INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

Finding Common Ground Amidst Diversity: The Subanen Youth Camp in Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur

admin_samdhana — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 05:39:38 +0000

Finding Common Ground Amidst Diversity: The Subanen Youth Camp in Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur admin_samdhana Wed, 01/04/2023 - 12:39

By Bing Mordeno and Sr. Ashwena Apao

The Subanens, the indigenous peoples inhabiting Western Mindanao, perceive non-Subanens, particularly the Bisaya, as land-grabbers having a superiority complex, the kind of people that need to be avoided. On the other hand, Subanens are being thought of as unclean, uncivilized, and devoid of good manners, among other negative traits.

These prejudices, along with other issues like bullying and discrimination, were tackled during the youth camp on October 7-9, 2022 attended by at least a hundred young Subanens and non-Subanens at the Midsalip Subanen Ministry Inc. (MSMI) based in Midsalip town in Zamboanga del Sur.

Inputs on climate change, biodiversity, culture and leadership were also given by MSMI partners and the parish of Midsalip. These helped the youth participants in relating the issues to their actual situations, which they portrayed through creative dramatics. All the 10 groups acted out their understanding of prejudices as well as the imperative of caring for the earth. They said the planet, humankind’s only home, is presently on fire, hence the call for all people to participate in every little way that they can.

"Psychological interventions focused on unloading emotional baggage and confronting deep-seated biases among young people are greatly needed and can happen only by chance and experience. This is happening through our youth camp, which builds bridges between Subanen and non-Subanen, builds self-confidence and a better understanding of oneself and others. It promotes peace with creation,” said Sr. Ashwena Apao, the Subanen ministry in-charge.

“Through dialogue with the tribe and other affiliations, non-IP youth’s understanding of the indigenous peoples’ lives and living that are connected to the environment will be deepened and respected, and will result in a peaceful community and a better future,” she added.
Sr. Ashwena is one of the Emerging Leaders under this year’s Cohort and Fellowship Programme of Samdhana Institute. It is part of the Women Environmental Defenders’ Project which Samdhana is implementing as part of a consortium under The Asia Foundation.

Two Columban religious sister postulants from Myanmar, (Sophia and Helena), were impressed with the solidarity among the youth amidst diversity as regards religion, gender preferences and economic status.

The youth camp took place nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic erupted, affecting the mobility, survival, and mental health of people, not only those in the cities but also those in indigenous and rural communities.

The Subanen indigenous peoples, who claim themselves to be peace-loving, inhabit the western part of Mindanao. They are taking the lead in protecting Mt. Pinukis mountain range, its forests and water sources. The mountain supplies water to the rice fields of Zamboanga Peninsula and part of Misamis Occidental.

For the past years, the Subanens, with the support of local and international partners, have resisted the entry of some mining companies. They believe that once the forests and its resources are gone, their tribe will die. Hence, the continuing and massive forest protection and tree-growing activities implemented with the local community stakeholders. ###

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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In October 2022, around a hundred Subanen tribe and non-IP youth gathered for a youth camp that sought to address mutual prejudices and build understanding among them.

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LAMBO MAG-UUMA!

admin_samdhana — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 06:06:46 +0000

LAMBO MAG-UUMA! admin_samdhana Sat, 10/22/2022 - 13:06

Celebrating indigenous and local farmers on World Food Day 2022!
Leaving no one behind, celebrating culture and diversity, celebrating environmental and spiritual integrity!

Through the partnership of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro (ACDO) and Samdhana Institute, we successfully held “Lambo Mag-Uuma!” event in celebration of World Food Day, at the Limketkai Mall 2nd level event center on October 14-16, 2022. This is also our joint activity, in solidarity with the celebration of Indigenous Peoples Month (October) in the Philippines.

In the words of participants and collaborators, we have ‘launched a movement’ for local producers, especially women and IP farmers, and have created spaces where organic farmers, Indigenous crafters, environmental advocates, students, youth, and civic and government organizations can come together, engage and exchange learnings.
At the opening program, Councilor Roger Abaday of the Cagayan de Oro City Council expressed his support to make healthy food more accessible to people, especially for those living in the city. He recognized the important role of the Higaonon tribe in the city, in agriculture and environmental protection.

Mr. Arthur Aranas, representative of the Knights of Columbus Council 17623, and JCI Cagayan de Oro representative, Mr. Bernie Daba, also expressed how our goals aligned in terms of advocating for sustainable food production and working with local and Indigenous farmers. At present, our partnership already spans from conservation activities in the Dulangan Unified Ancestral Domain to this current initiative for increasing support to local producers and increasing food security.

