This is the story which have captured my presence as a sociologist and a storyteller..
Thanks for Gabriela!, as a sign of my gratitude I have written this on my blogsite (pagmomoda at pagninilay) just to see by everybody the struggle we didn't know..
PROLOGUE
In many stories of courage, we always hear about men fighting bravely. But the struggles of peoples have not always been won by the men alone.
This is the story of courage of women who fought bravely for their people. This story is not often told.
This is the Chico river. Our great long river. This is the river that waters our fields and our animals. This is the river that takes away the dirt from our clothes and fills our water jars with drink. This is the river that nourished our ancestors and their fields before us.
Our homes are built near long river where we play and swim. Like us, our ancestors played and swam in our great long river.
Not so long ago, some people tried to stop the waters of our great river from flowing.
They were the dam planners. they were rich white men from foreign lands and rich brown men from our own land.
"let us build a very big dam in the Chico river", they said.
"It will make our shops and factories run", said the rich white men.
"It will bring lights and electricity in the cities," said the rich brown men. "More people will buy from the shops and factories."
"it will makes us very rich," the rich white men said.
The dam planners thought long hard. and they felt good.
To build the dam, they had to stop our river from flowing. They had to contain the waters of our river and make it rise so high, it would drown our Kalinga village. The dam will be as tall as a hill and as wide as village to another.
The dam planners hired white men and brown men to be dam builders.
They measured the river. They studied the mountains. They tested the soil.
"This place is perfect for a dam," they said. "Its jungle and no one lives here".
And they felt good.
Our elders talked with the dam builders.
"this is our river. this is our land. This is our home," our elders said.
"we've been living here for a long time. Our ancestors have lived here before us."
"Think of the shops and factories that this dam will help run," said the dam builders. "Think of the lights that this dam will bring to the cities."
"we do not need a dam," our elders said. "we need our homes and fields that the dam will destroy."
The dam builders ignored them and left smiling.
When the dam builders returned, they set up a camp near our village. The camp was guarded by soldiers.
Some of our fathers, uncles and brothers tried to enter the camp. They were arrested and put to jail.
Our elders called a meeting.
"We must dismantle the camp," said our elders. "see the dam has not yet been built but it has already brought sorrow to our lives."
"They have arrested some of us and they will continue doing so until they finish that dam," they said.
" Let us do it," said our mothers, aunts and sisters. "We know how to fight. We will protect our village!"
One night, a loud and long cry pierced the darkness.
"Hwoooo-oow! Hwoooo-oow!"
It was our signal to attack. We all ran quickly. Mothers, aunts and sisters. And children, too. With sticks, stones and bare hands, we broke down their tents. We turned over their machines. We fought them.
The dam builders and their soldiers were surprised. They ran away and left.
From then on, we kept vigil, we took turn guarding our great, long river. We slept on the ground. We built fires to keep ourselves warm. we sang
salidumay to keep our spirits high.
One day the dam builders returned. They returned with more soldiers, more guns, more supplies. They set up another camp and were determined to stay.
Like the great river, news about the return of the dam builders flowed to the other villages. The people of our neighboring learned that they, too, would lose their homes and fields if the great dam was built.
"hwoooo-ow! Hwooo-oow!"
This is time there were more of us who came. People from the nearby villages came. The soldiers were surprised to see so many of us. They felt helpless as we tore down their camp.
Outnumbered, they left.
We gathered their tents, blankets and pots. we carried them on our backs and shoulders. We marched for hours with the heavy loads until we reached their barracks.
We returned to them the things they have left in our land. The soldiers were very angry. again, they arrested more of our fathers, uncles and brothers. They put them all to jail.
"Do not lose heart," said our mothers, aunts and sisters. "we shall not leave until our menfolk are released." so we kept vigil once again. We sang our
salidumays. We lit more fires. We were joined by folks from other villages, near and far. They brought with them their own
salidumays, their stories, their stories and their helpful ideas. Some of them brought arms.
after several months, the prisoners were released. We all went home rejoicing. but when we returned to our village, we saw that the dam builders had built a bigger and a stronger camp.
"Hwoooo-oow! Hwooo-oow!
Again, we fought and fought hard. We used our hands, our feet, our bodies. Some used stones and sticks. Some used arms. But the dam builders were so many, and they had more arms. We could not drive them away.
Then, in a final gestures of resistance, an old woman cried out, "HWOOOO-OW!"HWOOOO-OOW!" and shed off her clothes. One by one, our mothers, sisters and aunts followed. we held each other by the arms as we all disrobed.
"We are your mothers, sisters and aunts." we told the dam builders and soldiers." Why are you doing this?"
the dam builders and the soldiers were put to shame. They left covering their faces with their hands.
For Fifteeen years, we fought to keep the great Chico River flowing. Every time the dam builders tried to return, we drove them away.
Today we still have our land and our mountains.
And the Chico River, our great long river, still flows..
