Aha. We have another letter dealing with the same subject as our previous post. This second letter was written by a Peace Corps volunteer who was once based in Sagada.
The letter goes into details about the iSagada practice of bird catching or “ikik”. Back to the days when I was based in Sagada, I joined people (mga four or five times lang yata) who were going to Mt. Ampakaw to catch these migratory birds. It is exciting at first but it gets tiring because you have to climb this mountain at night and you have to do it during the cold months of the year. If I’m not mistaken this practice is now officially banned by the local government mainly because of the SARS/bird flu scare a few years back and also for environmental purposes. I’m not sure if the ban is effective.
Here’s an interesting letter written in 1974 by a kailiyan from Nueva Vizcaya. It deals with a migratory bird which he saw hanging on a tree; he sent this letter to the organization which was banding birds probably to study their migratory patterns. Hindi kaya kilala ni Gandang Igorota ang ating letter writer?
Imugan, Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya November 11, 1974 100-17217
Read Julia’s blog here. Watch video updates here. Read updates on the case against Juan Duntugan (People vs. Duntugan) here.
UPDATE 18: The Philippine Star has a report on the memorial held for Julia in Fairfax, Virginia: “Between 250 and 300 people, mostly friends and relatives and Peace Corps colleagues including Karl Beck, US Peace Corps Director to Manila, attended the memorial service. Close family members wore leis around their necks to commemorate the time she spent in Hawaii where she attended middle school.”
Our prior coverage on this tragedy can be found here and here.
Update 12 Kalinga leaders condemn the Diasen killing. In a resolution issued by the Provincial Board, the body “strongly condemned the dastardly assassination of Hon. Rommel W. Diasen, expressing singly and collectively the sincerest condolence to his bereaved family and recognizing his outstanding achievement in public service’.” More here.
Our kailiyan Art Tibaldo was kind enough to share with us his article and his photos of the recently concluded Lang-ay Festival in Bontoc, Mt. Province. You can see more of Art’s beautiful Cordillera photos in his website. Thanks Art.
Aha. We have another letter dealing with the same subject as our previous post. This second letter was written by a Peace Corps volunteer who was once based in Sagada.
