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PHILIPPINE TASK FORCE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S RIGHTS AND THE PARTNERS FOR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PHILIPPINES (TFIP-PIKP)
Title of Project: Keeping Alive the Wisdom of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples
The Philippines Task Force for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights (TFIP ) is a network of 11 non-government organizations, many of which are educational in nature, working with indigenous peoples in the Philippines. The network aims to achieve its vision of a progressive society that promotes and defends indigenous peoples’ rights, and where Indigenous Peoples (IP) participate in genuine national development while freely exercising their rights and self-determined development. Since TFIP started in 2001, it has steadily built its name and credibility at the national level as an advocate of indigenous peoples’ rights. It has conducted participatory research on the state of IP food security, indigenous knowledge, sustainable agriculture, customary law, and land use. Through its practice, it has enhanced the capability of its partners as well as indigenous leaders in doing research and policy advocacy through actual practice, trainings and exchange programs. It has networked and collaborated with government policymakers and legislators, academic institutions and individuals, as well as advocates’ networks and IP organizations and federations working on common issues and campaigns. It has done extensive information dissemination of its research highlights and conducted education and information campaigns on indigenous peoples’ rights through the mainstream media, website, social media and various public fora. Keeping Alive the Wisdom of the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples is a 2-year project of TFIP that focuses on the documentation and promotion of indigenous knowledge in the Cordillera region, with the aim of contributing to culture-rooted education for indigenous youth. This is made possible through collaboration among indigenous elders, women, youth, learning institutions, educators and peoples’ organizations. The project maximizes the use of storytelling in capturing indigenous knowledge, and documents it into storybooks. TFIP innovates by linking up with educators and learning institutions in the keeping alive of indigenous wisdom as a continuing source of guidance. It maximizes the newly opened spaces for indigenous learning in the educational system made possible by Philippine educational policies. The project is highly collaborative, linking with indigenous knowledge holders, artists, writers, people’s organizations and educators, and using a mix of creative and multimedia forms to engage the youth and capture their interest and involvement. This project responds to the need for popular educational material on indigenous knowledge, which can be used by schools.
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