Beauty in Diversity: World's Indigenous Peoples' Day

"The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is a moment to acknowledge the vital contribution of indigenous peoples to innovation and creativity, to sustainable development as well as to cultural diversity. It is also an opportunity for all to mobilise to bridge the gaps that remain to the fulfilment of indigenous peoples’ rights. This is essential today and tomorrow, as we shape the new post-2015 development agenda."

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

The Philippines is home to a number of diverse indigenous tribes, with each community having a distinct set of norms, mores and tradition. For us at Palamuti, nothing excites us more than when we are traveling for a chance to interact with these indigenous people, and to find out more about their traditions in handicraft. Crafting has always been a part of their lives, in terms of culture and tradition, and the skills and knowledge of each tribe is passed down from one generation to the other.  Their ways of weaving baskets, bags, clothing and producing accessories; all made from natural materials, is something that we as artisans are keen on learning. Part of our vision is to be able to preserve tradition, and use them to improve our own techniques, as well as incorporating new sets of materials to our bead embroidery pieces. Reinforcing our designs and its quality is something that gives us a competitive edge globally.

In 2012, we had a chance to visit Aborlan, Palawan. During this visit, we met with a group of Tagbanuas, native inhabitants of Palawan for thousands of years, under the Aborlan Arts Program. They shared their weaving technique in making accessories using rattan, a local palm plant, as the base building material for their handicrafts. They also use different materials, mostly scavenged bones, seeds, or clay they find abundantly in their surroundings. Different stones commonly sold in supply bead stores also originate from Aborlan tribe's reclaimed natural bounty.

We went back to Palawan a couple of years later, with the intent to research more on materials innately homegrown to the province and to learn more about the different indigenous people of Palawan. Unfortunately, our time there was too short for us to be immersed in the communities. This  fuels our thirst for knowledge, and gives us more reasons to return. However, we were able to visit the 4th Indigenous Peoples' Visual Arts Exhibit by Kalinawa Art Foundation in partnership with the Palawan Museum. We were once again amazed by the creativity of the participating tribal artists. The next time we go visit, we hope that we will have more time to talk and interact with them.

Keeping it real.- PJV