Yagay Sebastian, a Buid leader, is discouraged. “First the lowlanders invaded our land and forced us to move to the highlands and now we might be driven out again,” he says. “Only this time we have nowhere to go.” The Buid, also often spelled Buhid, are one of the seven… Continue reading…
Philippine soldiers are harassing the Buid and the other Mangyan villagers, according to a series of news reports last week, but the indigenous mountain peoples are reacting by reciting their peaceful poetry, called ambahan, to assert their unity and sense of determination. Out of the seven (or some sources say… Continue reading…
While the Buid have traditionally relied on rituals for help in maintaining harmony in their families and communities, they will also turn to them when they are threatened by outsiders, such as the Christian lowlanders who are taking away their lands. Recent news stories about the land conflicts do not… Continue reading…
Facebook and the Buid society in the Philippines both have peaceful cultures based on a surprisingly similar approach to interpersonal relationships. They both foster indirect communication. The comparison is easy to explain. Many people compare socializing on Facebook to having a “water cooler conversation.” There is even a group page… Continue reading…
Father Ewald Dinter, a German priest who has worked with the Mangyan people since the mid-1980s, has received another award for his services. Two years ago, Fr. Dinter was recognized for his contributions to the education of the Buid and the other Mangyan societies on Mindoro Island in the Philippines…. Continue reading…
A major nickel mining project proposed for the mountains of central Mindoro Island was suspended last Friday by the Environmental Secretary of the Philippines due to pressures from protesters. The huge mining operation, projected to cover 11,216.6 hectares, would have a direct impact on the traditional territories of a couple… Continue reading…
Ewald Hauck Dinter, a 70-year old German priest, has been living for 22 years among the Mangyan people of Mindoro Island, learning their customs and even their spoken Buid language. During that time he has gained the trust of the people and become an advocate for opening up educational opportunities… Continue reading…
Most peaceful peoples focus on raising their children to adopt their nonviolence, much as more violent societies emphasize the importance of teaching aggressiveness and the inevitability of warfare. Some of the small-scale, peaceful groups have problems, however, melding their traditional socialization strategies, which teach their youth to uphold proper moral… Continue reading…
A Buid support group claimed last week that a prominent independent film was recently shot on their lands without their express approval. The issue is controversial because the movie is a top contender in a major, upcoming, Filipino film festival. The film, called “Brutus,” was directed by Tara Illenberger and… Continue reading…
The first six photos on the flickr slideshow about the Buid are really charming. In the foreground of the first picture, a man is squatting on the floor of a hut chopping vegetables. Across from him, a young woman holds a small child on her lap, while other people are… Continue reading…
