Field trip to Bukidnon

Bukidnon is a province in the heart of Mindanao. I went to a Talaandig community, one of the Indigenous Peoples here in Mindanao - also called Lumad. From Davao City I travelled around 6 hours to their place. Datu Victorino Saway (the term Datu refers to a community leader) and his wife Bai Liza were hosting me, I could stay at their school for livelihood and tradition. I actually enjoy being close to nature but that place was really really cold! I slept with 4 shirts, 2 blankets and a sleeping bag, not to mention the cold shower in the morning - like needles on your skin. 

Luckily it was sunny these days and my first day started with a welcoming ritual which

 was thought to get a permission from their spirits for my stay. Some women and children dressed in their traditional costume gathered around a white cloth with a plate of betelnuts and 8 Peso coins (standing for the Datu's in that region). I was sitting infront of Bai Liza and the elderly women started praying to the spirits in their own language "Binukid".

 After the prayers the children (Kindergarten age) started singing songs and practicing traditional dances. Maybe after more than an hour the ritual went on: a chicken I brought was killed and sacrificed to the gods.

 I enjoyed playing with the kids and watched how they learn the customs of their culture by playing and participating. I just stayed for 4 days in all, I went to their fields, visited some houses and met several community members. One morning I woke up early to watch the sunrise from a bamboo house. Waway, who just finished building it, acompanied me, we chatted and drank native coffee and than he played some music on his self made instruments..

Most of the "batan-on" (youth) are artists and musicians. That is also a main source of income for them by selling paintings, hand made instruments and necklesses. Because their place is really a rural and forest area plus they are

 practicing a very different culture you could think modern technology doesn't fit there. But in fact, I wasn't surprised to find laptops, digital cameras, big music boxes and a stereo - of course cell phones (you can even find internet connection there), but no TVs. Actually, not only Datu Vic and his wife Liza already visited many places outside of the Philippines, also the batan-on are traveling all around the world. Most of the kids can study in nearby cities like Cagayan de Oro or even in Manila. 

Unfortunately this certain community doesn't represent the live of other Lumads. The place of the Talaandig is luckily inside a national park which makes it a preserved area and their land is somehow secured. But in fact many other Lumad communities have really to struggle for their land and life. 

At the end, these trip seemed to me like a very relaxing vacation with some cultural insights.