The Doer of the Society

Probably what comes into your mind when you hear the words “indigenous people” are those people that are almost nude, having just little pieces of clothes to cover their bodies, living in secluded areas which are far from human contact and those having unique culture and tradition. But as of now, maybe it isn’t a surprise anymore seeing those tribal people wearing those same clothes like ours. For the passage of time, those people have learned how to get by with the changes in the environment. They no longer wear their traditional garments. What made them distinct though are those certain things they usually did, the way they talk and most especially, the way they look.

In Oas, Albay there is a family living near Luyung Sulung. They’ve been residents of Oas since 2009. When asked if they ever receive any help from the government, Tomas Nape, the head of the family, said that they receive help through the 4P’s program but in terms of agricultural help, they rely mostly on their very own capacity to improve their source of living through planting, selling cash crops such as bananas and gingers though they lack modern farming techniques and rely mostly to the traditional farming processes.

Although these tribal people are forced into the modern world and starting to adapt to the sudden change in the environment, they continue to struggle for their life’s basic essentials. As people, they need modern farming techniques, a quality health care and educational opportunities as well. In terms of education there are those whose age is a bit higher than his/her grade level and due to the lack of basic educational support to finance the expenses in the school, they would rather choose to work in the farm to earn something for the family.

Aside from the common problems faced by these tribal people, they also suffer from discrimination from their fellow people. They are sometimes regarded of practising sorcery. This, according to Tomas Nape, is because they live far from the town with their “kubos” having no electric lights except candles and gas-lamps. Sometimes, people from the town closed their curtains whenever they happened to peak through the windows to watch news from the television. People are avoiding them because of the rumors spreading throughout the barangay. People are also afraid of the culture of these tribal people which is called “pagmamama”. It is believed to strengthen their teeth but the result is somehow unpleasant leaving dark matters on their teeth thus, they are suspected of sorcery.

In many parts of the world, indigenous people are being mistreated. It is clear that indigenous people are being recognised but it also clear that lawful recognition does not mean that their rights, territories, resources and culture are being respected by both the government and the people around them. Private organizations, loggers and others encroach their lands and resources and will continue to find ways to acquire what is supposed to be for the tribal people.

The violence of this development have gone a long way that resulted to the poverty of those tribal groups. Jason Paiemont describes indigenous people as “among the poorest and most excluded population in the world” because they suffer from discrimination and injustices when it comes to their rights, properties and culture. But these tribal people doesn’t want to be labels as poor because of its negative and discriminating connotation. Though most of them lacks the essentialities of life, it isn’t right to deny their rights because these people are actually the doers in our society. Doers go out and help the cause by taking actions. They are those who protect the environment from destruction that some people call “development” and their stewardship role have a strong connection in maintaining biodiversity. For them protecting the environment is a human right and that includes recognizing their authority over their territorial properties and therefore, everyone should at least respect that right.