Ribbon cutting initiated by Councilor Roger Abaday of Cagayan de Oro City Council and Datu Masikal Jude Jabiniar of TACATCU. (SAMDHANA)

The series of events in the three-days celebration were: the product sales, rice palatability test, food security forum, craft demo classes, Sayawalis Song-writing competition awarding, Zumabayawan for a cause, and the Faith and Light Community program.

We also featured the AgriGive Baskets, which is an ongoing fundraising activity to increase income for local farmers, provide healthy food for families who are in need, and at the same time, to continue supporting Samdhana’s current programs for indigenous peoples’ conservation initiatives and educational assistance. As of this writing, we have initially raised PhP 74,075 or approximately around 148 veggie and fruit baskets (@P499 each). Part of these donations were from generous friends living outside of the country, and their baskets will be donated to families in need, as identified through ACDO. The AgriGive Baskets campaign will be continuing as we try to involve more local producers, especially women and Indigenous gardeners and farmers.

Palatability test of 12 rice varieties and farmer-bred lines, conducted in partnership with AgroEco Philippines Cluster 3. (SAMDHANA)

Beads jewelry making demonstration by Mr. Nario Balanban, an Umayamnon. (SAMDHANA)

Lambo Mag-Uuma was made possible with the support of the following: LimKetKai Mall; Intelisoft Microcomputer Systems; Knights of Columbus Council 17623; JCI Cagayan de Oro, Cagayan de Oro Water District; MLG Advertising; Northern Mindanao Daily Source; Cagayan de Oro City Agriculture Offiice and PACERM-1 Energy Corp.

For more details, please download here

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Capacity Building Training for the Balai Juhu Indigenous Peoples

admin_samdhana — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 02:57:48 +0000

Capacity Building Training for the Balai Juhu Indigenous Peoples admin_samdhana Wed, 10/12/2022 - 09:57

One of the cornerstones of product marketing is competent human resources. Cognisant of this fact, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) and Hulu Sungai Tengah (HST) held a joint training session to maximise the skills of the Balai Juhu Indigenous Peoples (IP), specifically in regard to managing agricultural commodities such as coffee and honey.

Held at the Grand Bhima Hotel from 19-20 February 2022, this training activity set out to develop skills and build capacity among the Balai Juhu IP. Special attention was paid to the quality of packaging design, so that their products could be made more attractive to prospective buyers.

In addition to various residents from the Balai Juhu Indigenous community, the event was attended by representatives from a number of government agencies, including the trade office, tourism department, health service, village government, district government and agriculture service.

Participants listened to presentations from two experts, namely Hendra, from the Department of Trade, Industry, Cooperatives and MSMEs; and Dwi Putra Kurniawan, Head of the South Kalimantan Indonesian Farmers Union (SPI).

They explained how to filter honey and pack it into bottles, then label it or add a brand name to the packaging before the product is marketed. In addition, participants also got better acquainted with the various forms of honey packaging that can already be found in the market.

On the following day, trainees gained exposure to information about the marketing of processed coffee products. This began with the process of picking coffee, then moved on to drying procedures, processing it into green beans and then packing these beans into pouches or plastic clip wraps ready for the market.

Thereafter, participants also learned how to grow coffee using leaves, seeds and tree trunks. They discovered the benefits of choosing a relatively young leaf, then cutting it into quarters and planting in polybags.

Participants also learned to plant beans selected from ripe coffee cherries. Meanwhile, seeding from the stem can be done by trimming down to a height of about 10 centimetres; after that, the leaves can be removed from the stems and then planted into the ground or in polybags until new roots grow.

During this session, the experts instructed attendees that coffee trees in polybags should be placed under shady trees, so that the leaves remain green and produce quality coffee beans. Polybags should be placed near fruit trees such as durian, or forest trees such as gaharu, and so on. From this training, the Balai Juhu IP learned about new and innovative marketing strategies for processed coffee and honey products, which can ultimately enhance their livelihoods.

AMAN and HST's efforts to build capacity among the Balai Juhu IP actually date back to before the training; they previously submitted a recommendation to process the group’s Business Identification Number (NIB), after which the Guild and Association of Balai Mula Ada Desa Juhu received NIB number 2312210018355 in accordance with a letter from the Minister of Investment / Head of BKPM, issued on 23 December 2021.

After this was letter released, residents were officially able to carry out business activities including industrial coffee processing, seeding, beekeeping and honey collection. AMAN and HST supported this process and went on to provide technical training support, while also taking care of the Home Industry Food Licensing Certificate (PIRT). They are currently waiting for verification from the local health office.

