"Modernity, commercialization & urbanization" have tremendously impacted the lives of the Blaan Tribe-one of the 110 indigenous groups in the Phil.

Cedric B. Baker, Asst. Prof. Mercer University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences with his wife and Arjho Turner, GFI Mindanao








May 7, 2009

The Alpharetta Branch Public Library in partnership with Galing Foundation, Inc. and AccessPhilippineAtlanta.com presented a program "The Blaan Culture" to celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

The Blaan Tribe is one of the 110 indigenous groups of the Philippines. The Blaan indigenous peoples are located in the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani Province, Davao Del Sur and General Santos City, strategically located in the southernmost part of the islands of Mindanao.

The visitors enjoyed a variety of photo collection, costumes, woven materials and hand crafted accessories on site. They also had the opportunity to listen to Blaan original song compositions by the Tubad Performing Arts Group of Sarangani Province. And witnessed a Blaan tribal dance presentation.

During the discussion, Ms. Turner shared some of the sentiments of the Blaan people and how "modernity, commercialization and urbanization" have impacted the very livelihood of this marvelous group of indigenous people-the Blaan Tribe. To abate the adverse impacts of modernization, Ms. Turner also stressed the existence of the different School of Living Tradition (SLT) project sites wherein the primary focus is to preserve the Blaan culture thru transfer of skills to the younger generation as well as serve as a micro-enterprise from their handicrafts. According to Ms. Turner, the Indigenous Peoples Development Program is advocating for in situ conservation of different upland rice varities among the indigenous cultural communities of Sarangani Province geared towards household food security. In 2007, the National Museum declared a Blaan community as the first village museum of the Philippines located in Lamlifew, Datal Tampal, Malungon showcasing the richness of the Blaan culture, their agriculture, their infrastructure, and their environment.

GFI would like to thank the Sarangani Provincial Governor's Office - Indigenous Peoples Development Program, Provincial Information Office, Cocoy Sexcion and Jocelyn C. Robles for the photos used in the exhibit. Thank you as well to the Tubad Performing Arts organizers for allowing us to share their CD.

The event was free and open to the public.