BIBLIOGRAPHY NAVARRO, CATHERINE R. APRIL 2012....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NAVARRO, CATHERINE R. APRIL 2012. Ifugao’s Nurturing IndigeousKnowledge
Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in
Kiangan, Ifugao. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Maria Luz D. Fang-asan, PhD
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to draw lessons from the implementation of the NIKE program
as a knowledge management undertaking by looking into the processes being done to capture,
store, and share the IK and to determine the problems they had encountered while doing the
process. The data were gathered through key informant interviews and document review of
reports done by NIKE program.
Data gathering from IK holders was through focus group discussions, personal
interviews, and group interviews. Data processing by developing information materials from raw
data gathered by surveyors. The IMs developed were validated before submission for mass
production. The program stored IK in printed and electronic forms being disseminated through
Community Learning Centers (CLCs), exhibits, and a Pilot School in IFSU.
The problems encountered during the implementation were dangerous roads, the
surveyor’s security, reluctance of knowledge holders to share information, dual residency of the
IK holders, language barrier, difficulties of collaboration, the aging of IK holders, and the loss of
biodiversity.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for
Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao/ Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
Conclusions drawn indicate that indeed the NIKE Programme is a Knowledge
Management undertaking; hence it should be maintained by the implementers or emulated by
other entities. NIKE program’s medium of sharing information considered the formal and
informal means.
NIKE should be taken as a model by other IK documentation efforts. IK documentation
should be treated as a priority because of the aging of IK holders.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for
Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao/ Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography...................................................................................................... i
Abstract…………………………………………………………………….
i
Table of Contents..............................................................................................
iii
1
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................
Rationale..............................................................................................
1
Statement of the Problem....................................................................
3
Objectives of the Study.......................................................................
4
Importance of the Study......................................................................
4
Scope and Limitation of the Study.....................................................
4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE.........................................................................
5
Benefits Derived in Knowledge Management...................................
5
Methods of Gathering Data………………………………………...
6
Methods of Storing Information........................................................
7
Methods of Sharing Information……………………………...........
7
METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................... 9
Locale and Time of the Study...........................................................
9
Respondents of the Study................................................................
9
Data Collection………….……………………………….………..
11
Data to be Gathered………………………..………………………
12
Data Analysis……………………………………………….…..…
12
13
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION………………………………………………
13
Identification of IK Experts ………………………………………
15
Methods of Gathering Data from the IK Experts………………….
16
Processing of Data Gathered………………………………………
17
Forms of Storing IKs………………………………………………
20
Forms of Sharing IKs………………………………………………
23
Problems Encountered in the Implementation of the Program…….
27
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………
27
Summary…………………………………………………………..
28
Conclusions………………………………………………………..
28
Recommendations…………………………………………………..
29
LITERATURE CITED……………………………………………………….
APPENDIX……………………………………………….………………....
30
A. Communication Letter to the Respondents……………………...
30
B. Consent Form…………………………………………………….
31
C. Guide Questions for the Key
Informant -Project Implementers………………………………..
32
D. Guide Questions for the Key
Informant –IK Experts/Holders………………………...............
33
E. IK Research uploaded in NIKE Website…………………………
34
1
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
In the United Nations System, Knowledge Management (KM) is “a wide concept
involving the processes of identifying and collecting relevant information and knowledge
currently available, its classification and storage, timely dissemination and updating”
(UNDP, 2006). These processes are centered on three major communication activities
being carried out by development-oriented organizations – capturing, storing and sharing
knowledge.
Among the benefits of KM are improved team communications, reduced problem
solving time, consistency, improved project management, process improvement. For
indigenous peoples (IPs) struggling to document their traditional knowledge which is
facing the threat of extinction, KM would mean easy access to their own knowledge and
a systematic way of conserving such.
Like other IPs in the world, the IPs of Ifugao have managed to nurture their
indigenous knowledge through generations as shown by the continuing observance of
their IK at present. The rice terraces built by their ancestors hundreds of years ago are
still intact. This is an indicator that agriculture has long been practiced by their ancestors.
However, it has been observed that many of their IK are now becoming vulnerable to the
influences of modernization.