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Thu, 09/29/2022 - 12:00

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Packaging training for the Balai Juhu Indigenous Peoples held by AMAN Hulu Sungai Tengah (HST) 19-20 February 2022. (AMAN HST)

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“Continue What We Have Started”: Meet the Papuan Youth Group Reviving their Heritage

admin_samdhana — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 02:39:09 +0000

“Continue What We Have Started”: Meet the Papuan Youth Group Reviving their Heritage admin_samdhana Wed, 10/12/2022 - 09:39

Sanggar Seni Budaya Alam Semesta Selemkai (SALSES – Selemkai Arts and Culture Centre), is a community consisting of young people who are active in preserving arts and culture, while also managing eco tourism in Kampung Klabili (Klabili village). Also known as Kalabili (from the language of the Moi Kelim sub-tribe), the village can be found in the Selemkai district of Tambrau regency in West Papua.

From 17–21 February 2022, SALSES held an event entitled ‘Temu Miye Libih Suku Moi dalam Memperingati Hari Bahasa Ibu Internasional’ (the meeting of young people from the Moi tribe to commemorate International Mother Language Day). The purpose of the event was to encourage young people of the Moi tribe to preserve the Moi language and help save it from extinction

The meeting was attended by a Moi Tribe council and members of the House of Representatives of Tambrau, along with several Selemkai village heads, Moi leaders, people from Klabili village and various young people from the sub-tribes of Moi Kelim and Moi Salkhma. These groups learned how to say the names of local plants in sub-tribal dialects, while also rediscovering the myriad ways in which their ancestors used these flora, as herbal remedies, accessories and food.

The event also featured a forum that explored current issues, hopes, aspirations and future plans. This group discussion was led by Torianus Kalami, an activitist from Gerakan Muda Suku Moi (the Moi Tribal Youth Movement). Participants then enjoyed a wide range of music performances, dances, poetry readings and sharing of folklore. These performances involved young people, senior citizens, children and women.

During the meeting, the Head of the Moi Council, Dance Ulimpa, conveyed a number of reasons why preserving the Moi language is important; not least because of its centrality to the identity of the Moi people.

“What we have done as parents is not perfect, and it still has shortcomings,” said Dance in his speech. “You, as (the) young generation, should continue what we have started – now we need to focus on our native language; that’s our future target.”

“Don’t make separation. I have emphasised this everywhere. Our big house is Moi. We have to improve ourselves. Our young people need to work. Our language is a local wisdom, just like Abun Jii, Abun Taat, Moi Kelim, Moi Salkma, Moi Klabra, Moi Sigin [other local sub-tribal dialects],” he continued. Dance sees the Temu Miye Libih event as a potential catalyst for the betterment of the Moi tribe in various fields. As he explained, “we have to build this country; from a cultural perspective, this is Moi's land.”

Another impactful speaker at the event was Chairperson of the Local House of Representatives of Tambrauw, Yeri Sidik, who encouraged the SALSES community to expand their impact by collaborating more closely with local government officials when implementing their activities.

“This event should have been attended by executives, (then) SALSES could have had a chance to present the mission of Tambrau Regency,” said Yeri. “This is a form of conservation of arts, culture and language; don’t hesitate to send proposals to local government,” he continued.

“We appreciate this event. We do have other activities to be done later in the future, but those activitites need to be socialised to people. What you did is important,” added Yeri, before going on to close his speech by expressing hopes that Selemkai will become a hub for livelihoods and a centre for arts and eco tourism.

“The people of Selemkai have struggled to develop themselves,” he noted. “I really hope this event will continue (to grow); we need to coordinate with the Tourism Office of Tambrau Regency and ask them to support SALSES,” he added.

At the end of this event, before returning home to their respective villages, participants expressed their gratitude, shared their opinions and their hopes for the future. After a packed schedule of five days, attendees went home motivated to preserve their traditions and their mother tongue, proudly carrying their heritage into the future.

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GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Tue, 05/03/2022 - 12:00

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Indigenous youth of the Moi in activities to commemorate International Mother Language Day. (Agus Tafuran/SAMDHANA)

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Planting the Seeds of Progress: Restoration at Yotoro Hill

admin_samdhana — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 21:32:22 +0000

Planting the Seeds of Progress: Restoration at Yotoro Hill admin_samdhana Tue, 09/27/2022 - 04:32

Following many years of shifting cultivation practices, Yotoro Hill in Papua’s Jayapura Regency is in a critical condition. This has impacted Indigenous Peoples (IP) living nearby in Kwadeware Village, Waibu District, in the form of landslides and flash floods. In response, the women and youths of Kwadeware Village have taken action, by planting trees on Yotoro Hill.

Through the PERMATA programme, the Samdhana Institute has been supporting IP youth and women in Kwadeware Village, helping them learn how to make organic fertilizer (known locally as negentropy fertilizer). At least 2,000 kg of is needed to restore the fertility of Yotoro Hill's soil. So far, they have succeeded in making around 1,500 kg.

