I remember attending a book launch in the UK many years ago and the author said that if you take a lot of information from different people and reference it then your book is "well researched" whereas if you take it only from one source with no acknowledgement it is Plagiarism!
Well the British Kabayan is proud to say that his blogs are well researched and properly referenced. As you would expect having tried to explain the concept of Plagiarism to Bahrainis for the last 11 years!
In preparation for my move to Palawan in February 2021 I have been doing a lot of research on my new home and came across a talented schoolboy and a Teacher with a heart of gold. I will tell you about the Teacher in another Blog but in this Blog I want to introduce you to a talented young man called Arjen Abubakar. I first read about him in Palawan news online and then tracked him down through Facebook. You can read about him by clicking the link below:
I asked if he would paint a picture for my new house, and when he broke the
screen on his smart phone I sent some money to Jhoanna to give to him to repair it. In return he agreed, not only to paint me a picture ( a big painting about the art and culture of all the tribes of Palawan - size 7x6 feet) but also contribute to this Blog.
He later wrote to say that his aunt came from Cuyo, and she said she would help him with the blog because she knows a lot about our tribe. He asked if I could give him some questions to answer. As I was busy at the time I asked my friend Pav in Canada and she came up with 10 questions for him to answer.
Before he answered the questions he wanted to tell you all a little about himself
"I am Arjen Sibuyan Abubakar.
I am 16 years old. I am a Muslim and my religion is Islam, My tribes are Ubian and Cuyonon. My father is Ubian and my mother is Cuyonon, I don't know much about their tribes because I did not grew up in their place.
I don't speak the Cuyonon language very well because I am used to using Tagalog every day. I understand Cuyonon because that is what my mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin use. In Cuyonon language they speak very fast.
In food they are fond of sweets and these are some of their foods. First is the buti-buti , kalamay and tanguli. The "Buti-buti" is made of red or brown rice and mixed with sugar dissolved in a pot and added a little water then added and mixed with crushed rice as a sweetener and then molded by hands ball, the size of a golf ball.
"Tanggoli" is sweet and liquid like honey from the Buri tree, it is used as a sauce of stewed cassava or banana. "Kalamay" is continuous boiling until it thickens and pours it into coconut shell molds until it dries. Every time my Aunts or Uncles come home to us from Cuyo they give me Kalamay and Buti-buti , sometimes even Tangoli.
In Cuyunon you will notice that the most religious of them are Christian. However I am not Christian because Mama married Papa and Papa is a follower of Islam. So we are followers of Islam and Mama also because she converted to Islam. My grandparents here are Christian and they celebrate Christmas and New Year and so on. Christians celebrate like Cuyonon.
Most Cuyunons have beautiful voices. Some of their songs are tarinting, tuting, kingking, layang pasyak and many more. These songs are also taught in schools so most people know them. Even if they not Cuyunon they still know these songs.
The Cuyunons will notice the politeness. They always "mano" with the elders and use the word po and opo why they will be happy to be part of this tribe because they are kind and respectful to each other"
So that is Arjen and now here he is, with help from his Tita, in conversation with Pav:
1) Please define what it means to be part of the ‘indigenous tribes of Palawan’?
Cuyunon refers to an indigenous ethnic group populating the Cuyo islands
along the northern and central Palawan.Cuyunon hail originally from Cuyo and the
surrounding Cuyo islands and islets in the northern Sulu Sea to the north east of
Palawan
Cuyunon language is closely related to Kinaray-a in Panay, very few Cuyunons
actually live or speak Cuyunon in panay,they insisted settled west to the island of
Palawan where the indigenous is closely associated now, this being the province
of Palawan declared Cuyunon as its official language.
The meaning of being a part of this indigenous group is very delightful. Cuyunon
are always humble and helpful to each other. They are very cheerful and religious.
2) How are these tribes different to those we know as Filipinos?
Cuyunon has a different culture and Tradition. When it comes to family tradition,
parents motivate their children to be a God centered .They always go and visit
church on Sundays. Cuyunon also celebrate Fiesta or Fiest of their patron. In this
activity all families are gathered at the church to attend the Mass and after that
they will go back to their house for a small get together.
3) Is there a specific regulation or law governing these tribes?
So far there is no specific law and regulation governing this tribe.
4) What is a typical day in the life of these tribes?
The most typical day of the life of Cuyonon is Sunday . Cuyunon are a very
religious tribe. They never miss attendending Mass in their Churches.
5) What are the main goals for these tribes?
The goal is to preserve their culture and tradition.
6) What are the indigenous practices (including religion and beliefs)?
Cuyonon are very religious people. They attend Mass celebration every Sunday
and celebrate the Fiesta of their patron .They also do the “Orasyon” every 6:00
am and 6:00 pm daily . They believe that being God centered will make their
family stronger.
7) What makes your tribe different to the others?
Our tribe is different to the others because of the beliefs,traditions and cultures of
the people
8) What are the typical phrases you use when greeting people?
The typical phrase I use whenever I greet people is “Mayad na adlaw “ which
means "Good day" and “mano po” which is a handshake but you offer the hand
to their head and ask their blessing . I always use the word “po and opo” as a sign
of respect .
9) If I was to come and stay in your village for a few days, what activities could I be involved with and what would my living quarters look like?
The activities that you may get involved with is the celebration of Fiesta. As I said
above ,Cuyonon are very cheerful and you will really enjoy the presence of the
Cuyonon during the celebration . Most of the houses of Cuyonon are built using
‘kawayan” or bamboo . We call their houses “Bahay Kubo”
Bahay Kubo at LVF in Puerto Princessa 10) What are your dreams and what plan do you have in place to make them a reality?
My only one dream for this place is to help preserved the culture and tradition of
the Cuyonon through painting . I hope that my painting will be helpful not only
today but in the future generations.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I did researching it and don't forget , if you want to buy one of Arjen's amazing paintings to contact him through Facebook or his email is:
ArjenAbubakar25@gmail.com
I just want to add that I have spent maybe a month working in this Blog with Arjen with almost daily emails/ Facebook messages. Jhoanna also met him, on my behalf, in Puerto Princesa to give him the money to get his phone repaired and confirmed what a nice guy he is. Sometimes I have to remind myself he is only 16 and English is his third language after Tagalog and Cuyunon. He sent me several photos of his notebooks where he had written the questions and his responses, which he then translated into English and emailed to me. This was done on Christmas Eve when his mum and brothers went back to the provinces and he was left alone in their house. He worked late into the night until he was too tired and always sent me messages of apology for the delay in completing the blog. I hope you will agree with the this is an exceptional young man trying to preserve the heritage of his tribe.
I am really looking forward to meeting him in Palawan, buying his art, and supporting him in the future. Please let me know what you think in the comments or by email and I will pass them all onto this talented young man. I hope we can hear more from him in the future on the British Kabayan Blog.
All that remains is for me to thank Pav for her questions, Arjen and his Aunt for answering, Palawan News for sharing this talented young man with the world, Jhoanna for delivering the money to fix Arjen's phone and Chester for fixing a technical hitch on the blog!
Ingat Palagi
Kita Kits
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Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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