In an effort to keep their indigenous knowledge from getting lost, the Ifugao
people embarked on a novel program they call NIKE or Nurturing Indigenous
Knowledge Experts among their younger generations. This program stemmed out from a
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
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conservation effort for the Ifugao rice terraces by SITMo or Save the Ifugao Terraces
Movement.
As described in the program’s website, NIKE is a joint collaborative programme
that works on the transfer of indigenous knowledge from the old folks to the younger
generation of Ifugaos through formal and informal means. It is being implemented by a
consortium of five agencies namely Department of Education Ifugao (Dep-Ed Ifugao),
Ifugao State University (IfSU), National Commissions on Indigenous People (NCIP),
Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) and the Provincial Government of Ifugao.
It is funded by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan
(NFUAJ) which aims to raise awareness in order to protect our irreplaceable cultural and
natural heritage, as well as to promote local community activities, among others.
The four knowledge areas making up the cultural heritage of Ifugao covered by
the program are land management, terrace engineering, construction techniques,
agricultural cycle and their accompanying rituals.
The implementation of NIKE’s four-phased action plan began in 2006 with
SITMo mapping knowledge sources for Phase 1. Phase 2 was the development of both
oral and written knowledge bases. Phase 3 was the development of knowledge
transmission systems. This phase was completed in May 2010. The program is currently
in its fourth and final phase which is the production of knowledge resources.
The phases of the program are similar with the processes in Knowledge
Management, hence it can be said that NIKE is a KM undertaking. The encouraging
outputs of the first three phases are enough reason to look into this program for lessons
that may be applied in other situations, hence this study.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Statement of the Problem
Information about the NIKE program and its implementation are available in the
program website and in several articles published in newspapers and other websites.
Most, if not all, have been prepared by the implementing agencies. To complete the
picture, there is also a need to know the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of the
other actors in the project like the IK experts or members of the younger generation who
are to be nurtured as IK experts in the future.
The study sought to answer the following questions particularly for indigenous
knowledge in traditional rice farming:
1. How were the IK experts identified?
2. How were the IK captured or gathered from the experts?
3. How were the IK processed?
4. In what form were the IK stored?
5. In what form will the IK be shared?
6. What problems were encountered in the implementation of the program?
Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study was to draw lessons from the implementation
of the NIKE program as a knowledge management undertaking particularly on traditional
rice farming.
Specifically, it aimed to:
1. Determine how the IK experts were identified;
2. Describe the methods used in gathering data from the IK experts;
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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3. Describe how the data gathered were processed;
4. Determine the forms in which the IK were stored;
5. Determine the forms through which the IK will be shared; and,
6. Determine the problems encountered during the implementation of the
program.
Importance of the Study
The results of the study may provide insights to other agencies concerned with
Indigenous Knowledge revitalization and/or transmission. Findings may also be used by
other researchers, teachers, students, and community development workers as reference
or supporting document.
Scope and Limitation
The study focused mainly on lessons that were gained from the NIKE program as
a KM undertaking: capturing, storing and sharing of the IK of Ifugaos on the traditional
rice farming in Kiangan, Ifugao.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Benefits Derived in Knowledge Management
Time and again, we always hear that, “knowledge is power”. As seen nowadays,
information has become as important as traditional physical goods (Chowdhury, 2008).
Also, as explained by Kamoche (2001), knowledge connotes power and issues related to
power are of great importance to managers. This explains why Abell and Oxbrow (2001),
stressed that knowledge is the most sought after remedy to uncertainty.
The aim of KM is to keep tract of valuable capabilities used in one place that
could be applied elsewhere (Abell and Oxbrow, 2001). Thus, successful KM can be
determined through its beneficiaries, if they will be able to visualize the affectivity of
knowledge. In addition, in applying a KM strategy, before collecting, storing and sharing
knowledge, there should have been idea of how will the community might benefit from it.
In this case, measurement of KM strategy can be traced on the derived benefits of
knowledge holders as well as the general public where the research has been done.
According to Maundu (1995), there are several ways in which the community can
gain profit from collecting Indigenous Knowledge (IK), these includes the following:
• IK can be made available to the less knowledgeable within the community,
especiallythe young by means of printed word and other learning materials.
• Individual members can use research, the literature and even their own
experience toIK, which they pass on to the community.
• Innovative participatory research can be used to modify IK, in order to
improveutilization.
