DANTE SINHAYAN Lumad

ante Sinhayan is a 34-year old emerging tribal leader Din the uplands of Bukidnon in Mindanao, married, with a two-year old daughter. Th e interview is interesting in that Dante narrated his story echoing the traditional form of a datu introducing himself as he entered a village, “tungkod” or staff in hand. Starting with his parents, every event in his life was well-accounted for in his memory.

“My father is from Kalabugaw and my mother is from Bulunay and when they got married they settled in Kalabugaw, where I was born in 1973. My father was a farmer. We moved to Bulunay when I was still young, where I grew up and went to school from Grade 1 to 3. I went back to Kalabugaw to continue my elementary schooling from Grade 4 to 6. Nobody could support me in high school, so I searched for a sponsor. I went to Kabanglasan and met Father Leoni, who sponsored me up to my third year in college when he died. Father Matt took over until I fi nished college. Upon my graduation, I went back to my village.”

“Th ere I saw the many changes in the forest. Th ere were a lot of denuded areas, and we were still gathering many of the forest products we were using: rattan, medicines, timber for housing, and timber that we were selling to the Dumagat. Th e hunting grounds of my parents, my

grandparents changed. Nobody told me why these forest Forests as Lumad identity 12 Forest Faces Forests as Lumad identity a Lumadgoaswell.” being our will so gone, is forest the once Lumad, as for lost, be not must forest the for caring continue to aspirations “Our go and saying to ourselves it is already damaged anyway. damaged sayingandourselves already to is Weit go theforestrevisit toand back go “But not did think aboutpeople reconstructing what We was damaged. are letting the forest at the moment that the isalso future.” We theroad? ourdo rituals inthe water, but water what is see This I from comes the forest! of middle the in rituals, our do we will where gone, is forest thecontinuously. forestif And have the abandoned ritual areas, because these are the sacred whereplaces we can care for the not should I realize I now But beliefs. traditionalmy fromaway turned I and good not are rituals that taught was I area. our in religion dominant the was this and Baptist a baptized was Baptist I the us that preachersevil. participatingtold who came “Then acts ritual was in forest-basedcarrying food.” people now see I do Seldom forest. thein resourcesthethat of collect we scarcity the seeing also am I bulldozed. and removed totally was area ritual Pugawan Bulunay,theIn places. were no efforts to revive the forest, the especially ritual areas, the huntinggrounds, the sacred There established. not destroyedwas whatwas of importance the minds, our in register not did impact the But destruction. the caused clearly logging myself, for and people the “For logging.” of entry the by caused significantly were village my of forest the in changes The discussed. themtothey butheardlistened I fromI theas eldersas that place seeing, was took I changes surprised that the kids were not Badjao and came they from Claveria, in the uplands near my was I small! too was thatit replied kids the and peso threwone I coins. the get waterto the them migrate to different areas in thecountry.) Coins were thrown at them anddive they in country. the in Manyregion poorest of the in live they and sea-based culture is Badjao (The kids in the water near the docking area, for begging money from passengers and other visitors. thereand werearriving, Badjaowas who someone fetchto port “Onetimewent I the city to a Lumad means italso taking in itself as isagreat challenge care ofthe forest.” mixes me up in how ItI think. is natural that a Lumad cannot survive in the city. Thus,being the forest, it is andcool I hear the sounds of differentbirds. The changesmake meIn reflect and hot. too is It buildings. big seeing city the in different feel I forest, the Without forest. the without live cannot I forest. the without live not will we forest, the for less care we “If rituals only. for discouraging us.” is How This dowe live? in the city. If the forest we lose is whatgone, Lumad. as we call We may still Lumad, be but in are we when differentiate forests feel identities. The real we ourwhat of one is forestthe but Lumad,a being Weof well. proud as be still Lumadcan go a being our will so gone, is forest the once Lumad, as for lost, be not must forest the for caring continue to aspirations Our minds and hearts. My hope is that this continues and people’s will in not slowly stopgrowing is when care these this thatoutsiders true is leave. it indeed And forest. the for again care to “I talked with a member of our village council and the entry of this program is allowing people what isthis watershed. Thus, care for slowly.”the forestgrowing is again, forest’s importance. The forestgets discussed and the howwatershed; important is the forest, we now hear, and the lowlanders are slowly sowing, starting, reinstating in us the feeling of the Watershedphrase a is managementvillage. awakeningmy slowly are enteringBulunaywho “Asthere timearegrown-up, groupspassed, a has Andas bywhat place. saddened am I took and the forest sothat gathered in be the could future. more food In cared!” nobody short, places, sacred the village, the for caring to back go not did People bulldozing. the in helped no negotiations took place. Owners were employed by the companies logging as workers and caring less. Our adupahan was bulldozed and the owners did not resist or ask for payments, as contributed people and us to farmsdiscouraged of bulldozing the and logging of entry “The nextdiscussed isnot generationin This see. my village.” could process or cut trees and establish farms, not to revive the ritual areas and sacred places that our of theforest.” is a great challenge as it also means taking care itself in Lumad a being Thus, city. the in survive in how I think. It is natural that a Lumad cannot The changes make me reflect and mixes me up it is cool and I hear the sounds of different birds. forest, the In hot. too is It buildings. big seeing city the in different feel I forest, the “Without

