Watch: Video about Kalinga Culture and Practices

The Kalinga culture is rich and colorful as shown in this video taken by knowledgechannelorg. Naty, together with other Kalinga experts are featured in this interesting video.

 (The "sleeping beauty" image above is courtesy of Lydia Ballog.)

Watch how Kalingas survive. Visit the tourist attractions of the place and various incredible features of the i-Kalingas.

What makes it unique above all other cultures? What makes the Kalinga people different from other tribes? These can be answered in this beautiful video.

For i-Kalingas all over the world, be proud of your ethnicity.

This goes true for those abroad, as well. We are the brave and dignified i-Kalingas!

Watch the video below and spread the wonder and beauty of our Kalinga culture!

Here's WOW!Kalinga by knowledgechannelorg.

    

5 Ways to React to People Who Insult You Because You’re an I-Kalinga

We find rude people anywhere in society. There will always be bad eggs, who enjoy embarrassing and belittling people. What more, they can do so with a drop of a hat when they learn you belong to a cultural minority such as the Kalingas.

Lola Carmen Ilacad

If you encounter an a_ _h_ _e like the person described above, here are 5 ways you can react to him/her.

1.      Ignore him

He/she pokes fun of you in public by calling you names such as “monkey” or similar words. Ignore him like you heard nothing. Why stoop down to the level of a moron?  If a crazy person sticks out his tongue to you, do you do likewise? Of course not, because you’re not crazy as well, so act as if he’s not there, and you heard nothing. Just leave him and go your merry way.

2.      Smile at him

He/she says you’re a bumbling idiot because you’re from Kalinga. Smile sincerely at him/her. Smile can do wonders, so why trouble yourself by becoming embarrassed and angry.  It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Don’t stress yourself.

3.      Ask him “what’s up?”

He/she calls you an ignoramus because of a tiny error you committed such as, putting the fork in the wrong receptacle. Put on your sweetest smile and say; “What’s up man? Or What’s up guys or girls?” Or whatever is applicable. Then proceed to explain your actions in straight English. Watch how his/her jaw would drop. Oftentimes, ignorant people think that cultural minorities don’t know how to speak English. They would be surprised to learn that even older native people are better in speaking English than Tagalog. My late grandmother speaks English better than Tagalog. Watch their mouths clamp once you start speaking English. Truly learned persons won’t embarrass you in front of other people, so don’t worry about encountering excellent English speakers.

4.      Accord him the “Royal Treatment”

In cases when he/she calls your attention to embarrass you in public. Give him/her the “Royal Treatment” How? By talking to him in the Kalinga dialect. Don’t cuss, though. Remember, you’re a learned person with dignity and self-respect. You can say: “Umma laydom? Ippon mambalo de katnat.” Smile while delivering your rebuttal. This is the clincher. He/she will surely stop babbling and leave you in peace, once he/she realizes he/she doesn’t understand your language.

5.      Give him a piece of advice

In a calm manner, ask him/her what’s the problem, and if you can do anything about it. Then after evaluating the incident, give him/her your two cents’ worth.  During the proceedings, always stay calm and collected. Avoid blowing your top for whatever reason. An emotionally mature person can control or reign in his/her emotions properly and effectively.

These methods are just suggestions. It’s a case to case basis, really. Just remember to react calmly and reasonably. Show the rude person the true, good character of an i-Kalinga.

If you have any suggestions or comments, you can share them in the comment section below.

Kalinga Culture: The Kalinga Native Costume

The Kalinga native costume is composed of a tapis (woven rectangular cloth, worn on the lower half of the body for women). In the olden ages, this was the only costume of Kalinga women. I still witnessed the time of topless women. In our village in Kalinga, during the 1960s, married women went topless once they got married.

Nobody looked at them with malice. The malice lies in the eyes of the beholder. The men in turn wore "bahags" or g-strings, a thin and long cloth which is worn around the man's private parts, with both ends hanging from his body. Tattoos were also in fad.

Nowadays, people wore upper shirts and pants. Some old folks though still prefer to wear the old native costume. Tattoos are also still adapted by the younger Kalinga generation as a way of being proud of their ancestry.

WATCH OUT FOR THE PICTURES NEXT POST.



These pictures were taken by Nats Dalanao, an engineer cum photographer. Thanks Nats for the pictures.

Kalinga Tradition: An Ordinary Day in Taloctoc, Kalinga (when I was a child)

An ordinary day in Taloctoc, Kalinga when I was still a child had been so simple, that I wonder now how I had turned my life into a complex hurly-burly. I have made my life complicated. With all the gadgets like cell phones, laptops, video cams; and instant services (almost everything is instant) instant coffee, instant noodles, instant hamburger, fast foods; life passes by in a blur.lol. I can’t savor life anymore, as I should.

I don’t get to enjoy any longer the quiet evenings in the tranquil Chico River during dawn or dusk; the joy of looking down a mountain top and basking in Mother Nature’s incredible wonder. Oh, I miss all these things and more.

A day in Taloctoc during summer had been so uncomplicated, that its simplicity had made it uniquely fascinating. I was 9 years old then, and school was over for the year. I was not yet completely adapted to the village life during that time, because I had come from the city where I stayed during the early years of my childhood; so, it had been an entirely new challenging world for me.

I remember how I would fetch water from the creek down the mountain because I was staying overnight with my grandparents in the kaingin. This was because I was not as sturdy as the rest of my peers, who trekked to the kaingin day in and day out without suffering DOMS. Ha ha ha.

Those days were most memorable for me because I have experienced feeling “Godlike” atop my mountain hideaway, where everything was peaceful and calm; all I have heard were the cacophony of chanting cicadas and the chirping of birds around me. I usually woke up early in the morning and watched as the sun rose from the mountain top, slowly revealing its splendor amidst the white fluffy clouds drifting by. It was a breathtaking view that I would always remember.

I remember gazing down at the tiny huts below and thinking of myself as some sort of God. At an early age, I had loved reading so I had imagined I was some Greek Goddess watching mere mortals below as they labored and toiled.

After I had enjoyed the sunrise and the cool breeze playing on my face, I then proceeded to gather mushrooms from the tree stumps in the kaingin. Then, I would fetch water from the small creek at the bottom of the slope, until I have filled the big drinking pot. I carried a bamboo pole which was at least 3 feet in length on my bare shoulders, just like what the boys did, and I had taken pride that I had slowly adjusted to barrio-life in Taloctoc, Kalinga.

I had my battle-scars to show, so to speak: feet and hand blisters, hardened soles, darkened skin, etc. I oftentimes, had hidden my tears of pain in the night, afraid that someone would see them, and brand me a “sadot” (lazy bones.)

Those were the days, days that are forever etched in my memory. I suffered [physically but I consider them wonderful days of yore that I would always treasure forever.

Coming next, more Kalinga traditions and Kalinga culture.

Photo CREDIT: NATS DALANAO, THANKS NATS.