Thursday, July 29, 2010

Mangyan Treasures by Antoon Postma

Mangyan Treasures by Antoon Postma 
From the Introduction.  The Philippines is blessed with the riches and wealth of poetry in many styles and variations, to be found among the multitude of Major and Minor Ethnic Groups living scattered within this archipelago. The collection of indigenous poetry hereby presented is proudly possessed by a small Ethnic Group of Mindoro, occupying the southern portion of the Island and usually referred to as the Hanunoo-Mangyans.

They are one of the seven different Mangyan tribes that are inhabiting the upland areas of Mindoro, and the reason for focusing on this particular group, is the simple fact that I have had the privilege of staying with them for the past 45 years.

Guide on Climate Change & Indigenous People 2e TEBTEBBA

Guide on Climate Change & Indigenous People. TEBTEBBA.  From the Introduction. The severity of the impacts of climate change and mitigation processes on indigenous peoples and the complex negotiating processes around climate change compels us to have a basic understanding of climate change and the policies and actions being taken to address it. We, indigenous peoples, have long observed and adapted to the climatic changes in our communities for tens of thousands of years. Because of our sustainable lifestyles and our struggles against deforestation and against oil and gas extraction, we have significantly contributed in keeping gigatonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the ground and in the trees.

However, the extent and magnitude of present-day climate change seriously challenges our capacities to cope and adapt. Many of the environmental challenges we face, be these climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, etc., are caused not by our own actions but mainly by the dominant societies in developed countries, who are incessantly pursuing a development path of unsustainable production and consumption.