13 Forest Faces Forests as Lumad identity 14 Forest Faces Forests as Lumad identity And often we cannot defend and prevent the difficulties that will that difficulties the prevent and defend cannot we often And polluted, and the Lumad is will water be the affected first beforeeroded, is the lowlanders. forest the If first. affected gets Lumad the in the frontline in are we and caringtheforesttheresourcesdestroyed,forand therein. If gets it forest, the is life Lumad’s “The Inthis? the city, can they buy water, but the Lumad cannot.” area howdiscussed, gets to care,it is, andhow what good if we lose how waterdiscussing emerges, then the forest discussed. Thengets theBy whole often. not although forest, discuss we it, with and and ancestral the Lumad domain discussions. to Everyday, every minute, inseparable we use also is water water of importance “The forest their as If life. the forest islost, the more the Lumad islost.” Lumad’sthe of goodness the appreciation,view,of experience and the is expressed I What well. explained well, defined be to needs be limited. The lowland appreciation of the splendor of the Lumad a Lumad. If I were not a Lumad, my appreciation of the forest will Even if food is scarce, the forest brings one to reflect andconnect as not the same, if people understand what is ancestralcalled domain. is it over, but left something be may There vanishes. also domain ancestral as about talking keeps Lumad the what then vanishes, forest the if and protection, forest ensures also domain Ancestral and ensures that Lumad who went to thehas a toplace city return. domain ancestral our marks forest The domain. ancestral call we The identityland is ofgone? the Lumadasperson a is tied to what But returntheirwhereto they theorigin. will theforestif gone, is live for some time, but they will not survive for long and will return is whythat I realized if the “This Lumad put is in city,the can they toable adapt, but most are unable to sustain themselves.” are Some cannotcope. they as wenthome some but many before, were they me told He easy. is money as city the in better is it me not grow without fertilizer, and they do not have fertilizer. He told will grow, crops not will things place, their in difficult was it that place. I asked them why they are in the city. One of the kids told me respond to these damaging events where we do not care for the forest our that’s damaging and be will So lives. for it!” care not do we where events damaging these to to respond knowledge the have not does Lumad the But affected. most as now, be have will Lumad the forest, we the in place whatevertakes destruction whatever for care to challenged is “Everyone to the elders and to the children.” on passed be to need realities these and extraction,timber places, sacred Wediscuss discussed. be to need still these but focus, lack discussed topics the Sometimes people. for things good to leads forest the of Takingcare survive. not will we forest, the in settle care is based on real events for us, the Lumad, because if we will not Forestassumptions.apprehensions and on based not is and game a not is I forest the for caring that Council. meetings, Tribalthese during express, the children, the community, the with talk and work my with forest the of care this relatingcontinue will “I monthsa few hecannot because survive.” the of thestory Lumadrelated who tried selling bread, but who returned afterI survive. not will we but valley, the down go always Lumad The can us. withstart to thatought theseandforest the of the for school children, the particularly the Lumad, on the in different ways to inputstake care gave I occasions, of number a “On claiming ours.” we land be will notbe will as which causeanotherproblem will which anothervillage, in re-settled get Wevalley.the down mayassistance seeking in skills minimal have we and water, the damage also landslides Severe experienced. be

15 Forest Faces Forests as Lumad identity 16 Forest Faces and faces washed over. washed and faces scenes forest, the of story untold another but is This elsewhere. subsistence find and leave to had relatives his of front in traditionalritual of place sacred a in killed was leader tribal a time, and path same them interview to Inseeking in. caught get who are insurgents often sadness are too places these much in and services is there forest, that the in Traveling children and grandchildren, who then with all their government cannot reach the poor for basic basic for poor the reach cannot government Traditional ritualplaceoftheLumadsBendum part of part the faceless and poor the violence they murdered, along the along

O to Bendum. moved family whole theBendum, in married got daughters his of one When Pulangi. aft in back Mahan-aw to moved time some er Barangay to and Maasam, moved to moved he family, he a had he married,When Caburacanan. got he when and with parents, River his Tigpaniki the around lived he years, younger his In readily and present during pahina (communal labor). activities community in actively participates group Th periods. croppingduring family moving kepte Ampohon who traditionalPulangiyen typical community’sa the was Heritualist. the do could who elders few the of one his family. Amay group in Gangga was a source of traditional knowledge and family organized most mobilize Gangga’sAmayto ability to attributed mainly Bendum, the is family e Ampohon Th Bendum Tribal Council representing the Ampohon group. family people. Amay Gangga was around 70 years old and a member of the his of site sacred Pinamangkulan-Pulangithea Rivers,junctionof in whothesomeone joined traveling group. He was crossing at the id mns sm o hs hlrn n gadhlrn by grandchildren, and children his of some amongst died and shot was AmayMayGangga 2007, 16 morning of the n AMAY GANGGA or MAN GANGGA GANGGA orAMAY MAN GANGGA (aka BERNABE AMPOHON) BERNABE (aka (war dance). He was He dance). (war saut Tribal Leader

The loss of cultural identity 18 Forest Faces The loss of cultural identity He wasthecommunity’sritualist. dance). (war saut the do can who elders few the of one Amay Gangga was a source of traditional knowledge and Amay Ganggaperformsatraditionalritualincommunityactivity s rgetd n ae hmevs ekn nw oe and homes new seeking themselves are communities. and fragmented is generations of family entire the when especially difficult, be will justice Seeking time. long a family for inconsolable Ampohonremain perhaps the will of grief the and stilled been has life a But many versions ofthe truth ofwhat happened. are there perhaps and complex are community the upon tragedy and homicide a as simply motivations viewed The that reasons this brought outmigration and case. be cannot time same the at This loss of ahighly respected elder andhis entirefamily’s departure each ofthe communities new and groups. in belong to and acceptance for struggle to have now they where differentplaces in settled and separatedmembers Bendum,family by the community, the entire Ampohon family group moved internalout of an by abandoned externalcommunity Feeling and the arms. triggered in conflict was incident the that suspicions were there as community, the of members other and family aggrieved the amongst tension createdand the entire death Gangga’s group Amay family community. his affected the elder of death The