Our Igorot brothers and sisters in London appear to be doing something right in the public relations department since they have had some good reports written about them. Admittedly, these reports are a bit old but they still remain relevant. After all, its not often that we come across reports of our fellow Igorots who are living overseas.
Anyways, here are some interesting reports about Igorots in the United Kingdom. First, an Igorot wedding is featured in the website of the Philippine embassy in London (A Wedding in the Cordillera Skyworld). At right is a picture of the newly-weds (Wendy Balagtey Pooten and Mark Sapaen Watan). The article nicely details the different rituals conducted in a traditional wedding.
Then the 4th Igorot International Consultation which was held in London got a good press coverage in what appears to be another embassy website.
Finally, Igorot-UK was profiled in the website of Cultural Cooperation, “an independent London-based arts & education charity with an unparalleled 20-year track record of promoting cross-cultural contact, dialogue and understanding.”
Here’s a quote about Igorot-UK from said profile: “The group appear regularly at community gatherings and have also performed at a number of festivals around the country, including Kent, Hounslow and Bournemouth. With the next generation beginning to take part, Igorot UK has given the Igorot community in the UK more than just the preservation of musical tradition, as [Chair Conchita] Pooten says, ‘The culture is something to lean on… a part of our own well-being’.”
Incidentally, Igorot-UK now has a new set of officers according to a post in the yahoogroup Ipidlisans Id Canada (which you can inexplicably access even if you are not a member). Here’s the list of officers who will be leading the organization in the next few years: President – William Solang; Vice – Robert Balagtey; Secretary – Florence Maliseg Doclis and Amy Ngodcho Pooten; Treasuer – Therese Pas-iwen Bangsoy and Shallone Day-asen Bal-o; Auditor – Alfonso Pelingen and Alfonso Tayaben; PRO – Diana Congowan De Jesus; Business Managers – Joseph Punasen and Louie Calde.
Why they need two secretaries, two treasurers, two auditors, and two business managers is beyond me. Maybe it speaks of the dynamism of the organization; a dynamic organization has much work to do and this naturally demands more people. Congratulations, Igorots in UK.
RELATED POSTS: The Filipino Story of Our Time; Freedom Loving Kalingas and Apayaos. PHOTO CREDITS: The Philippine Embassy in London; this website; and Cultural Cooperation.
“HUWAG NATIN MALIITIN ANG MGA IGOROT!!! WHY? THAT IS WHERE THE”CRADLE OF FILIPINO CIVLIZATION WAS BORN” KUNG HINDI DAHIL SA KANILA WALA ANG TUNAY NA KULTURA NATING MGA PILIPINO. THEY ARE WHAT YOU CALL “THE TRUE FILIPINOS” 🙂
I am very proud of being Igorot. Sadly there are some who already identify themselves as ilocanos.Perhaps because a lot of questions are asked if new tells people they are igorot. For example. Saan yon? May bahag nga ba sila? apaano sila nakapunta sa maynila? as if talagang walang wala tayong kakayahan. OMG. Forgive people.
Hi guys, also join our community, http://igorotage.com . Igorotage is a simple yet awesome Igorot community and an out of the box solution to help promote the Igorot identity, the culture and the Cordillera.