Project Report - La Trobe University

Opposite top: at our July 3, 2009 celebration and
project presentation in Chananaw, Maria gives Rubfin
(Rufina) Liyaban the first look at book 21, the story of
Kimfangunan, the pregnant woman who wanted to
become tattooed. This book was illustrated by an
Ichananaw, Rubfin’s son-in-law Randy Oplay.
Opposite center: the presentation of educational
materials on July 3, 2009 was preceded and followed by
dancing and beating of gongs. We joined in, Maria
dancing with the women and Edwin beating a gong.
Opposite bottom: at the Australian Embassy’s NAIDOC
Week event on July 10, 2009 Ichananaw project
supervisor Agom (Arlene) Dawing (center) met for the
first time project partner Ateneo Center for Educational
Development’s Managing Director, Carmela C. Oracion
(left). Here, they pose for the media with the Charge
d’Affaires Steven Scott and VIPs from the government
and non-government sectors which work with
indigenous peoples.
Below: also on July 3, 2009, Agom (Arlene) Dawing
(second from left in the foreground) and Maria (center,
holding a stack of books) explain what the Ichananaw
Children’s Storybooks are to the assembled community.
Agom points to the first book in the series of 21, the
story of the magic Filluruu shell, explaining that it was
retold by Fai (Ernesta) Aga-id (left) and illustrated
voluntarily by a Filipino artist, Lesley Lim.
Indigenizing Education in a Kalinga Public School | 20
almost all of the teachers, along with other
Ichananaws. This was useful in that it gave the
teachers an example of an alternative teaching
method they may wish to apply, to deal with the
problems they face with having to teach in English
and Filipino while the schools’ pupils start out only
speaking their indigenous language, Chinananaw.
Also, we hope that this initial opportunity to meet
marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship
between Gloria and the school. As the seminar was
conducted in the summer, and the new school year
has only just started, it is still too early to see any
changes within the school as a result of this
exposure, but we received positive feedback from
the teachers at the end of the seminar.
Initiated a community-wide census
In response to the barangay captain’s request,
Maria designed and initiated a barangay-wide
census, the results of which would benefit the
barangay, the barangay health clinic and the
school. In April and May 2009, half the households
were surveyed by Maria, with assistance from
several Ichananaws. In late May 2009, Maria
trained the barangay midwife Manay (Marcelina)
Sagmayaw in the surveying technique, enabling
her to complete the census. Maria hopes to provide
the community with an interim report on the
findings to date, to be communicated via email.