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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ibaloi group seeks heritage revival
By Jane Cadalig
BAGUIO CITY -- The waning culture of one of the original settlers in the Cordillera region has challenged older generations of the Ibaloi tribe to work for the revival of their heritage.
Members of the Maksil ni Ibaloi (Makniba), a group of individuals working for the preservation of the Ibaloi culture, is eyeing to put up a school where the Ibaloi's native tongue will be spoken and its culture taught.
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The group said putting up an Ibaloi Academy would call for younger Ibaloi generations to learn and re-learn their history, culture, and dialect. The tribe's dialect is reportedly diminishing due to the influence of other languages.
Makniba coordinator Myrna Sison said migrants had strongly influenced the indigenous peoples, including the Ibaloi's use of their native tongue.
Sandy Calado, a Makniba member, said more members of the tribe are no longer speaking their dialect. He feared that the dialect would vanish in 10 to 20 years.
"When you are at Session Road, seldom do you hear Ibalois in their native tongue, unlike the other tribes," he said.
Sison, meanwhile, dismissed the general perception that Ibalois are shy people.
"We are not shy, the perception only came about because of the term 'shiyay,' an Ibaloi word which means 'here'," Sison said.
She said other people have coined the phrase "shiyay ak" to mean I am shy, which is not right, as it actually means "I am here or here."
"Ibalois are not shy, it only happens that other tribes are aggressive," she added.
March Fianza, an Ibaloi from Baguio, shared Sison's explanation. He said timidity is not only for Ibalois, but also for the Benguet people, in general.
He said the Ibalois, when offered seats during gatherings, would always prefer to stay at the back seats and say "shiyay ak" or "I'll stay here" so the VIPs (very important persons) present in an occasion would occupy the front seats.
Fianza said this is a sign of respect for the dignitaries in a gathering.
"That's when the Ibalois were said to be shy. But this gesture is also true to other tribes in Benguet. For the Kankanaey's, they would say 'Isna ak,' meaning 'I'll stay here,' and stay at the back, to give way for the dignitaries in the front seat," he said.
Fianza, a renowned linguist and member of the Makniba, said the diminution is not only true to the Ibaloi dialect but also to the other Philippine dialects, assailing "government's heartlessness in nurturing the native dialects except Tagalog."
He, however, disagree that the tribe's dialect is waning. "When you hear Ibalois not speaking their dialect, it is because they may be talking with people who speak language other than Ibaloi. But when you are in the Ibaloi speaking areas, people speak the dialect," he said.
Among the Ibaloi speaking towns in Benguet include Kabayan, Atok, Bokod, Itogon, Tublay, Tuba, and Sablan.
Makniba Baguio-Benguet group, which was organized in 2002, also initiated the tracing of Ibaloi people in Mindanao, particularly in Kidapawan City, Libertad and Digos City. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (June 11, 2008 issue)
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