This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 17, June 5-11, 2005
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S WATCH
Cordillera’s Woman Peace Pact Holder
Nanang (mother) Irene Baawa, 64, not only makes a mean native coffee but also
serves as the de facto peace pact holder of an Abra tribe.
Arthur L. Allad-iw
Malibcong, Abra --
Nanang
(mother) Irene Baawa, 64, wakes up early in the morning. She boils native coffee
in their dalikan (native stove). The aroma of the coffee fills the air,
helping set one’s mood for the day. The native coffee in the
upland Bangilo district of this town is among its notable products. Doing away
with sugar and coffee creamer would make one appreciate its native taste. For
some, it is almost addictive. Buanao is one of the three
villages of Bangilo. It has at least 70 households with a population of no less
than 300 persons. It can be reached through a six-hour jeepney ride along rugged
mountain roads. Indigenous socio-political systems are well and alive in Buanao.
Among its existing systems is the bodong or peace pact. “We have in fact at least
27 bodong by Buanao with nearby tribes,” claims Nanang Irene. Woman peace pact holder Nanang Irene’s husband is
Lakay (elder) Emeterio Baawa, 73. Husband and wife have four children –
three boys and a girl – who are all married now, including the daughter who is
married to a foreigner in the Middle East. Lakay Baawa’s hearing is
impaired, explained Nanang Irene. This makes the husband shy in joining
discussions with their visitors like the reporters that the community hosted
during the Cordillera Day celebration last April. Because of Lakay Baawa’s
limitations, his role as a peace pact holder is sometimes carried out by Nanang
Irene. She says the peace pact is not only focused on men, who traditionally
serve as peace pact holders, but to the entire family, especially the spouses.
Thus, she said, women need to take on such bigger roles to maintain and
strengthen their bodong. Bodong with a Kalinga
tribe Nanang Irene said that the
Buanaos’ peace pact with the Butbut tribe of Kalinga started sometime after
World War II. It was, however, in 1957 that Lakay Baawa’s father performed the
galigad, a process of transferring the bodong to Lakay Baawa. Galigad
is traditionally performed when the peace pact holder dies or is unable to
perform his functions as such. Since the 1957 galigad,
the Butbut-Buanao bodong has never been severed. To strengthen and keep it
active, Buanao villagers celebrated a dolnat (literally to warm up) to
renew their bodong, said Nanang Irene. She remembers that in
February 1998, another galigad took place, this time in the Butbut tribe.
Malindo Daligdig, the
counterpart of Lakay Baawa from the Butbut tribe, transferred the peace pact to
a family member. The event happened in Anonang, Tabuk, Kalinga where some of the
Butbut tribe members have settled. “It shows that the
bodong covers every member of the tribe, from those in their ancestral
homeland to those outside, wherever they are,” said Nanang Irene. Bodong’s strength
During the journalists’
second night at Nanang Irene’s home, they witnessed how strong the bodong
was with the Butbut tribe. Delegates from the Butbut tribe came to her house,
after she invited them and offered the comforts of her house. Once your kabodong
is in your territory, Nanang Irene said, they are accorded protection. If
anything happens to them, it is the responsibility of the host community.
Before departing from the
area, Lakay Banag Sinumlag of the Butbut tribe based in Tabuk bade Nanang Irene
goodbye as their kabodong. The entire incident
illustrated the dynamics of the bodong system, proving that it is
a practice that endures, more effective and dominant than the local governance
system. It was also instructive
with regards the role of women in this system, especially the wife of a peace
pact holder who acts as the de facto peace pact holder. Nanang Irene would
always be remembered, both for her native coffee and role as a peace pact
holder. Nordis / Posted by Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat