Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines - PIKP

21/05/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 🌾🌱

Between the older generation and the youth, modern day advancements and globalization are major challenges to cultural continuity. Intercultural dialogue continues to decline due to these challenges that were meant to bring societies closer together, but are instead pulling people farther from their roots and identity.

In the Cordillera region, this is aggravated by the dwindling hope in the elders in sharing what they know, as well as the limited access youth have to cultural education, the lack of Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) programs, and unfamiliarity with their own ancestral languages and practices. In essence, the values and ways of life that have long defined indigenous communities are at risk of being lost with each passing generation.

Indigenous Food Systems is one cultural avenue that faces such danger. Tilling the soil and caring for the land carry deep cultural meaning, yet farming is increasingly seen as a last resort rather than a calling; youth are rarely encouraged to pursue it as a profession, further widening the gap between communities and their agricultural heritage. In addition, the continued use of commercialized farming inputs with pesticides are harming both the lands, and the culture that sustains its health and wellness.

Youth from various parts of the Cordillera Region are well aware of these gaps, and they feel within them the cry for “homecoming,” where their vibrant culture still stands, and calls for expression.

With the growing interest from the youth and reviving hope from the older generation, Indigenous values and knowledge will remain resilient and will continue to thrive in the coming years.

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Featured: 5 Core Values Zine from youth participants of Umudong 2026, held in St. James High School, Besao, Mt. Province.

Umudong is a cultural immersion program that brings together young Igorots, local elders, and community partners to deepen indigenous knowledge and nurture the next generation of culture bearers. Building on Umudong 2025, the program creates intentional spaces where youth can reconnect with their heritage and translate indigenous values into everyday life. This year’s theme is “Bridging Stories, Carrying Wisdom.”

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𝘉𝘪𝘨𝘢-𝘰 𝘯𝘪 𝘐𝘕𝘈 (𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵; 𝘐𝘕𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 (𝘗𝘐𝘒𝘗), 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥.

21/05/2026

🌿 Today, May 21, we celebrate World Cultural Diversity Day. We honor the ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage that has been passed down by our ancestors throughout the ages.

Tawid tako, salakniban tako.

18/05/2026

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚 🧺🫘🫛

In the Philippine Cordillera region, food has never been just food. For the Indigenous Peoples here, the Bontoc, Ibaloy, Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, and Tinggian, a meal is an everyday expression of a deep relationship with the land. It is the source of food and of life itself.

𝐹𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑆𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝐵𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑

The mountains, rivers, forests, and rice paddies provide a rich source of Cordillera food. Rice is the staple, supplemented by root crops, namely camote, gabi, and cassava, that feed families year-round. Vegetables fill bowls alongside occasional meat. Rivers yield fish, snails, clams, and crabs. The forests provide wild vegetables and foraged ingredients. Nothing goes unused.

The traditional recipes reflect these. There is pinangsot, chinitlug, and binakle, different ways of cooking and preparing rice for different moments and gatherings. There is binongor and dinannaw, dishes built around available greens. There is tengba and hinanglag, preserved foods made to stretch harvest seasons and survive hard times through techniques like smoking, salt-curing, fermenting, and sun-drying.

One elder reflected: "A simple diet of rice and greens with occasional meat is the reason for many of our elders living until they reach one hundred years old."

𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠

Indigenous food knowledge in the Cordillera is grounded in three core values:

Nurturing the Land: Indigenous peoples get their food from all parts of their ecosystems: rice fields, gardens, forests, and waters. This means they bear responsibility for protecting the environment as the source of food and life. The land and its resources should be managed not only for today, but also for generations to come.

Belonging to a Community: Food production and preparation are collective acts. Agricultural work happens through ub-ubbo, a culture of mutual help where community members take turns maintaining community resources and shared properties. The harvest is shared. Seeds are exchanged. Knowledge passes from hand to hand.

Respect for the Unseen: The spiritual relationship between people and nature is woven throughout the food cycle. Before planting and after harvest, communities mark the time with rituals, rest days, and communal feasts. Meat is offered with prayers to the spirits and ancestors. Food is understood as a gift to be honored, not merely a commodity.

