Safeguarding Indigenous Practices in the Family, Education, Agriculture, and Forest Conservation among the Ifugaos in the Philippines

Abstract

Background and Objectives:  Indigenous Peoples (IPs) have a unique and vast wealth of traditional knowledge, practices, and beliefs. However, IPs from across the globe continue to experience discrimination, environmental destruction, deprivation, exploitation,  and other problems.  Therefore, this research aims to identify the extent to which indigenous knowledge has been practiced among the Ifugaos, specifically those who are parents of children at the elementary and high school levels.  The study examines both past and present generations about the practice of indigenous knowledge in the areas of family, education, agriculture, and forest conservation.  Consequently, the problems encountered by these parents in the promotion and preservation of indigenous practices were determined.

Methodology: The survey method was used and data were collected through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, such as mean, were utilized to determine the extent of the parents’ indigenous practices in the areas of family, education, agriculture, and forest conservation. Significant differences in the use of indigenous practices between the past and present were accounted for by the use of the t-test.

Main   Results:   Findings revealed that the Ifugao families practice their indigenous marriage and parenting roles frequently in both the past and present. Children in the past often observed traditional practices, however children today only sometimes practice them. A decline in indigenous practices in education, agriculture, and forest conservation is evident today. Factors contributing to the abandonment of cultural traditions include diminishing family values, children’s disinterest in education, fading traditional agricultural practices, and the denuding and destruction of forests.

Discussions: The Ifugaos are family oriented and concerned with maintaining relationships. At the same time, they would like to ensure that new couples are economically secure. Children help their parents and siblings perform agricultural tasks and rituals, which indicates they are values-oriented. However, there is a need to strengthen this orientation in order to preserve it. Parents now send their children away from home for school, unlike before. Indigenous agricultural and forest conservation practices are vanishing as the Ifugaos embrace the use of modernized farming technologies.  Family problems, the disappearance of traditional agricultural practices, forest destruction, and the balding of mountains continues.

Conclusions:  The Ifugao people live in harmony with the environment and have a profound cultural heritage. Their indigenous knowledge and practices have directly contributed to both biological and cultural preservation and promotion. Parents and children have distinct cultural roles to play in perpetuating the family. Education, which was a challenge in the past, has now become a priority for parents.  Evidence of agricultural and forest conservation practices like the Ifugao Rice Terraces (IRT) and the ethnic muyung  system showcase the best practices of the Ifugaos in conserving biodiversity, reforestation, and environmental protection. However, evidence suggests that indigenous practices among the Ifugaos in the areas of family, education, agriculture, and forest conservation have changed in recent generations. These practices have become threatened by social and economic changes, modernization and technology, and the dwindling interest of the younger generation. This implies there is a need to safeguard indigenous practices that are relevant to today's generation. Careful attention needs to be paid to the inclusion of traditional knowledge and practices in the elementary and secondary levels.