lumad identity and territories.

Indigenous communities in Mindanao have been facing a dilemma: keeping up with the rapid rush of development while maintaining their tribal identity. The Lumad youth, who have been on the receiving end of modern educational and cultural practices, risk alienation from their own heritage.

“The young people of today are challenged by modernization or the so-called Western education. While the effect of having such education is to be able to get a good job after college, they tend to forget their tribal roots,” said TRIBU co-founder and project consultant Thieza Verdijo.

“Not being able to speak their native tongue or binukid … is an indicator of that lost culture. Not being able to dance the binanog or binakbak, play the kubing, and have knowledge of their tribe and the struggles of their ancestors are signs of lost culture,” she added.

Through TRIBU, the team hopes to spark a generation of youth leaders who will continue to fight for the environment, as well as their Lumad pride.

“The youth are the next generations. The culture will be alive because of them. If they are not given importance, everything that the parents, elders, and leaders fought for will have been for nothing,” Verdijo said.

HANDMADE. The campers try their hands at crafting their own bamboo flutes.

Leaders with a heart

“Ayaw kahadlok na makatuon ug masayop. Ang importante kay kinasing-kasingang inyong gabuhaton.” Saway’s words rang true not just for the TRIBU campers, but also for the R2R volunteers.

(Don’t be afraid to learn and to make mistakes. What’s important in what you do is that you’re doing it wholeheartedly.)

This Ridge-to-Reef Project started with a conversation among friends, which turned into a three-month youth leadership camp involving student leaders from Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro City. On its first year, the team has organized four different projects, including TRIBU.

In its thrust to preserve nature, the R2R group primarily engages with the IP youth, as their livelihood and culture are highly dependent on natural resources. The Lumad way is deeply rooted in living from nature’s bounty and conserving it, and to Xyla Gualberto, Ridge to Reef co-founder and coordinator, tribal youth leaders are needed now, more than ever.

“We believe that IPs and the environment can never be separated,” Gualberto said. “They have always been intimately linked to each other. When we say we are for the environment, we are also working for the people who protect it, for those whose lives are embedded in it.”

Aside from TRIBU and the Ridge to Reef Camp, the group has organized the first Bubble Parade in Asia, a coastal cleanup activity, and youth talks featuring youth movers.

For the R2R team, 2017 holds many more opportunities to work with IP youth and mold leaders. TRIBU was just the first step.

“R2R is still taking baby steps. We have much to learn. The team is looking forward to partner with more communities and organizations in order to co-create initiatives that are more sustainable. We will definitely conduct more camps,” Gualberto said.

“As co-founder, I envision that we push for policy change one day in order to institutionalize the development we’re working to attain.”

With the rapid pace of modernization and climate change, TRIBU is but a small step forward. However, the Ridge to Reef group hopes to learn from its first year together, and continue forming leaders with a heart. ∎