By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO
www.nordis.net

One hundred two years ago on February 23, an Ibaloi won a landmark case in the colonial US Supreme Court over his inheritance – ancestral land. It came to be known as the Doctrine of Native Title or simply as the Cariño Doctrine. Several ancestral domain claims have actually been won by peoples in different nations by this doctrine except by this Ibaloi and his people. That is the significance of this date – February 23, 1909.

This Ibaloi, Mateo Cariño did not live to see this victory in court for he passed away on June 6 1908. To this day his descendants have yet to receive the title to Ypit-Lubas. Nevertheless, historical records show Mateo and two of his brothers (Juan Oraa and Juan), along with some cousins as also having been in the lead of the revolution against the Spanish and American invaders here in the defense of this mountain home, even when these invaders had already conquered a vast area of the present territories of this country.

Six months after Cariño winning in the Supreme Court, the Charter creating the city of Baguio was promulgated and therefore the September 1, Baguio Day. This charter widened the land area taken for the city from the native settlers without due process. These laws took away the very livelihood of the native settlers and marginalized their ranks. Several of the natives did not give up the fight to recover their lands. This battle has been waged through five or more generations to this day. Now, that city charter that has formalized the land grabbing is being amended by a draft city charter now in congress and being lobbied in senate.

Noted by one lawyer, the proposed new charter is putting the power to dispose of these natives’ ancestral domain in the City hall. It is perpetuating the practice of town site applications, state reservations, land sales without respect for the ancestral domain, ancestral lands or the doctrine of native title. This therefore further marginalizes the already marginalized. What has the dissipating number of Ibalois in the city have to celebrate then?

In the commemoration of Ibaloi day, apparently many of the planned politicians invited to grace the program did not make it, besides other schedules and being non-Ibaloi, it could have been different on an election year. This time there were more pigs butchered for a more limited gathering of representatives.

Relevant to the commemoration was the exhibit of the paintings of Sofia Olga Anton and the launching of a book, “Ibaloi conversations on identity, community and well being”, a collection of stories written by Ibaloi descendants of different clans from the different Ibaloi settlements in the city. The paintings were about actual people and events in Olga’s exposures that depicted cultural practices of the local Ibaloi communities that can be preserved and further nurtured for the community’s continued survival and health. At the exhibit, Olga was there to bring those interested through the exhibit and told them of the events that made the show a reality with the stories behind each frame.

The subjects of the paintings include a backyard garden patch which an Ibaloi yard is never without, and traditionally was planted with camote, aba, and kape only but now as in her paintings it was colorful with flowers and temperate vegetables along some traditional plants. The solibao and kalsa (long Ibaloi drum and gong). The southwest side of the mountain range encircling Baguio. She told of the “tonton” or tracing of one’s ancestry or bloodline, during a pashal-shaak, pan a adivay, (visit or a casual meet to warm-up or keep up ties); she also shared stories of nuntan da abayag (of long time ago) that she remembered. With a tone of regret she also mentioned that “nowadays, we do not have time anymore for these, pan a adivay, panaaspul”. It was quite a collection of paintings and it was sold out.

The book and the exhibit was with the support of the Philippine TK Network, EED-TFIP and the Aspulan as part of the commemoration of the Ibaloi Day in Baguio City. # nordis.net