"We involve soil conservation experts to provide training to the youth here, including the deaf community in Jayapura, who are members of Menoken,” explains Samdhana Papua Coordinator Piter Roki Aloisius. “They are given training in making negentropy fertilizer," he added.

The fertilizer project forms part of wider operations, including the planting of 1,000 Moringa trees at Yotoro Hill with the Mamta Menoken Community on 26-27 August 2022. Roki noted that the Yotoro restoration movement began with a commitment from various communities in Jayapura during the Menoken activity in Mamta some time ago. "These Nokeners have pledged to not only carry out reforestation activities in Yotoro, but also in other areas that are in critical condition, such as in Henna and Hobong," he said.

With support from PERMATA, Indigenous women and youth in Kwadeware Village hope their tree planting activities can be scaled and help to increase soil fertility. In addition to increasing the nutrient content of the land around Yotoro Hill, these activities can help to mitigate erosion around Lake Sentani, thereby helping to prevent natural disasters.

"Yotoro Hill is one of the largest islands in Lake Sentani, which has been eroded by rainwater and lakes,” explains Roki. “Without any mitigation efforts the level of damage will get worse,” he added, noting that during the rainy season, high rainfall raises the water level. “As a result,” he says, “many houses in several villages on the outskirts of Lake Sentani were submerged.”

"This has happened several times and it has become a national disaster, so this has become one of the agendas in the signing event in Mamta," he added.

No fewer than 200 people attended this event. They included representatives from the GKI PAM Yonokong Youth in Kwadeware Village, Kwadeware Village Youth, the Papua Tour Guide Community, the Jayapura Deaf Community, the Fun Walking Community, and the Samdhana Institute; all of whom are members of the Menoken Mamta Community.

This activity was also well received by the natives of Kwadeware Village, who are already looking forward to seeing improvements. "I think this is very good, because the condition of Yotoro Hill is very arid and (this programme) brings many benefits,” said Tomotius Marweri, who is a native of Kwadeware. “With activities like this, we have helped to save the hill, so I am happy and I give great thanks to the Menoken community who have organised this activity.”

In addition to planting 1,000 Moringa trees, the Menoken Manta community and the local government of Yotoro also built a 400-metre-long cow barrier. This is expected to protect the Moringa trees in Bukit Yotoro from disruption by grazing cattle.

Looking to the future, the people hope that tree planting activities will continue and deliver positive results. The residents previously planted 300 Moringa tree seedlings in Yotoro Hill, of which only 50% survived. At the time, this was attributed to the poor quality of the soil. Now, with fertiliser in place, the people of Kwadeware and the Menoken Manta community have high hopes for their hill.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Wed, 10/12/2022 - 12:00

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The women and youths of Kwadeware Village have taken action, by planting trees on Yotoro Hill. (Naely/SAMDHANA)

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Tree Growing and Water System Turnover at Awang

admin_samdhana — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 04:05:51 +0000

Tree Growing and Water System Turnover at Awang admin_samdhana Fri, 08/05/2022 - 11:05

The number of trees in the Panlablaba area is decreasing due to chromite mining. This activity damaging the community water system.

For this reason, Panaghiusa sa mga Higaonon sa Awang (PAHINA) conducted tree planting activity. This activity aims to bring back the forests that were destroyed due to chromite mining in the area some decades ago.

PAHINA has worked for the last two years to get to where they are now: currently there are 4,000 seedlings of lawaan, narra, chestnut tree and other local species that have been planted over the years since 2020, and they successfully completed their community water system in April 2022.

Recently, PAHINA conducted another tree planting activity on 28th of July 2022. This activity supported and joined by the Misamis Oriental Electric Service Cooperative (MORESCO), the Knights of Columbus of the St. Francis Xavier Parish, volunteers from the Agro-Ecology Desk of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro (CDO), JCI Cagayan de Oro (Oro Jaycees), and the Youth Apostolate (for Laudato Si) of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Barra, Opol. More than 200 seedlings were additionally planted with the eager help of the volunteer.

At the same time, they witnessed the turn-over of the community water system, a project supported by the Global Greengrants Fund, as facilitated by Samdhana Institute. So far, the project has helped the community gained access to clean water.

Rosemarie Delada, the President of the women's group Kababayen-an Sa Panlablaba (KASAP), shared how they used to bring their weekly laundry down to the river, despite the heavy load and difficult, slippery and uphill roads, and how these drained so much of their time and energy. They also could not rely on the river for drinking water since it is an open source.

Fortunately, there remains an underground water source in the nearby mountain within the domain. This water source is also in the heart of the conservation area that is being re-planted.

