Digdiga Festival Highlights Kalinga Indigenous Peoples Month Celebration

Kalinga province is celebrating this year's Indigenous Month Celebration this October with a month-long line-up of activities to be culminated with the celebration of the Diddiga Festival on October 29, 2010.

Spearheaded by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the IP Month celebration with the theme "Daga mi, Kataguan Mi", was formally launched on Oct. 4 at the Provincial Capitol. This was done simultaneously with the launching of the Kalinga Tattoo: Ancient and Modern Expressions of the Tribal authored by Lars Krutak and co-authored by NCIP Kalinga Director Natividad Sugguiyao.

The month-long activities actually started last October 2 with Saint Louis College of Bulanao's launching of the Ecology Club Cultural Contest and a tree planting activity.

On October 5, the Kalinga Apayao State College and the NCIP launched the Kalinga Indigenous Knowledge and Culture Resource Center.

The Kalinga Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) set a province- wide Environment and Community Forum from October 6 to 7. The Local Government of Tabuk., on the other hand, will conduct on October 8 a cultural awareness seminar.

Culminating the events is the Diddiga Festival October 29 to 30 which will be highlighted with the Kalinga Living Museum where there will be day-long activities depicting the life of a traditional Kalinga village from sunrise to sunset.

According to Sugguiyao, lectures on village life will be simultaneously given for the spectators especially the younger generations to understand and appreciate traditional Kalinga living. The people will be given glimpse and lectures on the "bayo" or pounding rice, pottery, "palanus" or hosting of visitors and inandila making.

There will also be a photo exhibit dubbed the "Kalinga Black Line Connection" where a showcase of tattooed men and women from Kalinga will be displayed. Photographers are invited to participate and submit their photos before the event.

Traditional arts and crafts including food items will be made available for the public to buy during the Digdiga Festival. Educators and teachers will also be competing to sing the Ullalim extemporaneously during the "Ullalim Competition."

On October 30 is the "October Rafting Fest" along the Chico River showcasing Kalinga's Natures Best, Sugguiyao said. (ggdumallig/PIA-Kalinga)