• Specific problems can be identified together with appropriate interventions
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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giving riseto projects and activities beneficial to the community.
Methods of Gathering Data
There are different methods of gathering data like interviews, observations, field
walks and the like, and so critical planning on which must be used must be applied in
order to obtain accurate and detailed information.
Under the method of interviewing, Maundu (1995), stressed that it is the suitable
method for group and individuals since it can be for a quite informal such as in market
places or on roads and on more formal like community workshops or pre-arrange
household visits. On the other hand for the observation, US Department of Education,
Office of Educational Research and Improvement had listed two (2) advantages of it such
as objective interpretation and a low burden for people providing data. However, there
are four (4) disadvantages which they had also listed such as time consuming, some items
are not observable, can be expensive, and participant may be affected by the observer’s
presence.
Meanwhile, for the guided field walks, it is a combination for interview and
observation method. However, under this method, Maundu (1995), had listed several
disadvantages like:
• Tiring, especially for older people, who tend to be most knowledgeable,
• Time consuming, and
• Only effective in species-rich places with considerable variations in habitat.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Methods of Storing Information
Information age or the KM age places emphasis on the power of information to
help connect, develop and manage organizations and individual (Chowdhury, 2008). In
addition, technologies are a means to link information and sharing of knowledge to
different people in the different parts of the world.
As stated by Coakes (2003), the development of technology has taken the
drudgery out of the search and analysis of data and is capable of converting it into
information to which knowledge can be applied. On the other hand, having technologies
available is still not enough because not all have access to these technologies.
Nevertheless, it is still best that information derived may have outputs like journals,
books, newspapers, photo essays, photo slides, audio CDs, DVDs, and VCDs.
Methods of Sharing Information
The essence of KM also points out to connecting people to people, connecting
people to information, enabling conversion of information into knowledge and
encouraging innovation and creativity through the nurturing of a knowledge environment,
(Abell and Oxbrow, 2001). Basically, this explains the reason for knowledge sharing.
Moreover, it is in knowledge sharing that we make practical knowledge very
useful wherein it can help improve the conceptualization of a given issue and through
knowledge sharing we can prevent losing the information and lessons learned (Chavez et
al., 2007).
Disseminating information or sharing information can be done in different ways.
As listed by DDC-CA (n.d.), here are some of ways where in knowledge can be shared:
• Photo montages can be put up in all the project meetings,
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
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• key stake holders can allocate space on walls for short newsletter and posters,
• documentation experts can take video materials to show in communities,
• public channels can and should be used,
• short videos can be shown on television,
• materials can be put up on websites,
• case studies can be published in magazines,and
• Keeping written materials short and presenting them well with pictures.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
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METHODOLOGY
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Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in Kiangan, Ifugao. Kiangan is politically sub-divided
into 15 barangays and is inhabited by Tuwali sub-groups. The town got its name from
Kiyyangan (stressed in the second syllable), an ancient village near the bank of Ibulao
river from across the Lagawe valley. But the name Kiyyangan is safely enshrined in
Ifugao mythology. It is believed that Kiangan is the dwelling place of Wigan and Bugan,
the mythological ancestors of the Ifugao when they migrated from Kay-ang. Accordingly,
Kiangan is one of the oldest and one of the smallest towns in Ifugao province.
NIKE Phase I, which is the mapping of existing IK in the province, revealed that
most IK on Indigenous rice production are found in Kiangan.
The study was conducted on December 2011 to March 2012.
Respondents of the Study
There were four key informants who are project implementers of the NIKE
program and one IK holder on traditional rice production identified in Phase 1.
The project implementers interviewed were Rachel F. Guimbatan, 40 years old,
comes from both ethnolinguistic groups, Bungubungna of the Tuwali and I-Henanga of
the Ayangans. She is the Chief Technical Advisor for the Programme and also the
Overall Coordinator reporting directly to the funding agency. In 2005, according to
Guimbatan, she wrote the NIKE program’s concept and luckily the program got support
from the NFUAJ. Moreover, she was also the one who designed the project to be a four-
phased programme being implemented in 4 cycles.
10
Figure 1. Map of Kiangan, Ifugao showing the locale of the study
11
Guimbatan also said that the programme was envisioned to be piloted as a small
project initiated by the NGO-SITMo, where she is volunteering, and to be expanded as a
programme in its third phase and would then involve government agencies/institutions.