Samdhana facilitated the technical assessment for developing the water source and assisted KASAP and PAHINA in their planning activities to undertake the water system project. The organizations identified their policies and also set their commitment in continuing the tree-growing to ensure their water source.

See the full story here

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Wed, 08/03/2022 - 12:00

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Panaghiusa sa mga Higaonon sa Awang (PAHINA) conducted tree planting activity on 28th of July 2022.

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Philippines

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Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths in Indonesia and the Philippines

admin_samdhana — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 06:19:54 +0000

Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths in Indonesia and the Philippines admin_samdhana Wed, 12/29/2021 - 13:19

From 19-21 November 2021, the Samdhana Institute hosted the latest in a series of Menoken events, entitled Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths in Indonesia and the Philippines. Hosted simultaneously in two Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia and the Philippines, the summit provided an opportunity for indigenous youths in both countries to reconnect relationships that had been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The summit featured various cultural exchanges, experiences, sharing of concerns regarding the pandemic situation and formulation of plans for the reunification of indigenous youths. Menoken activities are generally held in interesting locations close to nature, such as in mountainous areas, around rivers or lakes, and customary (adat) areas. With the concept of camping out or spending the night in a tent, Menoken events become a medium for participants (or ‘nokeners’) to get back in touch with themselves, with other people, with nature and with their ancestors.

In each location where Menoken activities were held, communities prepared a variety of unique and interesting activities. Youths who are members of Indigenous communities in both Indonesia and the Philippines designed their own activities and programmes, with various discussion topics identified by working groups in each community. These topics included discussions around the rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically in relation to environment and climate, culture and tradition, traditional food, coding applications and internet technology, recycling activities, tree planting programmes, exchanging millennial agricultural experiences, learning sign language, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship.

Among the event organisers were various representatives of differently abled members of the Indigenous community; they ensured sign language translators were provided to accompany deaf nokeners. Menoken in Kasepuhan Karang Banten, Erwin one of the founders of Kopi Tuli (Deaf Coffee Community) who is also a person with different ability, shared the story when the first time he and his partners Putri and Andika build the kopi tuli community. It was based on their struggle as deaf people to obtain a job. Erwin said that his two friends' job applications were rejected by various companies. “ even Putri was rejected by more than 200 companies”said Erwin.

Coming from the frustration Erwin and his partners, learned about the coffee business, seeking for investors and develop various coffee and non-coffee-based beverages, and now they already have 3 Kedai Kopi Tuli Franchises; 2 located in Depok, 1 in Jakarta. Erwin explained that in Kopi Tuli, while drinking coffee you can learn to interact with sign language," To attract visitors' interest in learning sign language, on each coffee menu there is a hand drawing that forms letters.

Listening to the story, Yong the nokeners from Laos felt very moved to the story “I wish one day I can visit Kopi Tuli and learn the sign language,” Said Yong. Erwin is excited to know the friends comment and reaction, and wish to share the sign language to friends in Philippine and Laos, though He said, the sign language in different country is different “I am sure when I am able to meet friends in Philippines and Laos, I can communicate well enough with basics sign language” said Erwin.

From Tanah Timor Community, share behind the story of Video “Soke Bercerita”. Esther one of the nokeners from Tanah Timor, “after The Seroja Hurricane that hit their village, many people lost their house and belongings, crops and livestock washed away by the floow” She said. The economy went down and people seek any valuable things that they can use for daily life, and one day the team from Sekolah Alam Manusak came to help them. “We are thought, to use the Soke (coconut shell) and turn it to be daily simple cutlery and house hold goods” add Esther. Through Samdhana and Sekolah Alam Manusak we were trained to process the Soke in to glasses, bowls and other cutlery. “Now we can sell the soke’s and make a good economy from it”. Esther ended her story.

Another story coming from JendraNath Community who was formed about two years ago, as a market hub that promotes and shares knowledge about community products both from Bali and other areas such as Kulon Progo and Lampung. There are organic products from various communities, and JendraNath provides the access for local products promoted in the local stores.

At the end of all sharing session, Ruwi from Samdhana who joined the menoken youth summit online Session from Tamblingan Bali, “to understand better the deaf people feelings, let’s have a silent moment, and share your comments and thoughts after listening to all the stories, only with word and chat it in the chat box”.

