Kasapa Dos People. Meet Umayamnon Folks from Agusan del Norte

by Florian Faith Jr. and D. Paghubasan

Butuan City Agusan del Norte | Philippine Information Agency:  Umayamnon! This is what the people are called in Kasapa Dos. Umayamnon is taken from the river called Umayam. In its riverbanks is where the people lived until they became a sitio and then a barangay. Mainly dependent to their environment, an Umayamnon relies on the food that can be found around them like corn and root crops.

The Umayamnons of Kasapa Dos belongs to the Manobo ethnic group. To honor their god and prevent their tribe from experiencing bad luck, they gather at least once a year and worship beside the river by offering a native chicken. They have their tribal chieftain who leads ceremonial activities like weddings and burials and arbitrate disputes of the community.

Situated in the mountain of La Paz, Kasapa Dos was not spared from insurgency-related conflicts. To save themselves from danger and chaos, the residents of Brgy. Kasapa Dos in La Paz, Agusan del Sur has desperately moved out from their ancestral home. However, earnest in protecting their precious ancestral domain, seventy percent (70%) of them transferred to Kalampayan, a sitio 3 kilometers from Kasapa Dos and the rest moved to Purok 4, Selco of Brgy. Panagangan.

This exodus has led to separated families and clans. Distraughtly trying to save every single belonging they can carry with them, most of them brought their domestic animals and some herbs. And while pulling their pigs and goats, as others were riding on their carabaos, the only thing they couldn't bring with them is their land.

Endowed with talent in beadwork, Umayamnons make necklaces, bracelets, and other accessories made from Chinese bamboo for their own consumption. Every accessory has its own design that corresponds to a certain meaning. Men and women of the community have been endowed with this ingenuity. It has been a part of their culture and a significant part of their clothing. They believed that wearing these accessories constantly reminds them that they belong to their group. The men and even some of the women don't wear anything on top aside from those necklaces and accessories. Their lives in Kasapa Dos were simple.

But reality is sometimes bitter. Fate turned its wheels from the Umayamnon.

After leaving the land they thought would be the place for their deathbed, their life became miserable. As settlers, they received hostile treatment from the residents. Unable to adapt to the new environment, farming as the only means of living was very difficult. They could hardly taste their crops because the natives claimed ownership of the land they tilled. True enough, the natives harvest their crops leaving nothing for them to eat. For them, eating three times a day is a luxury. They usually have one meal a day. Believing that the government has no place for them, it was needless to beg for mercy.

But their datu, Manbandayan Melvin G. Pundog who was very resistant to the government for fear of discrimination has already revealed his willingness to consider it and hopes for some assistance. However, fearful that the government will influence their culture and practices, still the community hesitated to participate to government-initiated activities. Even the entry of KALAHI-CIDSS, a flagship anti-poverty program of the Philippine government was met with indifference and skepticism. Their low participation was a result of the farms they need to attend to everyday. They cannot prioritize government-initiated activities due to their everyday struggle of providing food for their families.

Despite this, the government continue to look for programs that could help the people of Kasapa Dos to participate KC activities without affecting their economic activites. The Japan Social Development Fund – Social inclusion Project, better known as JSDF-SIP was the answer. As a complementary facility to the KALAHI-CIDSS project, it identifies what skills are needed to be enhanced for their active involvement and participation in the project.

Talking about skills enhancement, the Umayamnons were just too unmindful about their talent in making necklaces, bracelets, and other accessories. Unaware that their talent could possibly help them to be recipients of the JSDF-SIP project, their creative ability has left undiscovered.

Sometime in uly of 2007, the Umayamnons had their barangay assembly for a brief overview of the project. The JSDF-SIP Participating Learning Facilitator (PLF) for Kasapa Dos is Maribel Verula. She is a resident of Brgy. Sagunto, La Paz who can understand the Manobo dialect. Anticipating that issues will arise, PLF Verula has prepared to let the indigenous People (IP) of Kasapa Dos understand what benefits they could get from participating in the project. Some were defiant and doubtful while others were hopeful. Others would even walk-out in the middle of the meeting. Trying to encourage the people, the PLF's strategy was to bring food during assemblies in order to draw their attention. In this way, participation from the Umayamnons will be quite easy.

After the gruelling task of identifying what project to venture is amenable to all, the Umayamnons finally opted for beadworks. It was raised by one member of the community. After the suggestion was brought up, many were astounded because they were too blind to recognize their own potential. This has awakened the Umayamnons from their long unconscious state of being gifted with such talent. The people showed samples of their works and it was indeed very practical for them to decide for such proposal. Their main objective, that is to uplift their economic well-being and to improve their skills is now a wink away. Through the enhancement of their skills, it will even capacitate the Umayamnon for active community participation. At first, the IPs preferred Bayoy and Suyam making, a native clothing worn by their tribe. But some has protested that it would be hard for them to sell the product in the market and will have less buyers.

Highly expecting to the benefits of the project, a testimony was given by Datu Manbandayan Melvin G. Pundog. He said, "Kaname no onapad no panahon wada pad Governo mig tabang kaname singaman koy og kalepay doy og mahay so manya to konakoy og ka atiman". It means that before when the government has not helped them, they felt bad or unhappy and discouraged because they felt they were deprived from the benefits and opportunities which they too must enjoy.

The entry of the Japan Social Development Fund – Social inclusion Project has helped them realize their place in the government. They realized that it is not too late to trust the government. Being open-minded in all aspects will bear good results.

With a total project cost of P378,000.00, the recipients in Kasapa Dos was trained in the Municipality of La Paz for ten days. A trainer, Margie Abaquieta was hired to provide Skills Training on Handicraft Production, specifically on Beadworks. Certain designs were introduced so that their product could compete in the market. The quality has improved and designs were developed with certain limits in removing certain symbolism of their culture. The material used was not Chinese Bamboo anymore, instead it was purely beads with different varieties of color. But this colourful tiny beads was not new to them, they were very eager to learn and apply the new technique they have learned. According to them, the tiny beads will be their hope to eventually from the bondage of poverty.

The Local Government of La Paz and the barangay LGU has helped them in marketing their products. After the training, an association with twenty-two members mostly women was organized and named: "Umayamnon Manobo Tribal Association". Women are mostly the ones willing to learn and produce necklaces, bracelets, even rings and earings, and other accessories including pen holders, and even cellphone holders. This project has tremendously brought an impact to their way of living, changing their routines instead of staying at home all day and sometimes accomplishing nothing. Children were beginning to learn and help their mothers producing any kind of beadworks. Materials like beads, nylons and locks was not a problem for it was provided to them through the implementing agency, Department of Social Welfare and Development – Caraga.

To further capacitate the Umayamnon's drive for participation, their representatives and officers of their association were invited to the Team Building Seminar and Values Formation Seminar held respectively last September and October 2007 at Balanghai Hotel. It has helped them enrich their culture and enhanced their attitudes towards achieving the objective of their organization which is to gradually take them out of poverty.