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝐹𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑆𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑠

Ub-ubbo has become a culture revered and enjoyed in the Cordillera communities over the years. Through this, communal bonds have become stronger and intact. In recent years, however, labor needed for land cultivation and natural resource preservation decreased due to more young people leaving their communities for education and work.

Synthetic fertilizers replaced the practice of feeding the soil with natural food. Community rituals that synchronized planting became irregular. Market-bought foods replaced what families once grew. Communities that once fed themselves now import much of their food.

However, the knowledge remains, and across the region, people are actively working to revive it.

𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝑀𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑁𝑜𝑤

Cordillera food traditions teach valuable lessons for our time, when people are increasingly disconnected from the sources of their food, and food is increasingly processed and far from nature.

They teach us to value natural food that is healthy, clean, and fit for serving the family and sharing with the community. They teach mindfulness in gathering and preparing food so that nothing is wasted and others have their share. They show how creativity and resourcefulness, working with simple ingredients, available resources, and what is at hand, can nourish people well.

𝑀𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦: 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟.

𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬:

Daguitan, F. (n.d.). Indigenous knowledge systems and practices in the food production in the ili of Payew, Besao, Mountain Province [Presentation]. Payew Indigenous Farmers' Organization; Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines; Transformative Pathways.

Forest Peoples Programme. (2026, April 21). Revitalising indigenous food systems in Besao, Mountain Province, the Philippines. Local Biodiversity Outlooks. https://localbiodiversityoutlooks.net/revitalising
-indigenous-food-systems-in-besao-mountain-province-the-philippines/

Tauli, K. (2025). Cordillera heirloom recipes [Report]. Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines.

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𝘉𝘪𝘨𝘢-𝘰 𝘯𝘪 𝘐𝘕𝘈 (𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵; 𝘐𝘕𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 (𝘗𝘐𝘒𝘗), 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥.

12/05/2026

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐚-𝐨 𝐧𝐢 𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐏𝐭. 𝟏): 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚-𝐞̈𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐁𝐇𝐆𝐀) 🌱🌾💚

In Baguio City, a community of women is keeping ancestral food traditions alive, one garden at a time. Through "𝐛𝐚-𝐞̈𝐧𝐠," the Ibaloy practice of indigenous home gardening, they are growing safe, nutritious food, preserving heirloom seeds, and healing their communities from the ground up.

This is Indigenous Natural Agriculture. This is Biga-o ni INA.

Background Music: Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK)

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𝘉𝘪𝘨𝘢-𝘰 𝘯𝘪 𝘐𝘕𝘈 (𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵; 𝘐𝘕𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 (𝘗𝘐𝘒𝘗), 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥.

12/05/2026

07/05/2026

𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐚-𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬. 🌿🧺

𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐚-𝐨 𝐧𝐢 𝐈𝐍𝐀 is a project aiming to revive and celebrate 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 in the Cordillera: the seeds, the soil, the farmers, the knowledge, and the spirituality behind it all that have quietly kept communities alive and whole until today.

The project works alongside Indigenous farmers in Besao, Mountain Province, and home gardeners in Baguio City. Mostly women. Mostly elders, and increasingly, the youth. Together, they carry what they've always known: that food is not just sustenance. It is culture. It is identity. It is life.

Over the next eight months, we will learn stories of farmers, gardeners, elders, and youth on sustaining healthy and safe food sources through the gift of rich biodiversity around them. From these stories will also surface how they reclaim and strengthen their identity and roots through 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐈𝐍𝐀).

Ultimately, this journey will highlight the vitality and significance of Indigenous Knowledge, Systems, and Practices (IKSPs), not just for the project’s partner communities but for the greater Filipino society.

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𝘉𝘪𝘨𝘢-𝘰 𝘯𝘪 𝘐𝘕𝘈 (𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵; 𝘐𝘕𝘈 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 (𝘗𝘐𝘒𝘗), 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥.

06/05/2026

Joji Cariño bags top conservation prize for championing indigenous rights

By Frank Cimatu
May 6, 2026

BAGUIO CITY — Indigenous rights advocate Joji Cariño has been awarded the 2025 Frankfurt Conservation Award, one of Germany’s top environmental honors, in recognition of her decades-long work on environmental protection and Indigenous peoples’ rights.