As she added, the NIKE concept sparked mainly by her involvement as a planner
and a professional architect in the conservation of the Philippine Rice Terraces which has
been placed in the World Heritage Site In Danger list in 2001.
Esther Licnachan, on the other hand is 42 years old. She is a pure Ayangan with
his father originating from Asipulo and her mother from Mayoyao. Being the National
Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) provincial officer, she was also the NCIP
representative on the NIKE program. The third key informant is Marlon Martin, also
works as a project coordinator in program. The fourth key informant is Armand
Camhol, 29 years old, originates in Maggok, Hungduan and belonged to the Tuwali
groups. He was with the program during the phase 1 as Researcher/Field Surveyor and
the Program Manager of Phase 2.
Maria Galeon, 73 years old, is residing in Tuplac, Kiangan and was one of the
identified IK holders during the first phase of the program. At the same time she was also
hired by NIKE to be one of the IK professors specializing on traditional rice cycle in the
Pilot school which is IFSU during the phase 2 of the program.
Data Collection
Guide questions for key informant interview were used as an instrument in
collecting the needed data. Document assessment was also done to review reports and
materials produced.
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Data Gathered
The data gathered were the criteria and procedure used in identifying the IK
experts; the methods used in gathering and processing data from the IK experts; and the
forms in which the IK were stored and disseminated.
Data Analysis
All information from the respondents was consolidated and was qualitatively
discussed. Items were also classified according to the objectives of the study.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Findings of the study are organized and discussed in this section according to the
objectives of the study and the major activities in the Knowledge Management process.
Identification of IK Experts
The identification of IK holders was done during Phase I of NIKE in April to
September 2006. The survey team first considered the four heritage sites of Ifugao --
Kiangan, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Banaue. These places are still evidently rich in the
indigenous culture of the province. They observed that each area had its own strength in
terms of indigenous knowledge. Native house construction and stone walling were
concentrated in Mayoyao; the watershed was found in Hungduan and the terrace
communities were in Kiangan and Banaue. Since the municipalities of Aguinaldo,
Asipulo and Hingyonare among the terrace communities, they were also included in the
survey. IK experts on a specific knowledge were identified from the places where the
knowledge is richly manifested.
NIKE conducted the survey using the mapping technique. The mapping
technique is a participatory rural appraisal method which uses situation maps indicating
the location where a phenomenon is observed and in this case, where the experts are
found.
Specific steps undertaken included a courtesy call to the mayor and to the
barangay chairman of the locality to explain what the project was all about. Then the
team asked for referral of knowledge holders from the barangay kagawad, teachers and
the council of elders. The main criteria in identifying IK experts were their level of
expertiseand a recommendation by credible community leaders.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Figure 2. Sample base map used during the mapping activity.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
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The IK experts were then employed by the NIKE project as IK Professors. For
those specializing in Traditional Rice Cycle, the identified IK Professors were Prof.
Maria Galeon, a retired elementary school teacher and couples Prof. Simon Tuguinay,
and Prof. Virginia Tuguinay, both farmers.
Methods of Gathering Data from the IK Experts
The NIKE team used a combination of different methods in data gathering like
Focus Group Discussion and interviews.Licnachan said, “They really had to design their
own strategy whenever the situation calls for it during the data gathering.”
Focus group discussion. To gather data from the elders, NIKE used FGD as a
technique. Guimbatan explained that the methods used by each surveyor were not the
ordinary academic Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and interviews, for the surveyors
adopted the methods out of their necessity. The FGD were done in small groups
composed of three individuals. FGD was also used by the surveyors for validation. They
claimed that the FGD was very effective, fast and time saving for they were able to
interview three people at the same time unlike one-on-one interviews.
Personal
interviews. NIKE conducted one-on-one interviews with IK holders
using structured and open-ended questions formulated by the surveyors.
Sometimes, surveyors stayed overnight in the survey area to have more time for
interviews with the knowledge holders. Armand Camhol, one of the surveyors, wrote in
his personal accounts that he usually did his interviews at night after the IK holders
finished their farm duties and other household tasks.This conformed with what Johnson
(1992) said, cited by Grenier (1998), that interviews are best done in places where the
informant is most comfortable.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Some surveyors started the interview by explaining further the purpose of
documenting the IK in order to gain the interviewee’s participation and to wipe out their
doubts. After this, appointmentfor interviews was sought by the surveyors.
