By Christine Grace Sidchogan-Fuchigami
As Indigenous peoples, we would always locate meanings of ourselves in our being as collectives. We savor avenues shared with other people, we put significance to our social spaces. In the Cordillera region at least, we are usually one as we participate in community festivals. And by now, almost all municipalities and Barangays would have celebrated their different festivals that would reflect who they are as peoples.
In most years, I would go home to attend one of our several festivals in Barlig, Mountain Province. For me, whose life has been spent in the urban area, it is my chance to rekindle with my people. When I find myself in the middle of the crowd, dancing to the beat of gongs, the sense of my identity as an eKachakran or iChangyasan is heightened. In different ways, my cultural roots are renewed, and even validated. See, I don’t speak our languages fluently. I don’t get to participate in cultural activities such as the man-manok (gathering for celebration), or even join agricultural activities that are commonly done in our ili. There is always a disconnect from who I am as an IP. But because of the community festivals, whose primary participants are the umili, we are accorded spaces to interact with who we are as IPs.
The interactions transpiring in the festivals would actually just represent the icing of the cake.
In the study of Kristerlyne S. Manao and Abileth Odangga, Bachelor of Science in Development Communication graduates of Benguet State University, results pertained to n how community festivals serve as springboard for community development. The former researcher focused on Barlig’s Fortan festival, and the latter focused on Bontoc’s Am-among festival.
Short-term economic development
Even in a short while, local entrepreneurs are accorded opportunity to gain income during the festivity. The umili narrated that the festivals provide them economic space to sell their agricultural produce and processed products such as pasiking, heirloom rice, soft broom, appong, and patupat. Homestays and local accommodations are also thriving as these cater to tourists attending the festivals.
Boost in tourism
The primary purpose of community festivals is to increase local tourism, which eventually could precipitate national tourism. In both festivals, significant increase in number of tourists has been observed.
Improvement of entrepreneurial skills
Part of preparations for the community festivals is through capacitating people involved in the socio-economic sector. As narrated by research participants, seminars on entrepreneurship are very helpful in empowering them, boosting their confidence to participate in the community festivals. Topics that are said to be very helpful are packaging their products, selling points for their products and how to communicate their products effectively.
Community cohesion
In both festivals, the umili reiterated that they are able to participate in socio-cultural activities such as playing indigenous games or meeting with their relatives from other barangays. The unity of the umili is also observed in the preparation of agro-industrial booths, cooking for the community lunch, and in post-festival activities. The finnachang or og-ogfo spirit is revived.
Cultural development
The festivals are facilitative of revitalizing and sustaining the indigenous cultures of the umili. Specifically, the festivals create avenues for them to participate in indigenous games, cultural dances, chants, and in narrating their ways of life through cultural presentations. As an effect, appreciation for indigenous culture is heightened, solidarity is revived and further built upon, community values such as respect for elders, resourcefulness, collective participation, and discipline are reinforced.
These ideal outcomes are indicative that community festivals are worth sustaining, especially for younger generations to continually appreciate who they are as indigenous peoples. And for those who resonate with me, these festivals should be sustained to validate our being part of the umili. **
