Daddad-at is a Kankana-ëy term meaning storytelling. It is a way of sharing information, catching up, or passing on knowledge and values through the telling of stories.Daddad-at is done whenever there is a chance for people to gather, share news and tell stories to find out what is happening around the community such as special occasions like weddings, wakes and rituals. Daddad-at is also done in the home, during free times, or when elders gather the children around them to tell stories of olden times. It plays an important function as a means of transmitting indigenous knowledge among members of the community.
This book Daddat-at ëd Itogon also serves the purpose of passing on indigenous knowledge and values from the elders to the youth. The book contains more than 90 selected stories on indigenous wisdom, written and put together through the collaboration of the teachers and students of Alejo M. Pacalso Memorial National High School (AMPMNHS), together with the community people of Tuding and neighboring barangays of Itogon. The stories in this book reflect the rich indigenous knowledge and practices of the people of Itogon, Benguet, which deserve to be taught and transmitted not only in our communities but also in the schools and to the wider public. The book aims to serve as a relevant reading and reference material for Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) by teachers, students, researchers and other citizens who value our indigenous wisdom and culture.
The value of indigenous wisdom cannot be overstated. Indigenous wisdom is knowledge, values and practices gained out of the experience of indigenous and local communities over the centuries. It is a product of thousands of years of collective innovation by indigenous cultures to adapt to the local environment. It was created through the years by our ancestors and transmitted orally as a gift from previous generations and a birthright of future generations.
Indigenous knowledge encompasses languages, songs, folklore, handicrafts, cultural values, agricultural practices, health practices, spirituality, natural resource management systems, and socio-political institutions. It is valuable not only to indigenous peoples, but to society as a whole. It is valuable not only to those who depend on it in their daily lives, but to modern industry and agriculture. For instance, traditional sustainable practices in agriculture and natural resource management have ensured food security for generations and even centuries.
Our indigenous culture is our identity. It is what makes us who we are and guides us as we go about our daily lives. It is what makes us unique and different; at the same time, it identifies us with our collectivities, our peoples, our communities and the region to which we belong. It has proven viable and sustainable through the years and ensured the continued survival of present and future generations.
However, as a result of the historical process of colonization and integration, indigenous knowledge, systems and practices in the Cordillera are at various levels of persistence and erosion. National government structures and laws superimposed on indigenous communities have weakened indigenous political institutions in varying degrees. Political misrepresentation has undermined traditional systems of leadership and decision-making.
On one hand, there is persistence of indigenous knowledge systems and practices, which has survived through the years since time immemorial in spite of colonization and other pressures. On the other hand is erosion due to numerous threats, both external and internal, that have increased rapidly during this era of globalization. External threats include loss of lands and territory, development aggression, imposition of new methods of agriculture, and the market economy. Intolerance and demonization by organized religion and discrimination against indigenous peoples as inferior, backward and uncivilized have added to the shame that some indigenous peoples feel about their identity. Commercialization and vulgarization of indigenous culture and mis-education through schools and mass media are continuing factors that weaken indigenous knowledge.
It is necessary to work together to protect our indigenous knowledge from these threats and to strengthen and promote our indigenous culture for the continued survival of indigenous peoples. This can be done through a people’s movement for the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights to our lands, territories, resources, indigenous culture and self-determination.
Let us not allow our indigenous culture and values to wither away and die. Let us tell our stories, dance, sing, play our instruments, perform our rituals for a rich and flourishing culture in our communities. Let us learn our indigenous culture and transmit it so that it can continue to stay alive and be practiced by our generation and the next generations. Let us use our indigenous knowledge and culture as an instrument to advance our struggles for indigenous peoples’ rights to land, life and self-determination.
We thank the more than 85 writers, narrators, researchers, translators, editors, teachers, students, elders and community people who contributed their knowledge, wisdom and stories to the book. This is your book. Let us use it to strengthen and promote indigenous knowledge.
Jill Cariño
Executive Director
Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights (TFIP)