The UP Visayas Cultural Mapping of Antique (CMA) team conducted a two-day activity titled "Antique's Rootedness: A Training Workshop on Mapping the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Province" last August 22-23, 2023 at Eagle's Hotel in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique.
The activity was organized by the Department of Education Antique Division through the facilitation of Dr. Eleanore Dagala (Education Program Supervisor for Araling Panlipunan). The two-day event aimed to train the teachers assigned to the various ICC (Indigenous Cultural Communities) in Antique which includes the Ati, Iraynon, and Cuyonen groups on how to conduct a cultural mapping of the significant intangible cultural properties in their communities.
On the first day, Ms. Anna Razel L. Ramirez (Project coordinator of the CMA Project) introduced Cultural Mapping and the various heritage domains. This was followed by a lecture on the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and its facets by Prof. Martin G. Genodepa (CMA Consultant). Mr. Sashah B. Dioso (CMA Study leader) discussed the fieldwork ethics that need to be observed during the conduct of cultural mapping in the community.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ramon B. Ramirez (in charge of documentation for CMA) and Ms. Kyla Agnes L. Ramirez (CMA production assistant) gave a lecture on the basics of field documentation. Professor Emeritus Dr. Alicia P. Magos (CMA Head Consultant) introduced the basic ethnographic techniques that could be applied by the teachers in their fieldwork.
Lastly, Prof. Jose R. Taton Jr. (CMA Study leader) and Ms. Michelle L. Villavert (CMA Research assistant) provided a practical discussion on the methods, procedure, and writing process for ICH documentation.
On the second day, a demonstration of the interview process was conducted together with the participation of Mr. Vergelio Ocario (IP leader, Ati community). This was followed by a workshop where the teachers conducted interviews and consolidated their data based on the NCCA cultural mapping forms. The training ended with a reporting and checking of the mapped forms. These activities were facilitated by Taton and Villavert.
A total of twenty-five teachers participated in the event.
From this training, the teachers will be conducting a cultural mapping of the significant ICH in their respective communities. DepEd Antique plans to integrate the data gathered from such activities into the IPED curriculum soon.