Group
interviews.Structured interviews ingroups composed of 3-5 individuals
were done. In some instances, this group of individual was being chanced by the surveyor
doing the indigenous ways they were good at and so a permission to interview this group
was asked by the surveyor and at the same time an opportunity to take pictures while they
were working.
Processing of the Data Gathered
Data processing is the process of converting data into information. Hey (2004)
stated that “it is commonly assumed that data itself inherently contain no meanings.
Information is therefore often seen as “data with meaning”. Following this line of
thought, data processing is therefore concerned with putting meaning into raw data
gathered from the field. For this project, data processing was done through the
formulation of technical working groups. The input was raw data and the output was the
instructional material.
Formulation of Technical Working Groups.Technical Working Group (TWGs)
were organized at Dep-Ed and at IFSU. The TWG at Dep-Ed, composed of two writers,
was tasked to develop materials for the elementary and secondary levels. The TWG at
IFSU, composed of 20 writers who have undergone some training on textbook-workbook
writing and on IK systems and practices, was tasked to develop materials for the tertiary
level.
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Data consolidation.After the interviews and FGDs, members of the TWGs came
together to consolidate all gathered data and put them into writing.
Production of instructional materials (IMs).Instructional materials were produced
for the elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Presentation meetings.The IMs developed were shown during presentation
meetings with the IK holders, people from the academe, cultural experts and other project
implementers for validation.
Pilot testing. After the validation of IMs in the presentation meetings, TWGs
began pilot testing of the materials in their own classes at IFSU during the Second
Semester of SY 2009-2010. Inputs from studentswere gathered for the improvement of
the materials.
Final editing. Finalized drafts of IMs were subjected to final editing
Validation. Final validation with IK holders and project staff was done with the
presentation of the revised version of IMs.
The next phase will take care of the reproduction of the IMs.
Forms of Storing the IKs
Guimbatan said that the IKs documented were stored both in printed and
electronic forms. These are all lodged at NCIP Ifugao Provincial Office. This is the
agency concerned primarily with protecting indigenous property rights and whereaccess
to this information is subjected to policies.
Printed form. The written materials are handouts, books, textbook-workbook,
teaching modules, and final reports. These are all handled by IFSU. They are all in the
final printing stage at the time of the study.
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On the other hand, according to Licnachan, Dep-Ed was working on the
integration of IK in books which will be used by the elementary students, from Grades 3-
6. Martin said the books developed by DepEd are still subject to validation.
At the NCIP mini-library, there isa total of nine writtenmaterials -- six
compilations of the profiling and identification of IK holders, one final report on NIKE
phase 2, one reference and one module material on IK.
Electronic form.Licnachan said that duringPhase 3, they were able to create the
“ProjectNIKE” website (www.nikeprogramme.org) which serves as storage of the
published and unpublished Ifugao IKs. Updates or current happenings on the NIKE
program are also found in the website. The website can be accessed through the internet.
Sample pages from the website are shown in Figures 3-6.
Figure 3 shows the main page of the NIKE Website. It contains the logos of
agencies involved in the project. Under the Main Menu, there is a link named IK
Database. Clicking on this link brings one to another page (Figure 4) indicating that the
database is still being populated.The sub-links which include Stories of Old, Bookshelf,
Videos, IK Researches, Let’s Learn Ifugao and Ifugao-English Dictionary.
Sub-link Stories of Old leads one to a collection of ten Ifugao folk stories, all
authored by a certain Lourdes Dulawan. Sub-link Bookshelf leads one to more links of
information materials on Ifugao. In this collection, only the NIKE papers came from the
project. The rest are from other sources.
Sub-link IK Researches brings one to nine articles, three of which are on
ricefarming. These are Tinawon: Ifugao Traditional Rice Production (Figure 4), Pingkol
Dilemma (Figure 5), and Holok Pest Management (Figure 6).
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Figure 3. Main page of the NIKE program website
Figure 4.Information about NIKE program’s IK database.
