Culture bearers from Bukidnon, Ifugao, Palawan, and Cebu will gather together this Saturday, February 3, at the Jose Joya Gallery in the University of the Philippines Cebu to lead the sharing of experiences and collaborative exploration of Kapwa values for ecosystem restoration and regeneration in an afternoon session titled “Pamati sa Kalikopan (Listening to Nature).”
Datu Migketay “Vic” Saway, who will represent the Talaandig people of Bukidnon as their chieftain, will be joined by Palawan Babaylan Janet Dolera, Ifugao Mumbaki Mamerto Tindongan, Pagdiwata Farmers of Cebu, and Living Story Landscapes and Green Releaf Sarah Queblatin.
These revered wisdom bearers from indigenous and tribal communitiess will afterwards officiate Busilak sa Kilomkilom, a solemn ceremony starting at 6 p.m. in UP Cebu’s Sunset Garden that aims to deepen the community’s connections with its ancestral and bio-cultural heritage.
The sundown ceremony aims to highlight smart and sustainable living inspired by indigenous wisdom and traditional ecological knowledge. The activity is organized by Green Releaf Initiative and Living Story Landscapes in collaboration with the Philippine Commission on Culture and the Arts (PCCA), UP Cebu College of Communication, Art, and Design (CCAD), Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts, UP Cebu University Student Council, Fine Arts Students Organization, Communicators of UP, Lanog, UP Students’ Theater Arts Guild for Education.
Pamati sa Kalikopan, on the other hand, is the first in a series of events under the umbrella of Kapwa Story Circles, described as reflective strategy retreats for ecosystem restoration and regeneration leaders. It aims to tackle ancestral earth wisdom and sacred ecology. Attendance is by invitation only.