The Regional Youth Summit was the result of collaboration between various Indigenous communities in Indonesia and the Philippines. In Indonesia, this includes the Community of Activists Caring for the Rights of Children (PAPHA) from Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara; the Tanah Timor Community, from East Nusa Tenggara; the Tabi Community, from Papua; the Deaf Coffee community, from West Java; the Animha Community, from Papua; the Movement Caring for Children with Disabilities (GPAD), from Central Java; Patamuan Talino Cultural School Community, from West Kalimantan; the Pattalasang Community, from Gowa; the Tamblingan Indigenous Community, from Bali; The Desa Les Community, from Bali; and the Domberai Community, from Papua; all are supported by the Samdhana Institute, Kaoem Telapak Bogor and Yayasan Rumah Solusi Beta Indonesia.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Menoken activities were held in collaboration with indigenous communities such as Paraigu Kawataan, from Calamianes; Anak ng Tribu Higaunen-Talaandig; the KAGDUMA Youth; Sinabuwa ho mga Basbasenen Higaonon ta Cagayan de Oro; the Dulangan Youth Group; MAMACILA Youth; Kalanawan Youth; Man-ai Indigenous Youth Community; representatives from the Bukidnon Indigenous Cultural Communities Ancestral Domain, including Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental; the Unified Kirinteken Ilantungon Menuvu Tribal Council Youth; the Serusaat Menuvu Tribal Organization and Neumpong ne Memenguhen te Serusaat, from Southern Bukidnon; the Inter-Cultural Organizations Network for Solidarity and Peace (Kidapawan); the Diocesan Social Action Center of Surigao; the Diocesan Social Action Center of Tandag; and the Teduray, Lambangian Youth and Students Association, from Maguindanao.

The Samdhana Institute works alongside Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) to achieve social and environmental justice in Southeast Asia. We envision a region in which natural, cultural and spiritual diversity are valued, where communities have control over their territories and well-being, and full recourse to the rule of law. Samdhana programmes are geared towards building bridges between communities and laying the foundations upon which this vision for the future can be built.

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Wed, 12/29/2021 - 12:00

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Dancing show in the Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Southeast Asia 2021. (SAMDHANA)

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Regional Youth Summit Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths from Indonesia and the Philippines

admin_samdhana — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 01:00:53 +0000

Regional Youth Summit Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths from Indonesia and the Philippines admin_samdhana Fri, 11/19/2021 - 08:00

Bogor, 18 November 2021. Hosted simultaneously in two Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia and the Philippines, this latest Menoken event will be held from 19-21 November 2021. Unlike previous Menoken activities, which took place in a single location but involved several communities, this iteration will involve communities in seven locations in the Philippines, along with nine communities throughout Indonesia. In Indonesia, Menoken activities will be hosted by communities in Central Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Bali, Jayapura, Merauke, East Nusa Tenggara and Flores. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Menoken activities will take place in Calamianes (North Palawan), among the Calamian Tagbanwa Indigenous Peoples; in North Mindanao, with the Higaonon, Talaandig, Bukidnon and Menuvu tribes; in Kidapawan with the B'laan, Manobo Tagabawa and Maguindanaon; in Surigao, with the Mamanwa and Badjao; in Tandag, among the Manobo; and in Maguindanao, with the Teduray and Lambangian tribes.

The Menoken event, which is entitled Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Southeast Asia 2021: A Meeting of Indigenous Youths in Indonesia and the Philippines, aims to provide opportunities for all indigenous youths, both in Indonesia and the Philippines, to reconnect relationships that have been disrupted by issues relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as mobilisation, distance and various other restrictions on activities. This Southeast Asian Menoken event therefore aims to build or renew social relations between various indigenous youth groups through cultural exchanges, experiences, sharing of concerns regarding the pandemic situation and formulation of plans for the reunification of indigenous youths.

Menoken activities are generally held in interesting locations close to nature, such as in mountainous areas, around rivers or lakes, and of course in customary (adat) areas. With the concept of camping out or spending the night in a tent, Menoken events become a medium for participants (or ‘nokeners’) to get back in touch with themselves, with other people, with nature and with their ancestors.

At each location where Menoken activities are scheduled to be held, communities have prepared a variety of unique and interesting activities. Youths who are members of Indigenous communities in both Indonesia and the Philippines have designed their own activities and programmes, with various discussion topics identified by working groups in each community. These topics include discussions around the rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically in relation to environment and climate, culture and tradition, traditional food, coding applications and internet technology, recycling activities, tree planting programmes, exchanging millennial agricultural experiences, learning sign language, film- making, and entrepreneurship.

In addition to a series of dialogues covering these various topics, there will be numerous cultural interactions through dance, singing and games that have been prepared by indigenous youths with the aim of sharing the cultural heritage of each Indigenous community. Gambusuk, which is an abbreviation of ‘Gowa Traditional Art & Music’, traces ancestral cultural values through Dayak Kanayatn music, combined with traditional dances from Pangkur Sagu and Tana Timor; with various songs and inclusive music performances, these are some of the traditional art performances that will characterise Menoken activities in the Indonesian region.

