On the acceptability of the word 'Tribu' among ethnic groups in Luzon

In my language group (Kalanguya--Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, Ifugao, Pangasinan provinces), the early translators opted to borrow 'tribu' from Ilocano to translate the 12 tribes of Israel.  We do have words (poli, bonat) which are roughly synonymous to the Tagalog 'lahi, angkan' but their range of meaning is wider than the 'tribe' term as intended in Hebrew.  "Poli" can  also mean customs, superstitions, traditions, animistic beliefs, while "bonat" usually  mean descendants or relatives. So to limit the meaning of 'poli' to a group of people descended from a common forefather', we use its verb form (inpoli ni hi Jacob), because to only say 'poli ni hi Jacob' would be confusing specially without context. (It could be understood as 'the superstitious beliefs of Jacob).  We say "hawal ni dowan tribun Israel (the 12 tribes of Israel)" and/or "waday hawal ni dowan tribu ni inpoli ni hi Jacob  (there are 12 tribes that Jacob 'offsprang' (hehe, I know that's not a word but you know what I mean:  'There are 12 tribes that descended from Jacob,' but that is not a very accurate BT. :-)

The OT translators of Ibaloi chose not to use 'tribu' for pragmatic reasons.  According to their survey,  most of their readers derived their understanding of the word tribu from the label "Tribu dagiti Igorot" (Igorot tribes). This includes almost all Cordillera ethnic groups (Kalanguya, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Balangao, Bontoc, Barlig, etc.)-- ethnolinguistic groups that have their own language that is not mutually intelligible to one another among the Igorot subgroups except when learned.  So when the Ibalois used tribu for the 12 tribes of Israel, the unchurched readers they surveyed thought that each of these 12 tribes has its own language, like the Igorots do.  So they changed 'tribu' to their word for 'lahi.'

As for whether or not, we tribespeople here in  northern Luzon find 'tribu' to be  pejorative, I have observed that culture, age, education, and lowland exposure are factors that contributes to its un- or acceptability.  One common experience of my generation, at least in the Kalanguya tribe,  was that in the early 80s to the mid-90s, we would not volunteer to tell anyone that we are tribal people because we grew up listening to our lowlander teachers make fun of those words and by extension, our ethnic-group.  This was by saying things like, "Hay naku, masyado n'yo namang pinahahalata na tribu talaga kayo! Magsuklay nga kayo! ('Goodness! Why do you make it too obvious that you are tribal-people! Will you comb your hair!) They say this to us when we come to school unkempt or without first taking a shower;  also by using our tribal name (Igollot/Igorot) as substitute for expletives.

As a young high school student in the city, I made the mistake of outrightly saying that I am from a tribu called Igorot and then my Tagalog classmates started to call me names such as 'taga-bundok (a mountain-person, mangyan sa norte (mangyan in the north), and ask me questions like, "Anong kinakain ng mga Igorot? Marunong ba kayong magluto? (What do Igorots eat? Do you (Igorots) know how to cook?) --implying that maybe we spear fish in the river or hunt monkeys in the forest and eat them raw. They also said to me things like 'marunong din palang magtinidor ang Igorot' (Oh, I didn't know Igorots know how to use a fork!) When I came home, I compared notes with my batchmates in Elementary school who also studied in the lowlands and I found out their experiences mostly mirrored mine.

Another comment that we Igorots commonly hear from lowanders is this, "Oh? Parang hindi ka naman Igorot! Baka naman half-half ka lang! (Oh? You don't look/sound like an Igorot. You probably are not  pure-blooded!)  My sister's Ilocano classmates in senior high told her this, when they heard her speak fluent Ilocano and Tagalog, and they learned that she is a tribal girl but was able to get herself in the highest section where the supposed academically excellent students belong.  There was also an Igorot woman, introduced by her husband to his Cebuano relative and the relative said, "Sigurado ka bang tribu ka? Hindi ka naman mukhang  Igorot? (Are you sure you're a tribal-person? You don't look anything like an Igorot!")

