Anthropologist and indigenous peoples’ advocate Ma. Easterluna Canoy pens a short tribute in remembrance of Datu Makapukaw Adolino Saway, overall chieftain of the Kitanglad Council of Elders who passed last year. Among the accomplishments under his leadership were the publication of the cultural profiling book, “The Wisdom Keepers of Mt. Kitanglad,” and the establishment of Talama, an indigenous peoples trust fund.
Today is the first death anniversary of Datu Makapukaw Adolino Linsahay Saway (1947-2023). We remember his presence, advice, admonition, vision, and inspiration.
The ancestral domain and protected area management becomes possible thanks to his cultural leadership and governance. Thank you, Datu Makapukaw. We cherish your being and how much you influence us in KIN. You had been accommodating though many of us could not grasp and conform to the standards of being culture-sensitive and inclusive. You spoke of the rights of invisible elements of nature, the pillars of life, and the rights of indigenous children yet to be born who will benefit from protected environment and sustained cultural advocacy.
We keep telling the world, Mt. Kitanglad is a sacred ancient cathedral; it is a mosaic of sacred zones. Its forest blocks have altars where ancestors–great chieftains, visit for annual prayers. Now, business in all forms has started knocking its (open) doors, ignorant on Pangimbatasan, introducing money value, close to one’s grasp, in the near and not so distant future.
And elders armed with knowledge on sacred traditions have passed in the last 5 years, sadly knowing there are still who violate the cultural norms and traditions. Some of them died violently for their vigilant protection of cultural zones that form part of Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park.
Indigenous governance is a continuous process and legacy. It is the heart-centered governance that tribal clans and families strive for a living over green landscapes, maybe called natural parks, but is rooted to ancestral domains that the government has come to recognize by enacting the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (1997). One that was inspired by actual cultural practices, tribal legacy, and indigenous wisdom passed from one generation to another.
Ma. Easterluna Canoy is the executive director of the Kitanglad Integrated NGOs (KIN), Inc. and has been personally involved in the indigenous peoples’ cause since 1986. She earned her master’s in Anthropology from the Ateneo de Manila University.
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