For more information please download here

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE & LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Document Download

Press Release_regional youth summit 2021_Fin_Eng.pdf

Posting Date

Fri, 11/19/2021 - 12:00

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Community activities during Menoken in Tana Tomor. (SAMDHANA/Anggit)

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Regional Youth Summit Menoken Asia Tenggara 2021, Pertemuan Pemuda Adat Indonesia dan Filipina

admin_samdhana — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 07:21:09 +0000

Regional Youth Summit Menoken Asia Tenggara 2021, Pertemuan Pemuda Adat Indonesia dan Filipina admin_samdhana Thu, 11/18/2021 - 14:21

Bogor, 18 November 2021. Kegiatan Noken Kembali akan di selenggarakan pada tanggal 19-21 November 2021. Kegitan Menoken kali akan dilaksanakan di dua negara region Asia Tenggara yaitu Indonesia dan Filipina. Berbeda dengan menoken sebelumnya yang di selenggarakan di satu lokasi menoken dengan melibatkan beberapa komunitas, Menoken kali ini akan melibatkan 7 komunitas yang akan menoken serentak diberbagai lokasi di Filipina, sementara akan ada sembilan komunitas di Indonesia. Di Indonesia, menoken akan diselenggarakan di wilayah komunitas: Jawa Tengah, Jawa Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Kalimantan Barat, Bali, Jayapura, Merauke, Nusa Tenggara Timur, dan Flores. Sementara di Filipina, lokasi menoken akan bertempat di Calamianes (Palawan Utara) dengan Masyarakat Adat Calamian Tagbanwa, di Mindanao Utara dengan Masyarakat Adat Higaonon, Talaandig, Bukidnon dan Menuvu, di Kidapawan dengan Masyarakat Adat B'laan, Manobo Tagabawa, dan Maguindanaon, di Surigao dengan Masyarakat Adat Mamanwa dan Badjao, di Tandag dengan Masyarakat Adat Manobo, dan di Maguindanao dengan Masyarakat Adat Teduray dan Lambangian.

Menoken yang mengambil tema “Regional Youth Summit, Menoken Asia Tenggara 2021: Pertemuan Pemuda Adat di Indonesia dan Filipina” ini diselenggarakan untuk memberikan kesempatan kepada seluruh pemuda adat baik di Indonesia dan Filipina untuk menyambung kembali hubungan yang selama pandemi Covid-19 terkendala oleh pembatasan kegiatan, mobilisasi maupun jarak. Menoken Asia Tenggara ini bertujuan untuk membangun atau memperbaharui hubungan sosial antara berbagai kelompok pemuda adat melalui pertukaran budaya, pengalaman, keprihatinan dalam situasi pandemi dan rencana-rencana yang bisa menghubungkan kembali antara sesama pemuda adat.

Kegiatan Menoken ini selalu di gelar dengan lokasi yang menarik dan berdekatan dengan alam, lokasi yang dipilih baik di areal pegunungan, sekitar sungai atau danau, dan tentunya di wilayah adat. Dengan konsep kemping atau bermalam di tenda, menoken menjadi media untuk para penoken untuk berinterkoneksi baik dengan diri sendiri, orang lain, alam dan para leluhur.

Di lokasi menoken, masing-masing komunitas telah menyiapkan beragam kegiatan unik dan menarik. Para pemuda adat yang tergabung dalam komunitas Adat baik di Indonesia dan Filipina telah merancang aktivitas dan program mereka sendiri. Berbagai topik diskusi telah di identifikasi oleh kelompok kerja pemuda adat dimasing-masing komunitas. Topik itu meliputi diskusi seputar hak-hak Masyarakat Adat, baik dari segi lingkungan dan iklim, budaya dan tradisi, makanan tradisional, aplikasi

pengkodean dan internet teknologi, kegiatan daur ulang, aksi penanaman pohon, bertukar pengalaman pertanian milenial, belajar bahasa isyarat, pembuatan film, dan kewirausahaan.

Selain berdialog dengan topik yang beragam berbagai interaksi melalui tarian budaya, lagu dan permainan telah di persiapkan oleh para pemuda adat dengan tujuan berbagi budaya dan tradisi yang di miliki masing-masing komunitas Adat. Gambusuk yaitu Musik kesenianTradisional Gowa, Menapak tilas nilai budaya leluhur melalui musik tradisional Dayak Kanayatn, Tarian Pangkur Sagu, Nyanyian Tarian Tana Timor dan Pentas musik inklusi merupakan sebagian pertunjukan seni tradisional yang mewarnai kegiatan Menoken di region Indonesia.

