OFELIA PAPO, A 16-year-old Iraya Mangyan, is proud of her culture.

A third year high school student in Puerto Galera town in Oriental Mindoro, she knows her people?s songs and rituals. So when other people portray them wrongly, she sees it as an insult and disrespect.

Papo is one of the indigenous people who met artists from other regions in the country for a cultural exchange on Feb. 6 in Los Baños town in Laguna.

For years, the question of how much artists could use and modify indigenous dances, songs and culture in performances and how much indigenous people could tolerate these persists.

Thus, in commemoration of the National Arts Month, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and Artist Inc. held the ?Sining Makipamuhay.? According to Edward Perez, project director and executive director of Artist Inc., the meeting aims to find a unified basis on the use of culture of indigenous communities in the creation of artistic works.

After all, both indigenous people and contemporary artists have the same goals: To preserve and promote the rich indigenous culture.

Misrepresentation

Commissioner Domingo Bakilan of the NCCA subcommittee on cultural communities and traditional arts, noted a problem of misrepresentation of dances and arts.

?The lesson we see is that those who are part of indigenous communities want to present as much as possible the original dances, while contemporary artists want indigenous people to see how creative artists are when they portray native history or cultural practices,? Bakilan said.

Some of the misrepresentations involved the use of g-strings (used by indigenous men) by women in performances, performances aired on television that exaggerate indigenous dances for entertainment and the use of cultural practices that are sacred rituals.
Papo saw the activity as one way to show artists their real culture.

For example, the Iraya Mangyan observed some aspects in a play that wrongly portray them?from costumes to songs.

Leoncio Banaag, head of the Kapulungan para sa Lupaing Ninuno that comprises the eight Mangyan groups in Mindoro, said the elders were surprised to find that their songs were being used in a play. For them, consultation is important if their culture were to be part of performance.

Banaag said artists should validate what they wanted to portray. ?Artists should feel the essence of what they are doing because it may just be for income,? he said.

?We are really hoping that guidelines will be created that take into consideration the rights of indigenous peoples,? he said.

The same view was shared by Enrigue Moresto, tourism officer of Tublay town in Benguet, who brought Ibaloi children, aged 7 to 14 years, to perform a community dance. ?This would help correct issues, to teach them the proper steps and clothes.?

Artists? limitations

Contemporary artists were eager to know how the indigenous people felt about performances using their culture.

?We became more aware of how far we can go. Our understanding is being widened?we think of the indigenous people and how to respect their culture,? said Peter de Vera, artistic director of the Sinukwan Kapampangan from Pampanga and member of the NCCA dance committee.

The group has done performances based on Aeta dances.

Angel Pinpin, 19, a member of Artist Inc., said she was surprised by the comments of the Iraya Mangyan on their play, but these gave her positive realizations.

?The comments from the indigenous people gave us a better idea of how they should be portrayed. I realized that it?s no longer just a performance but you are presenting a culture.?

Matyline Camfili, chair of the Dap-ayan ti Kultura ti Kordilyera, hoped for a continuing interaction with other artists and indigenous people. Her group performs traditional and contemporary works to increase awareness on the situation of the Cordillera people.

Continuing process

In the discussions and workshops, organizers, artists and indigenous people agreed that the pursuit of a unified stand on the use of indigenous culture in performances did not end there.

They proposed that the subject be made part of the school curriculum; holding of seminars for local governments; reviewing of books released on indigenous culture, dances and songs; immersions in indigenous communities, even during festivals; and the creation of guidelines on the use of indigenous culture.

Through immersion, Bakilan said, the artists would know the reasons behind the dance and occasions and understand indigenous culture deeper.

?The indigenous people would then also understand what the artists are doing and also learn from them about theater and other arts,? he said.

Bakilan underscored the role of the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the local governments in disseminating the right information.

If harmony between artists and indigenous people is attained, he said, indigenous culture and arts will greatly be promoted and honed.