Module 1: Tawid Kordilyera 1

UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Political Science

MODULE 1 IN CORDILLERA 101

(CORDILLERA: HISTORY AND SOCIO-CULTURAL HERITAGE)

Course: Cordi 101

Course Title: Cordillera: History and Socio-Cultural Heritage
Course Credits: 3 units
Contact Hours/week: 9 hours
Prerequisite: None
Course Description:
This course explores the interrelation of the Cordillera indigenous peoples
and the wider society. It deals with the various ethnolinguistic groups of the
Cordillera, their issues, struggles, and their present situation and aspirations. It
also develops the skills of the students in integrating various Cordillera IKSP in
their respective degree programs.
Course Outcomes:
At the end of the trimester, the students are expected to have:
1) Define, describe, and identify the indigenous peoples in the region, their
worldview, their development concerns, and their indigenous
knowledge systems and practices (IKSP) that promote sustainability and
environmental justice varied patterns of intergroup relations among
indigenous communities.
2) Evaluate the impact of national land use policies and global
developmental model adopted by the national government on the
indigenous peoples’ food security and resource management, and
communal life.
3) Acquire a broad understanding of the political, legal, socio-cultural and
economic contexts relevant to indigeneity in the Cordillera and in the
Philippines.
4) Develop cultural sensitivity and a reflexive awareness of the connections
between foundational knowledge, situations, cases and their own
circumstances, of how their learning affect and transform them, and of
their responsibilities as members of a multicultural society.

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LESSON 1
HERITAGE AS A PRODUCT

This module introduces you to the meaning of culture and cultural heritage. It
also gives you a brief background of the UN’s recognition of the relevance of
indigenous culture and a brief explanation for the term, Tawid Kordilyera.

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the topic, students are expected to:
1) Define culture, intangible and tangible cultural heritage.
2) Identify and describe examples of the tangible and intangible Tawid
Kordilyera that you viewed in Museo Kordilyera 3D Virtual Museum.

KEY CONCEPTS TO UNDERSTAND:

culture cultural amnesia intangible cultural heritage

tangible cultural heritage Tawid Kordilyera

TEACHING-LEARNING ACTIVITY/LESSON PROPER:

HERITAGE AS A PRODUCT
Culture is defined by UNESCO (Tauli-Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez, 2010) as “the set
of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a
social group that encompasses not only art and literature, but lifestyles, ways of
living together, value systems, traditions, and beliefs.” In a multicultural country like
the Philippines, the national policies of the government from the colonial to post-
colonial period aim to assimilate the minority ethnic groups who are now called
indigenous peoples (IPs), that is, to erode the IPs’ diverse cultures and integrate
them into the culture of the dominant group or ruling class resulting in the varied
forms of resistance by the IPs.
Pressured by the effective lobbying done by the organized IPs from varied
countries, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
recommended the following:
Recognize and respect indigenous distinct culture, history, language and
way of life as an enrichment of the State's cultural identity and to promote
its preservation;
Ensure that members of indigenous peoples are free and equal in dignity
and rights and free from any discrimination, in particular, that based on
indigenous origin and identity;
Provide indigenous peoples with conditions allowing for sustainable
economic and social development compatible with their cultural
characteristics;
Ensure that members of indigenous peoples have equal rights with
respect to effective participation in public life and that no decisions directly
relating to their rights and interests are taken without their informed consent.

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Ensure that indigenous communities can exercise their rights to practice

and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs and to preserve and
practice their languages. (Tauli-Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez, 2010)
The UN report on The State of the World's Indigenous Peoples emphasized that:
Indigenous peoples have rich and diverse cultures based on a profound
relationship with their land and natural resources. Dichotomies such as
nature vs. culture do not exist in indigenous societies. Indigenous peoples do
not see themselves as outside the realm of nature, but as part of nature, and
they have their own specific attachment to their land and territory and own
specific modes of production based on a unique knowledge of their
environment. Nor do indigenous peoples emphasize a radical duality
between the sacred and the mundane as happens in Western culture. In
many indigenous cultures, social and political institutions are part of the
cosmic order, and it is on the basis of their worldview, beliefs, values and
customs that indigenous peoples define their customary laws and norms.
Another salient characteristic of indigenous cultures is that they are based
on a collective perspective. In the same way that indigenous peoples
consider their lands and resources to be collective assets, they see their
cultural values and activities - as function of the group not individuals. (Tauli-
Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez, 2010 )

In 2001, the United Nations Development Program ( UNDP) also recognized the
value of IP culture. It declared that:
… indigenous cultures comprise a heritage of diverse knowledge and ideas
that is a resource for the whole world. As UNDP pursues sustainable human
development, attention has been placed on indigenous peoples largely
owing to their sustainable development practices. This has led to an interest
in indigenous peoples' ways of life, their cultures, sciences, land and resource
management, governance, political and justice systems, knowledge and
healing practices. Recognition of indigenous peoples' assets and traditional
knowledge (such as terrestrial and marine ecosystems, naturally occurring medicines from plants
and insects, cultivated plant varieties, and animal husbandry ) can be helpful to national and
international development. Furthermore, indigenous peoples' continued
existence is a testimony to the sustainability and viability of indigenous
economic production systems, and social and governance practices that
should be supported and enhanced, and most importantly, incorporated
into mainstream development practices. (Tauli-Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez,
2010)