Selengkapnya unduh siaran pers berikut:

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Siaran pers_regional youth summit 2021_Fin_Ind.pdf

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Thu, 11/18/2021 - 12:00

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Community activities in Menoken in Timor

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Youth Noken A Gathering of young Indigenous Peoples in Philippines and Indonesia

admin_samdhana — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 02:25:17 +0000

Youth Noken A Gathering of young Indigenous Peoples in Philippines and Indonesia admin_samdhana Thu, 11/18/2021 - 09:25

The finest hinabol (Binukid name for handwoven Abaca fiber) are woven into Kamuyot, a type of backpack or slingbag used to carry items and used as an offering to Magbabaya or a peace offering during conflicts with other nearby tribes. Kamuyot is a handloomed product that is used by the Higaonon tribe. Both the men and women carry a range of commodities and items using the bag.

Traditional abaca weaving is one of the oldest crafts of the indigenous peoples in Northern Mindanao, and has been passed down from one generation to another.

The kamuyot is the icon that the indigenous youth from the Higaonon, Talaandig and Bukidnon Tribes chose to represent their participation in the Regional Youth Noken, or the gathering of young indigenous peoples in the Philippines and in Indonesia. A noken is an indigenous woven bag in Indonesia, and the term “menoken” has been adopted in Samdhana Institute to refer to the series of gatherings with Indigenous and local communities wherein exchanges of knowledge, values, community products, experiences and lessons are vibrantly taking place.

The Regional Youth Noken is organized to provide opportunity to reconnect, especially after the long months of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It aims to build or renew the social connections between various Indigenous youth groups through an exchange of culture, experiences, concerns and plans.

There will be seven simultaneous ‘nokening’ taking place on 19th-21st November in the Philippines, while there will be nine communities in Indonesia. In the Philippines, the nokening sites are in Calamianes (North Palawan) with the Calamian Tagbanwa, in Northern Mindanao with Higaonon, Talaandig, Bukidnon and Menuvu tribes, in Kidapawan with the B’laan, Manobo Tagabawa, and Maguindanaon, in Surigao with the Mamanwa and Badjao, in Tandag with the Manobo, and in Maguindanao with the Teduray and Lambangian tribes. In Indonesia, the nokening will happen in the regions: Central Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Bali, Jayapura, Merauke, East Nusa Tenggara, and Flores.

Each nokening site have their own unique program, and will cover the topics which the youth working groups have identified, such as Indigenous Peoples rights, environment and climate, culture and tradition, the IP youth concerns and agenda, traditional foods, coding application and internet technology, recycling, coral planting, millennial farming, sign language, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship. Cultural dances, songs and games will be prepared by the youth participants. This nokening movement aims to leave no one behind. Sign language interpreters in Indonesia will accompany the deaf nokeners. Resti, one of the blind baristas from West Java, will lead the Blind Adventure, where the nokeners will explore the camp site with their eyes covered. This activity aims to stimulate other sensory organs, other than our eyes, and demonstrate that people have different abilities despite physical differences. This is the way we build solidarity, through nokening - support each other with love, without any social barriers. The young nokeners will be accompanied by their Elders, who will also share their wisdom and oral history. The seven nokening sites in the Philippine and nine in Indonesia will have a national interaction respectively, online to bring the participants together. An online regional interaction will then follow with all the participants from both countries.

The Philippines noken is being co-organized by: Paraigu Kawataan (Calamianes); Anak ng Tribu Higaunen-Talaandig, KAGDUMA Youth, Sinabuwa ho mga Basbasenen Higaonon ta Cagayan de Oro, Dulangan Youth Group, MAMACILA Youth, Kalanawan Youth, Man-ai Indigenous Youth Community, and Bukidnon Indigenous Cultural Communities Ancestral Domain; (Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental); Unified Kirinteken Ilantungon Menuvu Tribal Council Youth, Serukadang Menuvu Tribal Organization, and Neumpong ne Memenguhen te Serukadang (Southern Bukidnon); Inter-Cultural Organizations Network for Solidarity and Peace (Kidapawan); Diocesan Social Action Center of Surigao; Diocesan Social Action Center of Tandag; and Teduray, Lambangian Youth and Students Association (Maguindanao).

In Indonesia, nokening is co-organized with communities from Community Association of Activists Care for Children's Rights (PAPHA) Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara; Tanah Timor Community East Nusa Tenggara; Tabi community, Papua; Deaf coffee community, east Java; Animha Community Papua; Children with different abilities movement (GPAD), Central Java; Patamuan Talino Cultural School Community, West Kalimantan; Patalasang community, Gowa South Sulawesi; Tamblingan Indigenous Community, Bali; and Domberai Community, Papua. Nokening regional youth summit is supported by The Samdhana Institute, Kaoem Telapak, Bogor and Yayasan Rumah Solusi Beta Indonesia, Kupang. ###

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Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:00

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