Kidapawan school allows Manobo traditional dress day
• 18:01 PM Fri Jul 31, 2015
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
commons.wikimedia.org
KIDAPAWAN CITY – With
the modern technology invading even the remotest village in the country, a Manobo
village at the foot of the country’s highest peak continue to preserve its
culture.
Village councilman Gerry
Siago, a Manobo tribal leader of Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City, said cultural
preservation remains a priority in the face of emerging technology that has
penetrated tribal villages.
Some of our children are
into Facebook and internet but it should not push us to forget our culture and
tradition,” Siago said in Filipino as the village celebrated its foundation
anniversary Thursday.
Our tradition and culture remains
alive, very alive,” he said, adding that the Barangay Ilomavis Elementary
school has been devoting a day as cultural dress day” in a week.
During cultural dress day,”
Manobo children wear traditional and colorful dress to preserve our culture,
to preserve our beginnings,” he added.
Besides wearing what he said
was our identity,” Manobo schoolchildren are also allowed to play traditional
games like Kadang-Kadang” and Palo Sebo” in school.
Not only during foundation
day, even ordinary days we still wear our traditional dress in the face of
cheaper, modern ukay-ukay clothes that proliferate in our village,” Datu Nelson
Tula, another tribal leader, said.
Traditional clothes made of abaka”
remain the dominant dress among school children and members of the community in
Ilomavis, a village within the 701 hectare Mt. Apo Protected Area.
Tula said abaka” production
continues among Manobo communities because it is the primary raw material of
the Manobo traditional dress.