Mangyan artisans urge protection of crafts, cultural heritage

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — Mangyan artisans and educators called for stronger protection of their indigenous crafts, traditional knowledge, and cultural identity, stressing that preserving their heritage also means protecting ancestral lands and sustaining community livelihoods.

They made the call during the fourth Agkatipon Pagkaruwan Mangyan: Indigenous Peoples’ Summit 2026 held at the Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC) gymnasium on Oct. 22, which gathered about 1,500 participants to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Month.

The summit gave indigenous representatives a platform to share their communities’ identities, cultures, traditions, languages, indigenous knowledge systems, and beliefs.

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Fr. Ross Heruela, SVD, director of DWCC’s Community Extension Services Office, said the annual gathering gave Mangyan communities a voice and an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives firsthand, deepening public understanding of their heritage and encouraging stronger support for their aspirations.

The initiative also sought to prepare students, faculty members, and staff participating in community engagements to understand and respect the culture and identity of their Mangyan partners.

“No Divinista can immerse themselves in the community without knowledge and understanding of the Mangyan community,” Heruela said in the statement of purpose, emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness in community development work.

During a summit talk show, Pino Aranzado, an Iraya Mangyan representative, said basket designs drew inspiration from nature, including mountains, leaves, flowers, the sun, and animals.

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He said handicrafts provided families with income for food and their children’s education and, at the same time, helped introduce Iraya culture to local and international visitors.

READ: Calapan College opens store for Mangyan products

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For artisans in Talipanan Mangyan Village, product sales helped cover school allowances and project expenses for their children, Aranzado said.

Diminished resources

However, artisans faced challenges from dwindling supplies of natural materials gathered from forests and damage caused by typhoons and other calamities.

Aranzado said they rotated their gathering areas to allow natural materials to regenerate while continuing to meet demand for their products.

Melinda F. Angeles, an educator and representative of the Tadyawan Mangyan community, said women played a vital role in preserving traditional crafts by weaving mats, clothing, and household items, sometimes with the help of younger family members.

Angeles said they learned through family instruction and community activities.

She also called for government and other groups to support indigenous communities, stressing that disasters damaged ancestral lands and crops, threatening both food security and livelihoods.

READ: Iraya-Mangyan crafts from Mindoro, organic produce from Laguna featured in market fair

The discussion also raised concerns about cultural appropriation, particularly the use of indigenous designs without permission or proper acknowledgment of the communities that created them.

The panelists stressed that preserving indigenous arts required respect for the identity and dignity of their creators, as well as efforts to encourage younger Mangyan to learn traditional skills.

They said young people were more likely to continue weaving and other crafts when elders and community members demonstrated the practices themselves.

In his keynote address, Emmanuel T. Guarde, an educator and advocate for Alangan Mangyan communities, emphasized the close relationship between indigenous culture and the natural environment.

He said ancestral land sustained not only Mangyan livelihoods but also their culture, traditions, and beliefs.

Guarde explained that variations in the sizes, patterns, and forms of Mangyan handicrafts reflected distinct community identities and traditional methods rather than standardized commercial production.

He cited the Alangan Mangyan’s ‘tabed,’ a multipurpose woven item used for storage and other household purposes, as an example of how indigenous craftsmanship embodied practical knowledge and cultural heritage.

He urged Mangyan communities, particularly the younger generation, to take pride in their identity and continue practicing their traditions while adapting to changing social needs.

Indigenous livelihood

Before the summit, DWCC president Fr. Ramilo V. Mapaye, SVD, PhD, and Binata Padiwan, an elder of the Pamayanan ng Lagpan, led the blessing and opening of BUNGA, a campus-based store selling Mangyan products and handicrafts.

The store promotes indigenous craftsmanship and brings Mangyan products to a wider market.

Heruela said some artisans from the college’s partner communities who weave baskets and make handicrafts supply products sold at BUNGA. The initiative allows the college community to support indigenous livelihoods by providing a market for products made from resources nurtured and gathered in the artisans’ ancestral lands.

DWCC’s Community Extension Services works with Mangyan communities in Sitio Paraiso in Concepcion, Victoria; Sitio Olibo-Bulod and Mabuhay 2 in Socorro; and Sitio Togo in Malo, Bansud. Its Basic Education Department also supports communities in Tibag, Pachoca, and Wawa, which are near the college.

The summit is one of the college’s annual community engagement initiatives intended to deepen appreciation for Mangyan culture and strengthen partnerships with indigenous communities

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Previous gatherings focused on ancestral lands as sources of life and culture in 2023, Mangyan writing as testimony to a high level of civilization in 2024, and Mangyan identity as a source of success and honor in 2025./coa