1. River Tales
Local Knowledge of River Systems
Among Pulangiyen Talaandigs of
Maramag, Bukidnon, Northern
Mindanao, Philippines
Dennis B. Coronel

2. River Tales
Local Knowledge of River Systems
Among Pulangiyen Talaandigs of
Maramag, Bukidnon, Northern
Mindanao, Philippines

3. Aims and Objectives
 Primarily the study aimed to explore, reclaim
and document the orally transmitted tales
about the Pulangi River among the elders of
the Pulangiyen Talaandigs in Maramag,
Bukidnon.

4. Aims and Objectives
More specifically, it geared to answer the following questions:
What sets of meanings and symbols are constructed and embedded in
their world view and perception of the river ecosystem as reflected in
these tales?
How does this world view influence the way they habituate the river
environments and deal with its resources?
What local traditions, practices, and responses to changes in the river
ecosystem have been observed, followed and performed by members of
the community?
How does the Pulangiyen Talaandig community regulate and manage
this local knowledge system in the light of fast changing social contexts?

5. Background of the Study


6. Background of the Study
Dologon
Panadtaran
Kalasungay

7. Background of the Study
The Pulangiyen Talaandigs
documented ancestry dates back to the early 19th century
river-based and natural resource dependent people
As a result of waves of colonization in the region, to date there
are essentially two groups of Pulangiyen, those occupying
upstream Pulangi, and the much older settlement down
south , , which is also the site of the Nat’l.Power Corp. Agus IV
Hydropower dam station.
The hydropower station has resulted in the creation of a lake,
which today is known as Maramag Basin, or Pulangi Lake which
has tremendously altered the course of downstream Pulangi
river and the lives of Pulangiyen Talaandigs who have lived in the
area long before the coming of National Power Corporation.

8. Background of the Study
Stakeholders and participants of the Study:
• a total of 21 elder members coming from the three
communities:
Dologon – 9
Kalasungay - 7
Panadtaran - 5
• 59 – 83 years old
•17 –females, 4 males
•18 are tribal leaders

9. Methodology
Phase 1. Site Selection and Pre-Entry
Preparations
 Secondary Materials/Document Review
Area Maps

10. Methodology
Phase 2. Consent Validation and Entry Procedures
 FPIC Tribal Council
Panalwaheg Ritual

11. Methodology
Phase 3. Community Immersion
KI Interviews
Life History Case Studies
generate primary transcriptions
Focus Group Discussions
validate text and analysis


12. Methodology
Phase 4. Data Validation and Community
Feedback
Inscription Transcription Translation
Interpretation
COMMUNITY
Representation

13. Results and
Outputs
A.The River Tales
Grand Narratives
* The River is a Snake
* The Egg Flows in the River
* Abundance in the Pulangi
* The Panalwaheg

14. Results and
Outputs
Subsumed Narratives
* The Crocodiles with Golden Earrings
* The Giant Snake at the Root of the
Old Tree
* Why the River Never Runs Dry
* The Hunters and the Giant Snake
* The Snake that Blocked the Road

15. Results and
Outputs
CONTENT ANALYSIS: THEMATIC DOMAINS
Nature as Self: Web Cosmology
Pleasing the Gods: Protection and Preservation
Contested Past: Forgetfulness and Dislocation
 Reclaiming the Future

16. Discussion and Analysis
A. River Tales as Alternative Environmental Narratives
“A substantial alternative to existing, largely ‘top- down’
natural resource management paradigms.” (Davis, 2012)
B. Narratives as Symbol Complexes
 A set of standardized orientations to recurrent problems.
(Kluckhohn, 1970).
C. Ethos and Worldview
 Narratives contain and reveal the people’s most
comprehensive ideas of order. (Geertz, 1973)

17. Conclusions
A. The Pulangiyen Talaandigs as “Symbolizing,
Conceptualizing, Meaning-Seeking Individuals
B. Local Knowledge as a Contestation Discourse

18. Recommendatio
nsA.Pulangiyen Talaandig Children Stories: Book
B. Production of Course Module Materials for syllabi
integration

19. Daghan Kaayong
Salamat!