Through growing traditional rice, our forefathers have established a deep sense of reverence to the land. It is noteworthy that it is the land and not just the soil but every life associated with it. This rich land of the Cordillera provides rich ecosystems and habitat for heirloom rice to be cultivated and nourished. The heirloom rice is not just a source of income and livelihood but to our forefathers, rice is life to them. Growing the traditional rice has also knitted the relationship of every member of the community since planting rice is a community event and harvest is the whole community’s celebration and thanksgiving. This then created the community’s full reliance on the Supreme Being whom they greatly owe their ample harvest and everything that sustains them.
The heirloom rice is a testimony of who we are as indigenous peoples in the Cordillera. The persistence of the traditional rice portrays the resilience of the Cordillera people. It is a testimony that our forefathers have developed and established a strong and deep relationship with the land, with the community, and with the Supreme Being.
According to a key informant, heirloom rice is a vital component of our living heritage. As living heritage, it represents a living strand of our culture and, therefore, our identity. It is deeply ingrained in the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples communities, and the challenges of its survival is a cultural challenge since cultural changes put in question the very fibers that intertwine heirloom rice with the way of life of IPs in contemporary times.
Luis, et. al (2020) also emphasized that heirloom rice is part of the culture and heritage of its peoples, gaining value over time. It is the heart and essence of its terraces and a testament to the hardiness and resilience of the rice grain.
At present, however, the traditional or heirloom rice landraces are gradually disappearing and are being replaced with high-yielding varieties to meet the growing demand of the consumers, and its production is decreasing due to genetic erosion, modernization in agriculture and adoption of modern varieties. (Heirloom Rice Project, 2020).
Despite these challenges, many farmers still continue to cultivate the heirloom rice, often in small parcels of land locally known in some areas as kelleng. When asked why they persist in growing these landraces despite low yield, the farmers commonly respond with a phrase that encapsulates the deep cultural significance. “𝑇𝑎𝑤𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑖 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑦” (This is our inheritance). A notable statement from a farmer in Kibungan, Benguet, who tearfully shared, “𝐾𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎𝑘 𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑖 𝑡𝑖 𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛. 𝑁𝑔𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑎𝑤𝑖𝑑 𝑚𝑖 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑦. 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑝 𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑖 𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑜 𝑖𝑑𝑖 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑖 𝑡𝑖 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑎𝑛 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑒𝑙. 𝑁𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑘 𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖 𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛” (My children suggest that I plant trees in the fields, but I continue to grow our heirloom rice because it is part of our inheritance, a legacy passed down through generations. I remember my father, who carefully made stone walls in the rice paddies, ensuring that the land would remain intact. If I die, perhaps the fields would be planted with trees).
Regaining our traditional rice is about more than restoring a crop – it is about regaining our strong relationship with the land, with the community, and with the Creator. Farmers across the region call the younger generation to sustain the tradition. In Kibungan, some lament, “𝑁𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑘𝑎𝑚𝑖 𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑖 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒” (If we die, the heirloom rice will die with us). But there is hope. In an interview with a group of young farmers (ages 19-27) in Kibungan, Benguet, when asked why they continue to cultivate heirloom rice, they commonly responded, “𝐼𝑠𝑢 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑖 𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑑𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑖 𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑎𝑘 𝑚𝑖. 𝐼𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑙𝑜𝑦 𝑚𝑖” (This is what our parents cultivate. That’s why we continue planting it).
The conservation of heirloom rice is, therefore, an urgent call to preserve an essential part of our identity. Conservation of the genetic resource is very important to uphold the heritage of the Cordillera peoples and make it self-sustaining as before. As part of this effort, the Heirloom Rice Project, in partnership with the local government units continues, is actively working to conserve this resource.
Next year, the characterized landraces will be registered as traditional crops, securing their future as part of the living cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples in the Cordillera. On-going characterization is also being done to gather agro-morphological data for the continuous registration of the heirloom rice landraces. By Sherry Antonio
