MALAYBALAY CITY — Two ancestral domains in Barangay Dalwangan, Malaybalay City — Bukidnon-Daraghuyan and Bukidnon-Baleteon — not only lie adjacent to each other. Like many other Lumads or indigenous peoples of Mindanao, their inhabitants share similar histories of dispossession and neglect. Yet, by drawing strength from their culture they have managed to assert their primordial rights to the land of their ancestors.
Baleteon got its name from balete, a tree that thrived in the area. Believing them to be havens of different spirits, the early inhabitants performed rituals before the gigantic trees and concocted medicines from their bark. But the trees had disappeared due to wanton cutting.Decades ago, the Bukidnon-Daraghuyan tribe used to settle in sitio Sanggaya, Dalwangan.
Life goes slow for residents of Baleteon in Dalwangan, Malaybalay City. MindaNews file photo by H. MARCOS C. MORDENO All that may sound simplistic, but it revealed that foremost in their minds is survival, food security to be exact. They also saw the need to educate themselves “aron dili na mabentahaan” . However, most households could only send their children to elementary. Going to high school and college means more expenses .An opportunity came after KIN staffer Grace Ganache and Dutch volunteer Emma van Opstal initiated a fundraising for educational assistance.
Members of the Bukidnon-Baleteon tribe learn the techniques of honey production using stingless bees locally known as “kyut” at the Umanika Eco-Cultural Farm in Malaybalay City. MindaNews file photo by H. MARCOS C. MORDENO
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