The sound of the tambol (drums)
greets articipants as they enter the Talaandig Ancestral Domain in
Sungku,, Lantapan, Bukidon, Mindanao. The long dirt road is lined with
flags, each one indicating the names of the participating tribes, in
honor of the guests who have come for the historic Reaffirmation of Kinship Ceremony between the Bangsamoro and Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao.
“This is an historic event that no historian should miss. We are writing a new chapter in the history of Mindanao.”
As a historian and a former Chair of the Government Peace Negotiating
Panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Professor Rudy
Rodil knows, intimately, the significance of this historic event.
For
the first time in 492 years, 13 Bangsamoro tribes have come together
with 18 indigenous tribes to reaffirm their shared ancestry and commit
to the 5 pillars of Kinship established in the traditional peace pact of
their ancestors: Co-operation, Mutual Sharing of Information, Mutual
Protection of Life, Recognition and Respect, and Mutual Obligation to
Help the Needy. Despite the animosities and conflicts in the past,
these tribes have chosen to come together today to not only acknowledge
their shared ancestry, but commit themselves to respect and protect one
another.
As
the introductions begin, the tribal leaders give impassioned speeches
about why they have traveled today – some from the far islands of Sulu
and Tawi-Tawi – to take part in this historical ceremony. “We must
set aside our interests and re-emphasize our kinship. We must walk
together towards peace in Mindanao. We are answerable to Allah, to one
another, to our future generation.” Salic Ibrahim, a Maranao leader
calls those present to live out the kinship pact – to pave the way
towards peace. The hope for peace in Mindanao is palpable.
The
Kinship Pact comes at a critical time for the Philippines. The Aquino
administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) find
themselves on the cusp of a signed peace agreement that recognizes a
Bangsamoro Sub-State and autonomy within the region. Similar
negotiations have failed in the past due, in part, to the animosity
between the Indigenous and the Bangsamoro tribes. As the tribes join
together to uphold their historical peace pact, they are preparing the
way, not only for a signed agreement between the GPH and the MILF, but
also for sustainable peace in Mindanao. “It is very important to
reaffirm our kinship, which has not been nurtured in the past. We have
seen the cracks in the past between our tribes,” explains Attorney Raissa Jajurie, a consultant to the MILF peace panel, “Today, we want to see equality and mutual respect. It is time to heal the wounds of our past.”
One
by one, the leaders of each tribe come forward to retell their history.
The descendants of the original peace pact holders call us the tribes
to once again unite as kin, to protect one another, and to help build a
new Mindanao based on the ancient practices of their ancestors. “I normally see myself as an educator,” LTC Ronald Alcudia , 4th Army Training Group Commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, says, “but
today I am a student. I am learning of the history of Mindanao from the
true tribal elders – a history I did not know until today.”
Datu (Chief) Victorino Migketay Saway
along with leaders from the Bangsamoro tribes begin with the prayers of
their people, calling on Allah, the ancestors and Magbabaya to be
present in the ceremony. As the prayers come to an end, the tribal
elders move forward and prepare to sacrifice a Carabao in honor of the
ancestors. The blood of the Carabao is used to cleanse the land of the
ancestors – to heal the wounds of the past so that all the tribes,
together with their ancestors and their God – may move together towards a
future of peace in Mindanao.
Datu
Vic calls the descendants of the peace pact forward to sign their
names, committing to the 5 pillars of kinship. All of the witnesses are
also called to sign the sacred covenant. The Ceremony is not just about a
ritual for those present, but about a renewed commitment to one another
to uphold peace, protect life and respect one another as kin. The
tribes, adorned in their traditional regalia, gather under a new
monument that the Talaandig artists carved in honor of this historic
event: It is an intricately carved Jar, the vessel that will hold the
sacred oil and covenant of kinship. The monument reads, “This
monument is a symbol of the historic kinship of the Indigenous Peoples
and Moro in Mindanao who existed as First Nations inhabiting their
respective ancestral territories duly covered by traditional peace pacts
and treaties long before the colonial era.”
The
Reaffirmation of Kinship Ceremony began a new chapter in Mindanao’s
history as the Moro and the IP’s come together to uphold the ancient
kinship of their ancestors and acknowledge the traditional peace pacts
made long before the colonial era. The Ceremony marked a new way forward
for sustainable peace in Mindanao – a peace built since time immemorial
by a common ancestry – a relationship that today, the tribal leaders
have embraced once more.
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Jun Aparece, Media/Communications Officer, Email Address: junaparece@mpc.org.ph, Mobile: 0920-276-2676
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This historic ceremony is documented by Mindanao Peoples Caucus, in partnership with the Peacebuilders Community led by Angie Lederach.
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