Storytelling caravan of Benguet folktales launched

COMMUNITY BILLBOARD
Jennyline S. Tabangcura
(First of two parts)

TINONGDAN, Itogon- From the elder’s mouth to improved folk media, communities now have the chance to hear their time-honored folk stories.

The Department of Development Communication of Benguet State University launched a storytelling caravan based on the folktales published in the book “Ul-ulit Danun/Dad-at edNabaon (Stories of old: A Collection of Benguet Folktales)” at Barangay Tinongdan last February 23- 25. The activity was funded by the BSU-Center for Culture and Arts (BSU-CCA) led by Dr. Maria Luz D. Fang-asan.

Through an inter-agency cooperation with the Local Government Unit of Itogon, Barangay Tinongdan, SDS Computers, and Researchmate Inc., the team composed of BS Development Communication students piloted the storytelling caravan in SitioDomolpos and Lusod, both far-flung communities of Barangay Tinongdan, Itogon.

Ul-ulitDanun/Dad-at edNabaon is the Benguet Edition of Stories of Alapu Project of the Development Communication Society (DCS) of Benguet State University.

This project started in 2005 as an information education communication campaign of cultural stories among school children. It won DCS the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations in the Philippines in 2005.

A total of 700 books will be turned- over to the Benguet Division of the Department of Education this coming March. The publications contain folk stories that have been collected, validated, and processed in the recent years through continuous immersion in different communities of the research team of the Stories of Alapu Project.

Today’s edition titled Ul-ulitDanun/Dad-at edNabaon (Stories of old: A Collection of Benguet Folktales) is published by DCS through the sponsorship of by the Kabenguetan- Toronto.

Technical support was provided by the BSU-DDC, Researchmate Inc. and BSU- Institute of Social Research and Development. To ensure fund generation, the Shelter, Education, Ecology, Disease prevention Service (SEEDS) Inc. will market the book to intended buyers.

On February 13 and 20 copies of the book were turned over to LGU-Itogon aside from 20 copies more that were distributed in Domolpos and Lusod.

Stories of Alapu was conceptualized by the DCS in 2003 to record the folk stories which are slowly forgotten due to the disinterestedness of the youth in knowing the folk stories of their own community vis-à-vis the death of storytellers.

The project believes that folk stories are important because they carry community values, ideas, beliefs, personal experiences, and life- lessons of the indigenous peoples. Retelling them is part of a rich oral tradition that binds the community together.

The storytelling caravan is a campaign strategy that aims to bridge the gap between the elders and the children in a community retelling their folktales through innovative communication strategies.

According to the campaign Project Coordinator Igrelyn P. Pinos-an, the activity aims to come up with an efficient storytelling framework, which could be used for the succeeding similar activities around Benguet.

Moreover, Betty Listino, the Project Leader of the Stories of AlapuBenguet Edition, said that folk media is maximized in storytelling to revitalize our rich oral culture. In addition, the storytelling caravan serves as a channel to return to the communities the stories that have been gathered from them.

During the pilot campaign, the team performed two folk stories through narrative and participative stage plays. One is Tiktik and the Apesang Rock, a legend from Kabayan and Akie and the Maja, an Iowak tribes’ own folktale. These were performed in Ibaloi, a language used by the people of Domolpos and Lusod.

Both communities responded through spontaneous story sharing after the stage show and turn- over of the donated books.

“Spontaneity is an important ingredient of orality and stories are and should be shared in this manner,” says Listino.

She added that to have an effective communication project, it is important to involve the community in all its affairs.

“What we’ve seen is not just a community integrated program but an event that motivated the people to move on their own,” she stressed.

On the other hand, Rainel Lee Aquino, the book artist, observed that the community has its own effort in safeguarding and validating their stories especially if presented by others.

PablitoDenneng, of Domolpos realized that folktales can be shared to the whole community especially the youth through other means, deviating from traditional way of storytelling.

“The community share folk stories during community gatherings and occasions”, he said. “But we have the outright tendency to forget these folklores because we are more than busy working in our fields than contemplating on such stories.”

He also agreed that the folktales can be recorded and transformed into a material that is acceptable by the community. “Unfortunately, we cannot do this on our own,” he added.

This is what made the Domolpos Elementary School PTA president Roy Langag challenge his community folks to support each other in sending their children to school. “It is our responsibility as a community to help each other in providing adequate education to our people especially our children”, he proclaimed.

He stressed that although he is grateful to the BSU team, he said the people in his community must enhance their capability so that they themselves can sustain and pass on to the future generations the lessons that they want to instill through their stories.