The Ibaloy Heritage Garden: A Lifeline for Indigenous Culture and Values in Baguio City

By Jacqueline Cariño, Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP) At the heart of Baguio City is a remaining not-so-green space located between the Baguio Orchidarium and the Children’s Park. You enter through a side street beside the Rose Garden where the bicycles-for-hire are found, until you reach a wide-open grassland, with a small thatched-roof structure by the side and a …

Learning about our Ba-ëng is FUN!

An effort to keep alive the ancient Ibaloy practice of growing food near the home has taken off in Baguio City. On October 28, 2021, a learning module to teach this Ibaloy practice to children and youth was tested. Activities included ba-ëng tour, artwork, storytelling and actual hands-on practice using the tools and working in the garden. Participants and trainers …

The Gabi Plant – Welcome to our Ba-ëng

“Gabi is required for the Ibaloy rituals. It is among the essential offerings when we invite the unseen spirits to join the ritual feast. The entire gabi plant, from the root to the stem to the leaves, is eaten and much valued by the Ibaloys”. “Aside from rituals, these plants are also important in our everyday life, providing nourishment for …

Coffee: From Bean To Brew – Welcome to our Ba-ëng

The traditional process that goes into making a cup of coffee ☕️ “Coffee is easy to grow and does not choose where it will grow. It will even grow well under the shade of pine trees. We just let them be, and they will survive and grow well. Even when young, around five to six years old, they will will …

New Project: Aquaponics as alternative livelihood for the small scale miners of Benguet

By Ana Kinja Tauli Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP), with financial support from the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is launching a new development project to construct and establish an aquaponics farm as alternative livelihood for displaced small scale miners. The MoU for the project was signed by PIKP Secretary of the Board Maria Elena Regpala and Czech …

DADDAD-AT ËD ITOGON: THE BOOK IS OUT!

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 …

On Cordillera Traditional Food

By Judy Cariño (This speech was delivered on November 17, 2018 at Teatro Amianan, UP Baguio as part of the Talastasan Lecture Series, UP Baguio’s contribution to the UNESCO Creative Baguio Initiative.) Are the people of the Cordillera carnivorous? Many of us believe so, because often, our exposure to traditional food is during traditional feasts, weddings, rituals, where meat, lots …

Food Trip to Conner, Apayao

By sixto talastas 6 pm was our scheduled departure from Baguio going to Conner, Apayao on the Monday night of October 15, 2018. Two from our team had already been to Apayao before – Len and Anne. Only the three of us, me, Kinja and Exodus, had not been to Apayao yet. And so, after an hour or so of …

Keeping our food traditions alive

by Alma Sinumlag BAGUIO CITY – As a result of the series of food workshops, sharing, and interviews around the Cordillera, the Philippine Task Force for Indigenous Peoples Rights (TFIP) and the Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP) is now ready to share the food wisdom of the Igorots to the public especially to the youth. TFIP and PIKP gave …