Because of these usual comments from our lowland friends,  Kalanguya young people (elementary and  high school) used to not go out of their way admitting that they belong to a so-called tribu, some even deny it and speak the LWC all the time and dress up like lowlanders.

The  generation of my parents does not try to deny or deliberately hide who they are but they are aware of the discrimination so as soon as their child starts to talk, they'd talk to them in Ilocano or Tagalog.  Some who know a bit of English would even try to teach their children to speak English, not really to deny who they are but mostly for their children to have a little bit of an edge when they go to the lowlands as in, 'Yes, my child is a tribal girl/boy, but look, s/he is able to speak three languages!'

Personally, I stopped cringing at being called tribu, Igorota/taga-bundok when I was in university and was exposed to Ifugaos, Bontocs, Kankanaeys and other Igorot subtribes. They do not seem to have the kind of inferiority complex most Kalanguya and some Ibalois I know have. If they have experienced any discrimination, they chose to ignore it or rise above it.  They identify themselves right away in a group as a tribal person from this particular place. Most of them are outspoken and are not afraid to express their minds even in halting English or the so-called adulterated Tagalog. Some of them would even deliberately talk to you in their language and if you cannot figure out what they are saying, then that is your problem. :-)

It seems that the big change in the Kalanguya and Ibaloi in terms of accepting the label tribu and Igorot gradually came about in the last three decades. More and more Igorots are embracing and owning up to their tribal identity with pride and dignity. One example of this is that in early 2008, people in Baguio started to 'wear' their Igorotness.  T-shirts with the word "IGOROTAK (I am an Igorot) printed in bold letters across the front became a bestseller.  Igorots from other provinces (Nueva Vizcaya, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet) caught the fever and almost every young person I know in my village and nearby villages own a shirt like that. During gatherings of mixed participants, people introduce themselves with statements like, "Siak ni kastoy. Sikami diyay kunkunada nga tribu. Igorotak." (My name is so and so. We are those that people call tribal-people. I am an Igorot.)  Because of the constructions of farm-to-market roads, Kalanguya tribu-people moved to the lowlands in droves to establish their own businesses, mostly vegetable-buying-and-selling.  This was also the time when inter-cultural marriages between highlanders and lowlanders became widely-acceptable.

The people I asked (teachers, college students, parents) said that they decided to accept the terms tribu and  Igorot although these were labels that have been used to derogate or 'put them in their place,' so to speak, often-times used by other people-group to mean uncivilized, unhygeinic, illiterate or having low-education,  because they now understand  that it is easier to redeem a word or change the perception of people about oneself by showing them who one really is, than to force them to call you by a different name.

My experience working with the Agtas of Palanan, Isabela, although very limited, made me conclude that they also accept being called tribu or katutubo, although they do not really refer to themselves that way. They understand it as just a way for outsiders to identify them as a unique group of people. The funny thing is that they laughed at me when I told them that I am also a 'tribu.' I found out that their understanding of tribu (or the reason that  people from outside call them tribu or katutubo) has to do with skin color.  So since my skin is the same color as their so-called 'mga puti (white people which is the label they use to refer to the people residing in the lowlands of their town), to them, I could not be a 'tribu' person.

At the risk of too much generalizing, l would say in conclusion that as members of our tribe gain more exposure to the wider Philippine society, as many are getting more education, and as they mature and gain a wider understanding about their social identity as a people,  they find it easier to embrace the tribu-label with a bit of the 'Yes-I-am-a-tribal-person-but-look-at-what-I-have-become/accomplished' pride.  So yes, here in the north, most of us do not get offended when we are called 'mga tribung-Igorot.'




mY Synapses...

Comments

Kayni said…
Very interesting observation and take. Growing up in Kalinga where we, Kankanna-eys, were a minority, I also experienced being made fun of the other Kalinga tribes. For a kid, it's a confidence killer, but as I dealt more with the teasing and jokes, I also realized how special my ethnic identity is. I made sure I appreciated what my grandparents passed down to me and to this day, I'm still proud to be Kankanna-ey.
G said…
Thank you sis for leaving a comment.. kumusta ka na?

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