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The first article presents the four seasons in the agricultural calendar including a
description of activities and rituals. The second article is about an indigenous practice
that is at the brink of extinction due to the introduction of the Golden Apple Snail. The
third one is about an endangered pest management system using herbs and accompanying
rituals.
Forms of Sharing IKs
The forms of IK transmission are aptly described by Guimbatanwhen she stated
“…development is possible in a conservation area through IK transfer/education, and it
can be done by harnessing the very same factors (formal education, communication
technology among others) that are weakening our link to our intellectual heritage”.
She further elaborated that transmission was done through formal means by Dep-
Ed and IFSU and through informal means by the NCIP (online education and research)
and SITMO (Community Learning Centers).
Community Learning Centers (CLCs).As described in their website, CLCs are
“community-led learning centers handled mainly by indigenous knowledge holders
belonging to different people's organizations. CLCs will serve as venues for indigenous
knowledge transmission at the community level to complement IK integration into the
formal education system”. Guimbatan said that these CLCs are NIKE’s informal means
of transmitting IKs. The centers cater to all ages like scholars, students, pupils, tourist,
professionals and OSYs. Seven CLCs have already been established in the four heritage
sites in Kiangan, Mayoyao, Hungduan and Banaue.
Since a NIKE building has not been constructed, municipality-operated buildings
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Figure 4.IK research on the Tinawon rice production.
Figure 5. IK research on the Pingkoldilema
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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Figure 6.IK research on Holok pest management.
have been used for CLC activities. Aside from lectures, there were hands-on
activities like making garden mounds and making dikes for tourists/visitors and the
youthspecifically the OSYs.
Exhibits. With the objective of promoting IK education amonglocal community
people and government project implementers, two exhibits on the IK movement wereput
up. These were at Ifugao State University (IFSU) and Don Bosco School in Lagawe,
Ifugao. The exhibits attracted not only students but also people of various professions and
stature in life.
Pilot
School. IFSU served as the pilot school of NIKE for the integration and
sharing of IK. There were eight representative knowledge holders from three
municipalities, Kiangan (3), Hungduan (3) and Mayoyao (2), who were hired to work in
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
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the Pilot school for the transfer of IKs. This was attended by 14 young students and four
volunteers from SITMo’s Eco-Tourism programme.
Meanwhile, the trainings conducted in the pilot school were: Training of Out-of-
School Youths (OSYs) in Eco-Knowledge Tourism and Training of OSYs in IK
monitoring and Knowledge Management. The training of OSYs in Eco-Knowledge
Tourism had the purpose of training tourist guides on IK and its proper utilization in
tourism activities. Moreover, as expected by the trainors, at the end of the training, the
students had acquired more than basic theoretical knowledge and skills in IK at the same
time producing a group of IK conscious tour guides. On the other hand, the training of
OSYs in IK monitoring and KM dealt on the management of the IK of the CLCc in the
three heritage areas, Kiangan, Hungduan, and Mayoyao.
Problems Encountered in the
Implementation of the Program
Most of the problems encountered during the implementation of the program were
on the identification of knowledge holders.
Dangerous
roads. Considering the mountainous landscape of Ifugao and the bad
condition of roads, the surveyors constantly faced danger as they travel past cliffs and
areas prone to erosion. Most of the time, they also need to travel by foot through dark and
mossy forests before reaching far flung target areas. Usually the walking consumed most
of their time and as a result, they end up sleeping in the villages.
Security of surveyors.The security of the surveyors was also a problem. Since
interviews with knowledge holders usually took place after farm work, the surveyors
would find themselves walking home alone late at night because there were no
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
24
transportation available. They have been suspected to be troublemakers or members of
the rebel group New Peoples’ Army.
Reluctance of IK holders.Licnachanmentioned as a problem during the data
gathering the reluctance of the knowledge holders to share the needed information. They
really had to design their own technique. The reason for the IK holders’ reluctance is
their past experiences. An outsider came to document their practices and after that the
outsider did not acknowledge these IK holders. Some instances, like the practice of using
medicinal plants by theIKholders in a practice should only be known in the IK holders’
community.
Dual residency of IK holders.Some of the knowledge holders identified are
serving everyone in the sub-ethnolinguistic group which occupies two or three barangays.
