Doing What It Takes to Move On from the Effects of the Mistakes of Our Esteemed Ancestors
I copy-pasted the exchange of postings among those who shared feedback and myself after an old picture of the Ifugao Rice Terraces was posted on Facebook by the administrators of one of the many pages found in the site. Don't get me wrong but I thought the picture and its description unwittingly looked down on the native (but not exactly unadulterated) culture of these mountain tribes, some members of whom I like to believe are linked to me by blood (I had a paternal grandmother who was a member of the Isnegs, one of those tribes in the highlands of Luzon, the Philippines' biggest island). I remember being laughed at by my classmates in MBA school when I casually pointed out to them part of my heritage---it was offensive, honestly, that they had to behave that way, considering that most of them are members of Philippine elitist society. But I think a lot of people are learning better these days the value of appreciating one's own heritage, i.e., embracing it for all its faults and defects as well as its endowments, blessings and strengths. I can't be sorry anymore for what they failed to do; I rather use my energy in doing what I can now.
And I had an inkling that the thread would be gone, sooner or later, for some reason. And so I thought I had to share this here to interested readers. Reading through it again, I gained insights on my own efforts to move on from the burden brought about by the 'mistakes' (as those of us who live now have the advantage of hindsight, as we're all looking back, at the expense of those who were ahead of us---what if we were in their shoes?) of my ancestors back in the Philippines, and their colonizers at the turn of the 20th century. I don't want to be apologetic anymore for their mistakes. And I continue to honor their memory. I would have not been here today if they didn't sacrifice that much.
The said thread reads below:
And I had an inkling that the thread would be gone, sooner or later, for some reason. And so I thought I had to share this here to interested readers. Reading through it again, I gained insights on my own efforts to move on from the burden brought about by the 'mistakes' (as those of us who live now have the advantage of hindsight, as we're all looking back, at the expense of those who were ahead of us---what if we were in their shoes?) of my ancestors back in the Philippines, and their colonizers at the turn of the 20th century. I don't want to be apologetic anymore for their mistakes. And I continue to honor their memory. I would have not been here today if they didn't sacrifice that much.
The said thread reads below:
SECTION OF THE WONDERFUL IFUGAO RICE TERRACES [1914]
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"I know it is hard to believe, but up in the mountains of northern Luzon some savages wearing only clouts and spears have built the most colossal terraces in the world. The rice gardens of the Ifugaos, who are counted among the Wild Tribes of the Philippines, form the greatest industrial undertaking in the Islands.
Tier on tier they rise like gigantic steps, from the depths of the canyon to the clouds on the mountain top. In the 800 square miles of Ifugao territory, the length of the supporting walls of these terraces is two and one-half times the circumference of the globe, or about 65,000 miles.
Simple necessity inspired this miglty work. Originally a lowland people, generations ago, the Ifugaos were driven to this mountain stronghold by other Malay tribes. Raising rice at an angle became their specialty.
They built terraces encircling the mountains, supporting them with strong stone walls. They graduated as hydraulic engineers, carrying water for miles and feeding it to the rice patches, the retaining walls allowing about a fot of water to flood the crops. Then they went a step in advance of civilized races by fertilizing the irrigating streams with ashes and decayed vegetable matter. Old gravity did the rest.
After spending days among these people and riding across their country, I decided that, considering their primitive condition, no agricultural achievement in the world can compare with theirs!"
-William Dickson Boyce
United States Colonies and Dependencies
Rand McNally & Company, New York. 1914
--- --- ---
"I know it is hard to believe, but up in the mountains of northern Luzon some savages wearing only clouts and spears have built the most colossal terraces in the world. The rice gardens of the Ifugaos, who are counted among the Wild Tribes of the Philippines, form the greatest industrial undertaking in the Islands.
Tier on tier they rise like gigantic steps, from the depths of the canyon to the clouds on the mountain top. In the 800 square miles of Ifugao territory, the length of the supporting walls of these terraces is two and one-half times the circumference of the globe, or about 65,000 miles.
Simple necessity inspired this miglty work. Originally a lowland people, generations ago, the Ifugaos were driven to this mountain stronghold by other Malay tribes. Raising rice at an angle became their specialty.
They built terraces encircling the mountains, supporting them with strong stone walls. They graduated as hydraulic engineers, carrying water for miles and feeding it to the rice patches, the retaining walls allowing about a fot of water to flood the crops. Then they went a step in advance of civilized races by fertilizing the irrigating streams with ashes and decayed vegetable matter. Old gravity did the rest.
After spending days among these people and riding across their country, I decided that, considering their primitive condition, no agricultural achievement in the world can compare with theirs!"
-William Dickson Boyce
United States Colonies and Dependencies
Rand McNally & Company, New York. 1914
there's something very condescending about his tone, on the way he describes Philippine tribes----& I hope his own tribe will be reduced to nil soon in today's very modern world!
@Jerome Espinosa Baladad & Joy Sol, how narrow minded can you be regarding your statements? There is nothing derogatory about the tone of this article. First and foremost, this came from a news print in an American paper. Which means there is always going to be some sensationalism. Second, you should know by now that any indigenous tribe in those days were called savages. That was just the colloquial word for them back in the day. By the way, the Igorot were headhunters, so by definition of the word, the Igorot could definitely be called savages. However, there is nothing wrong with that and I don't think Boyce (if you knew anything about him) thought anything negative of it. I believe he was simply stating how astounding it is to find such a marvel in what would have been considered one of the most unlikely of places.
Hello Micheal Smith---I don't think u know what u're saying, & I stand by my opinion (whatever u think of it!)...& this is coming from someone like myself who's descended from one of the tribes in that region (my grandma's an Isneg)...I hear a similar tone from u, & u simply don't get it!
Everyone, pls read Michael Smith's comment above. The article was written in the early 2oth century. Nothing derogatory. In fact, he expressed his praised and amazement to what he discovered.
@jerome - what is it about your culture that lends itself so easily to finding an insult behind any and everything? the skin of the indigenous peoples who built these wonderful terraces must have thinned significantly over the years! you talk about "tone", the only tone i perceive comes from you and a handful of others who enjoy this site, who can never accept history the way it was, and in the proper context. like it or not,there was nothing implied from this article except what you wished to see. by the way, america and spain did not destroy your culture... we are part of your culture. stop being such a perpetual victim, its not a flattering trait among the many fine qualities of filipinos.
@Doug---who's being a victim here? & stop treating certain Filipinos as if we're being victimized by people like you. I can't do anything anymore about what happened in the past---it's over (e.g. i don't want to apologize & be sorry why our kind-hearted ancestors allowed foreigners to subjugate local communities then in the Philippines, which was still a very young state then). I'm just saying out loud what i sensed was in that said article---if u don't agree with it, so be it (i'm comfortable with that). but pls stop intellectualizing & analyzing why some of us feel THAT way toward that article (it's for us to handle & deal with, & can't be your problem as most of you anyway are tone-deaf!). There's nothing wrong in Philippine culture, period. Just as there's really NOTHING wrong w/ur culture (I assume u're American, i maybe wrong) even if it's behaving so schizophrenic lately for slowly being dislodged by other economies like China, India, et. al. from its (imaginary) esteemed post.
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