Cariño, an Igorot from the Cordillera region in northern Philippines, was recognized in the “Research” category of the award, also known as the Bruno H. Schubert Prize.

The prize is conferred by the Bruno H. Schubert Foundation to individuals for outstanding achievements in conservation, research and education.

Her work spans more than 35 years at the intersection of human rights, forest conservation and sustainable food systems, with influence at both international and local levels.

Cariño’s advocacy traces back to her youth, when she opposed the Chico River dam projects during the rule of former President Ferdinand Marcos, a movement that became a defining struggle for Indigenous land rights in the Philippines.

She later emerged as a key figure in global Indigenous advocacy, contributing to the International Alliance of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests and representing Indigenous perspectives in major forums, including the United Nations and the World Bank.

Cariño previously served as director of the Forest Peoples Programme and currently works as a senior policy adviser for the group.

She was also a commissioner of the World Commission on Dams, where she pushed for the recognition of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, or FPIC, as a standard requirement for development projects affecting Indigenous communities.

The Frankfurt Conservation Award committee cited her contributions as a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, as well as her sustained efforts to promote policy standards that uphold Indigenous rights in natural resource governance.

Cariño’s recognition highlights the growing global acknowledgment of Indigenous knowledge and leadership in addressing environmental challenges.

Photo courtesy of Lucile Gimberg / RFI
Layout material / pubmat by Tebtebba

15/04/2026

𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙄𝙋𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙎 | 𝙐𝙈𝙐𝘿𝙊𝙉𝙂 2026

We are opening a new chapter.
UMUDONG returns this May 2026 in Besao, Mountain Province, bringing together new participants and pioneer students in a shared journey of cultural immersion, reflection, and community.

This is more than a workshop.
It is a space to:
🌱 learn from the land and the community
🎤 listen to stories and lived experiences
🪶 understand and carry indigenous values
🤝 build connections across generations

📍 Besao, Mountain Province
📅 May 17-23, 2026
👥 Open to Grades 9–12
⚠️ Limited Slots Available
💰 Registration Fee: ₱ 1,500.00 (inclusive of meals, materials, and workshop activities)

🏫 Participants will be housed at St. James High School of Mountain Province, Inc. during the duration of the workshop.

Whether you are joining for the first time, or returning as part of the pioneer batch, UMUDONG 2026 invites you to be part of something that continues beyond the workshop.

📌 Register here: https://forms.gle/oXDnb9sY8hYY3oWS7

🌿 Learn to listen. Hold the story. Pass it on.

📩 For inquiries and concerns:
St. James High School of Mountain Province, Inc.
📱 0926-749-2565
📧 [email protected]

06/04/2026

We celebrated Easter Sunday through harvesting native beans (antac / vinayuwan originally from Guinaang, Pasil, Kalinga) at the seed sanctuary of the Sitio Muyot community in Happy Hollow, Baguio City.

These crops do not need any chemical fertilizer to provide bountiful harvests, teaching us the ancestral knowledge of caring for the land.

06/04/2026

Indigenous Peoples are custodians of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes. 🌳

To truly achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, it is essential to respect and advance the rights, practices and knowledge systems of .

In January 2026, more than 30 experts from Indigenous and local organisations, governments and technical partners convened at the Second Expert Workshop on Traditional Knowledge (TK) Indicators.

The workshop provided a space for participants to share experiences of community-based monitoring, methodological developments for TK indicators and identify opportunities for mobilizing data for biodiversity monitoring and reporting.

Learn more about the workshop 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/bdttpsx6

Forest Peoples Programme | United Nations Biodiversity

28/03/2026

Together with the Baguio community, Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines mourns the passing of Ompong Tan. In 2022, Sir Ompong took part in our research entitled "Indigenous Wisdom at Work." He went around Baguio with our team documenting the indigenous values and practices that continue to live in the city. He has been a great supporter until the production of its book and photo exhibit. We will continue to remember him through his photos, which have always been a great help for our work in promoting indigenous knowledge.

We send our prayers to Sir Ompong's family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.