In a ritual called “betad”, the elders of Tuding led by Apo Kagawad Danilo Palangdan called on the Supreme Creator, the ancestral spirits and the nature spirits to give their blessings to their efforts to keep alive the wisdom of the ancestors. After butchering a chicken, the bile was read and the good news was delivered that yes, the spirits fully give their blessings, that the participants will be kept safe from harm, and their efforts will be fruitful.
This ritual set the tone for the successful conduct of a training for the teachers of Alejo M. Pacalso Memorial National High School last April 25-27, 2018. The training focused on research and documentation of indigenous knowledge, which equiped the teachers with the skills to document the local culture and to write stories to transmit the wisdom to the high school students. This is in line with the thrust of Dep Ed to provide indigenous learners with a basic education that is culturally rooted and responsive.
Together with the Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples (TFIP) and the Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP), the teachers of AMPMNHS have started the process to publish of a storybook that shall serve as learning material for Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED). The book is expected to be released in February 2019.
Last May 7, 2018, Principal Pablo A. Khayog, Jr, and TFIP Executive Director Jill Cariño signed a Memorandum of Understanding affirming their commitment to their colllaboration to keep alive indigenous wisdom in Bua, Tuding, Itogon
Apo Kagawad Danilo Palangdan leads the betad ritual in Alejo M. Pacalso Memorial National High School, April 25, 2018
AMPMNHS Principal Pablo A. Khayog and TFIP Director Jill Carino sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Keeping Alive the Wisdom of the Indigenous Peoples May 7, 2018