Pass on the Good - Mindoro
Sharing with your our visit to our Mangyan brothers and sisters a year ago in "Mina de Oro" aka Mindoro
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| Community service for the Mangyan Tribes. |
Hello everyone! We've been away for sometime, brewing a collective trip to serve an indigenous community. Now that we are back, we can't wait to share you how their stories have touched us.
For some of us urban dwellers, we hear the Mangyans being the subject of jokes about literacy and common sense as if focusing on what they may not know about makes us any more intelligent, "civilized," and ahead of them and other people groups. What we don't realize is how they, as a community, have a unique way of thinking and perceiving the world which can translate into a beautiful expression, like art.
And if we care enough to immerse in their world, we would soon discover the wealth of wisdom and ingenuity embedded in them, which ironically shows us that despite our education, there is so much more for us to learn. This is a glimpse of our experience. Encouraging the children of the Iraya Mangyans to embrace and be proud of who they are, what they can do... is one of the best ways we were able to apply our lesson.
For some of us urban dwellers, we hear the Mangyans being the subject of jokes about literacy and common sense as if focusing on what they may not know about makes us any more intelligent, "civilized," and ahead of them and other people groups. What we don't realize is how they, as a community, have a unique way of thinking and perceiving the world which can translate into a beautiful expression, like art.
And if we care enough to immerse in their world, we would soon discover the wealth of wisdom and ingenuity embedded in them, which ironically shows us that despite our education, there is so much more for us to learn. This is a glimpse of our experience. Encouraging the children of the Iraya Mangyans to embrace and be proud of who they are, what they can do... is one of the best ways we were able to apply our lesson.
Out of the eight indigenous tribes in Mindoro, the first group we were priveleged to know about are the children of the Iraya Mangyans. These are some of what we have observed: (1) as a community residing remotely, they are not accustomed to meeting new faces, even more, being served by outsiders; (2) they are naturally warm and curious but also very polite and unassuming; (3) they speak one of the dialects of the Iraya language, thus, making it a challenge for them and their teachers, who speak the mainland tongue, to arrive at a certain level of understanding. Based on these observations, we learned about the fragility of preserving their identity, as well as the thin line lying between introducing something that could possibly improve the quality of their lives and something that might change who they are.
We strive to carefully avoid causing the latter by allowing ourselves to be the one transformed by the Iraya Mangyans. It was indeed an honor to be able to connect with them. Sending our gratitude to all the people behind us who are making this pursuit possible.
We strive to carefully avoid causing the latter by allowing ourselves to be the one transformed by the Iraya Mangyans. It was indeed an honor to be able to connect with them. Sending our gratitude to all the people behind us who are making this pursuit possible.
Diyos mamajes!
"For the love of Art and Batanes"
Creative hub Batanes | 2020
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