In the same year of 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural
Diversity, which establishes that the guarantee for cultural diversity to flourish is the
respect of human rights. It also elaborates how the right to culture establishes an
enabling environment for cultural diversity (Article 5), and clarifies that cultural
diversity is one of the roots and a factor of development (Article 3) as well as a means
to achieve intellectual, moral, emotional and spiritual existence. Furthermore, it
stresses that "the defence of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable
from respect for human dignity" and reifies "cultural pluralism" which should be
promoted through intercultural exchange and dialogue. Therefore, a commitment
should be made to respect the rights of minorities and indigenous peoples ( Article 4).
(Tauli-Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez, 2010)

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In 2002, the UN Commission on Human Rights, affirmed the preceding

declarations, stating that :
a) each culture has a dignity and value that must be respected and
preserved; that every people has the right and duty to develop its culture;
that states have the primary responsibility to promote the full enjoyment of
cultural rights by everyone and the respect for different cultural identities is
vital for the protection of cultural diversity in the context of globalization, and
that all peoples have the right of self-determination (Stamatopoulou, 2007, as cited
in Tauli-Corpuz, Enkiwe-Abayao, & de Chavez, 2010).

Cultural heritage, as defined by UNESCO (n.d., para. 1) is “both a product and a

process, which provides societies with a wealth of resources that are inherited from
the past, created in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future
generations.” It is a “process” – a selection process – which entails that the
members of the community are creators and transmitters of their own culture.
Responding to the changing times, they are continually engaged in selecting
which elements of their culture are worthy of preservation for the present and future
generations. This is why cultural heritage is considered “our bond to the past,
present, and future.”
Cultural heritage as a product refers to the tangible and intangible creations of
human beings. These two aspects of cultural heritage are defined by UNESCO ( n.d.),
as follows:
Tangible cultural heritage refers to: a) monuments: architectural works,
works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an
archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings, and combinations of
features that are of outstanding value from the point of view of history, art or
science; b) groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings,
which because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the
landscape, are of outstanding value from the point of view of history, art or
science; c) sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and man,
and areas including archaeological sites, which are of outstanding value
from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.
(para. 16)
Intangible cultural heritage refers to those practices, representations,
expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts
and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in
some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. These are
manifested in the following domains: a.) oral traditions and expressions,
including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; b.)
performing arts; c.) social practices, rituals and festive events; d.) knowledge
and practices concerning nature and the universe; e.) traditional
craftsmanship. (para. 19)
UNESCO explains why it promotes the study, preservation, and management of
cultural heritage.
The notion of heritage is important for culture and development insofar as
it constitutes the ‘cultural capital’ of contemporary societies. It contributes
to the continual revalorization of cultures and identities and it is an important
vehicle for the transmission of expertise, skills, and knowledge between
generations. It also provides inspiration for creativity and innovation, which

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result in contemporary and future cultural products. Cultural heritage holds

the potential of promoting access to and enjoyment of cultural diversity. It
can also enrich social capital by shaping an individual and collective sense
of belonging, which helps supporting social and territorial cohesion.
Moreover, cultural heritage has acquired great economic significance for
the tourism sector in many countries, while at the same time engendering
new challenges for its conservation. (para. 3)
Cordillera Heritage or Tawid Kordilyera. Cordillera refers to the region that is
composed of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, the chartered city of
Baguio, Ifugao, Kalinga and its component city of Tabuk, and Mountain Province.
The ethnolinguistic groups that reside in the region are called Cordillerans, their
regional identity. While the Cordillerans are composed of diverse ethnolinguistic
groups, the term Tawid Kordilyera is conveniently adopted to refer to the shared
history and similar tangible and intangible culture of these diverse groups. As
Yangyang, Ngohayon, and Anduyan, Jr. (2023) explained, Tawid Kordilyera is “the
knowledge systems, practices, settlements, and institutions that have been
developed since time immemorial, that may be advanced … that are
safeguarded for the future by the people who ascribed themselves as
Cordillerans.” (p.7)
Studying cultural heritage does not only help us become aware of our cultural
roots as Filipinos but also will help us combat cultural amnesia which Harvard.edu
(2021) defines as:
… the abandonment of tradition, heritage, community, and landscape that
occurs when societies have their history and heritage manipulated and
targeted by groups that have the ability to exert a certain sense of power or
control over them. It is the loss of collective memory that once bound a
community or a people together and strengthened their bonds and sense
of identity…
Cultural amnesia can permeate a society’s social structure following the
destruction or repurposing of sacred and culturally significant sites/relics. The
Material culture of a country, religion, ethnicity, or other social grouping is
foundational when it comes to the preservation and protection of tradition,
practice, and real heritage. By hijacking the visual and material culture of a
group, governments and other entities hold the power to manipulate or
even erase values and symbols that may have been held by a community
for countless generations. (para. 1, 4)

ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITY/OUTCOME:
For you to appreciate examples of the tangible and intangible Tawid Kordilyera,
visit Museo Kordilyera in this link: https://museokordilyera.upb.edu.ph/
Click Collections and then Exhibitions. Learn from the photos and videos. After
this, move your cursor to the bottom part of Museo Kordilyera’s homepage and
click View More under Museo Kordilyera 3D Virtual Museum. Enjoy your virtual visit.
Click each item to read the description.

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REFLECTION:
a. Significance of cultural identity.
b. Tangible and intangible cultural heritage of your ethnolinguistic group that
are worth preserving.
c. Forgotten or lost tangible and intangible cultural heritage of your
ethnolinguistic group and the effects of such loss on your community.

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