Kalinga school introduces traditional weaving to younger generation

MANILA, Philippines — A traditional weaving method passed on through generations has been institutionalized as a special course for senior high school students at a school in Lubuagan, Kalinga province.

Students at the stand-alone public senior high school in the municipality of Lubuagan will soon be able to specialize in the traditional method of backstrap weaving or laga, a cultural practice passed on from one generation to? another.

It will be under home economics in the technical-vocational-livelihood track of senior high school students.

The creation of the specialization aims to preserve and enrich the culture of backstrap weaving, according to Georaloy Palao-ay, regional information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Palao-ay said it would also strengthen the indigenous peoples’ education curriculum in the Cordilleras and ensure the sustainability of the weaving technique.

Located 47 kilometers southwest of the provincial capital Tabuk, Lubuagan is known for its Laga Festival that pays tribute to women-weavers and its weaving industry.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Feb. 28 witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DepEd-Kalinga and the Kalinga State University (KSU), TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and the local government of Lubuagan.

Under the agreement, KSU will provide support and expertise in the development of the program, noting that it is the only state-university in the province that has faculty researchers and experts in textile weaving.

The university also has existing patents in weaving.

TESDA will help DepEd-Kalinga draft the terms of reference that will recognize the specialization as a form of community-based training for students.

It will also provide training certificates to students upon graduation.

Meanwhile, the local government of Lubuagan vowed to allow access to resources and facilities to students, including work immersion program, to enable them to have hands-on experience.

It will also help DepEd collaborate with partners within and outside the municipality to maximize efforts of resourcing or assistance.

During the signing, Briones stressed the need to strengthen the integration of indigenous culture to the curriculum.

“We should tell more Filipinos about the people of the Cordilleras because despite the early influences of missionaries like the Protestants, Catholics, Anglicans and Episcopalians, the people here fiercely retained their culture, history and traditions,” Briones said.

Briones was recognized by the Council of Elders as an adopted daughter of Kalinga for her substantial contribution to IPEd, receiving the title “Guinnanayan” which means “tribal queen.”

She cited the importance of striking a balance in the curriculum, noting proposals to reduce subjects on humanities and social sciences to give way to science and technology.

“When will we get our soul? What will make us distinct or unique from other countries? We cannot get our soul from mathematics,” Briones said.

“We get our soul from music, dances, ethics, stories of great and brave heroic men and women, and this is when we know that we are Filipinos,” she added. ?