EPILOGUE
This is the story of our struggle, to defend our land
This is the story which have captured my presence as a sociologist and a storyteller..
Thanks for Gabriela!, as a sign of my gratitude I have written this on my blogsite (pagmomoda at pagninilay) just to see by everybody the struggle we didn't know..
PROLOGUE
In many stories of courage, we always hear about men fighting bravely. But the struggles of peoples have not always been won by the men alone.
This is the story of courage of women who fought bravely for their people. This story is not often told.
This is the Chico river. Our great long river. This is the river that waters our fields and our animals. This is the river that takes away the dirt from our clothes and fills our water jars with drink. This is the river that nourished our ancestors and their fields before us.
Our homes are built near long river where we play and swim. Like us, our ancestors played and swam in our great long river.
Not so long ago, some people tried to stop the waters of our great river from flowing.
They were the dam planners. they were rich white men from foreign lands and rich brown men from our own land.
"let us build a very big dam in the Chico river", they said.
"It will make our shops and factories run", said the rich white men.
"It will bring lights and electricity in the cities," said the rich brown men. "More people will buy from the shops and factories."
"it will makes us very rich," the rich white men said.
The dam planners thought long hard. and they felt good.
To build the dam, they had to stop our river from flowing. They had to contain the waters of our river and make it rise so high, it would drown our Kalinga village. The dam will be as tall as a hill and as wide as village to another.
The dam planners hired white men and brown men to be dam builders.
They measured the river. They studied the mountains. They tested the soil.
"This place is perfect for a dam," they said. "Its jungle and no one lives here".
And they felt good.
Our elders talked with the dam builders.
"this is our river. this is our land. This is our home," our elders said.
"we've been living here for a long time. Our ancestors have lived here before us."
"Think of the shops and factories that this dam will help run," said the dam builders. "Think of the lights that this dam will bring to the cities."
"we do not need a dam," our elders said. "we need our homes and fields that the dam will destroy."
The dam builders ignored them and left smiling.
When the dam builders returned, they set up a camp near our village. The camp was guarded by soldiers.
Some of our fathers, uncles and brothers tried to enter the camp. They were arrested and put to jail.
Our elders called a meeting.
"We must dismantle the camp," said our elders. "see the dam has not yet been built but it has already brought sorrow to our lives."
"They have arrested some of us and they will continue doing so until they finish that dam," they said.
" Let us do it," said our mothers, aunts and sisters. "We know how to fight. We will protect our village!"
One night, a loud and long cry pierced the darkness.
"Hwoooo-oow! Hwoooo-oow!"
It was our signal to attack. We all ran quickly. Mothers, aunts and sisters. And children, too. With sticks, stones and bare hands, we broke down their tents. We turned over their machines. We fought them.
The dam builders and their soldiers were surprised. They ran away and left.
From then on, we kept vigil, we took turn guarding our great, long river. We slept on the ground. We built fires to keep ourselves warm. we sang salidumay to keep our spirits high.
One day the dam builders returned. They returned with more soldiers, more guns, more supplies. They set up another camp and were determined to stay.
Like the great river, news about the return of the dam builders flowed to the other villages. The people of our neighboring learned that they, too, would lose their homes and fields if the great dam was built.
"hwoooo-ow! Hwooo-oow!"
This is time there were more of us who came. People from the nearby villages came. The soldiers were surprised to see so many of us. They felt helpless as we tore down their camp.
Outnumbered, they left.
We gathered their tents, blankets and pots. we carried them on our backs and shoulders. We marched for hours with the heavy loads until we reached their barracks.
We returned to them the things they have left in our land. The soldiers were very angry. again, they arrested more of our fathers, uncles and brothers. They put them all to jail.
"Do not lose heart," said our mothers, aunts and sisters. "we shall not leave until our menfolk are released." so we kept vigil once again. We sang our salidumays. We lit more fires. We were joined by folks from other villages, near and far. They brought with them their own salidumays, their stories, their stories and their helpful ideas. Some of them brought arms.
after several months, the prisoners were released. We all went home rejoicing. but when we returned to our village, we saw that the dam builders had built a bigger and a stronger camp.
"Hwoooo-oow! Hwooo-oow!
Again, we fought and fought hard. We used our hands, our feet, our bodies. Some used stones and sticks. Some used arms. But the dam builders were so many, and they had more arms. We could not drive them away.
Then, in a final gestures of resistance, an old woman cried out, "HWOOOO-OW!"HWOOOO-OOW!" and shed off her clothes. One by one, our mothers, sisters and aunts followed. we held each other by the arms as we all disrobed.
"We are your mothers, sisters and aunts." we told the dam builders and soldiers." Why are you doing this?"
the dam builders and the soldiers were put to shame. They left covering their faces with their hands.
For Fifteeen years, we fought to keep the great Chico River flowing. Every time the dam builders tried to return, we drove them away.
Today we still have our land and our mountains.
And the Chico River, our great long river, still flows..
EPILOGUE
This is the story of our struggle, to defend our land
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