As a result, mapping the target areas requires a lot of validation and study.
Language barriers. Martin explained that although it is a single province,
Ifugaohas diverse ethno-linguistic compositions. There are slight differences in
customary practices, terminologies and other areas of IK so it was difficult to come up
with standard Ifugao IK classifications or even definitions. The validation process also
posed a great challenge in data processing as most IK holders were unlettered such that
every single page of the workbook needed to be discussed individually and therefore,
time-consuming.
Difficulties of collaboration.The third phase of the project was implemented by a
consortium of five agencies. There were some agencies having more than one team leader
working and deciding on the same project which at times would lead to conflicts.
Likewise, facilitating joint collaboration of agencies with different personalities had also
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
25
been a challenge particularly on the issues between the academic and non-academic
agencies defining valid knowledge.
The aging of IK holders. According to Licnachan, with the mapping activity they
had done, one challenge that came up was their realization that the knowledge holders
were usually the oldies themselves. This is made worse by the observation that very few
are following their footsteps and that youth are not very keen about applying the
indigenous knowledge.
Maria Galeon, one of the IK holders believes that the program is acceptable
among the out-of-school youth because they were very eager to learn. She noticed that
they were taking down notes during lectures and that they kept on asking when the
construction of the building will start. However, despite this acceptance of the OSYs,
Galeon said that she only feels sorry that the youths do not do things the way these were
done before. In the clearing of area or land preparation, they now use rotor which makes
plowing very easy. Nevertheless, she also added that in order for the youth to appreciate
IK, the IK holders have been trying to encourage the youth by telling them the
advantages of organic fertilizers over commercialized fertilizers.
Loss of biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity can lead to the loss of indigenous
knowledge. This is manifested in the endangered practice of ‘pingkol’. Even if people
would like to do it, some required plants are no longer available like water lilies, granaria,
and algae. They were all eaten by the “golden kuhol” or the golden apple snail.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
26
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted to draw lessons from the implementation of the NIKE
program as a knowledge management undertaking particularly on traditional rice
farming. Specifically, it aimed to determine the processes being done to capture, store,
and share the IK and to determine the problems they had encountered while doing the
process.The data were gathered through key informant interviews and document review
of reports done by NIKE program.
The IK holders were identified through referrals from key informants of target
areas/sites or through the recommendations of the local community. Data gathering from
IK holders was through focus group discussions, personal interviews, and group
interviews. Data processing was done by a group of writers comprising the Technical
Working Groups who developed information materials from raw data gathered by
surveyors. The IMs developed went through validation and were soon pilot tested in
formal classes. The inputs gained from pilot testing were incorporated into the IMs which
were ready for mass production at the time of the study
The program stored IK in printed and electronic forms. The printed form were
handouts, books, textbook-workbook, teaching modules, and final reports while the
electronic form was the Website. The program disseminated IK through Community
Learning Centers (CLCs) in municipality-operated buildings, exhibits, and thru a Pilot
School in IFSU.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
27
The problems encountered during the implementation were dangerous roads, the
surveyor’s security, reluctance of knowledge holders to share information, dual residency
of the IK holders, language barrier, difficulties of collaboration, the aging of IK holders,
and the loss of biodiversity.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. The NIKE Programme is a Knowledge Management undertaking.
2. The small number of IK holders identified indicates that they are already
decreasing in number.
3. Gathering data from IK holders requires methods that suit the IK holders’
sensibilities.
4. Processing of data gathered involved processes like validation and pilot testing
before reproduction.
5. NIKE program’s medium of sharing information considered the formal and
informal means.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are
formulated:
1. The NIKE should be taken as a model by other IK documentation efforts.
2. IK documentation should be treated as a priority because of the aging of IK
holders.
3. IK documentation researchers should be trained on IP-sensitive methodologies.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
28
4. An evaluation of this program should also be done to assess the program’s
strengths, and weaknesses.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
12
LITERATURE CITED
ABELL, A. and N. OXBROW.2001. Competing with Knowledge: the Information
Professionalin the Knowledge Management Age. London: Library Associations
Publishing. Pp.67-85.
BUTCHER, N.2003.Choosing Your Knowledge Management Strategy.Retrieved
November 12, 2011 from http://www.tlainc.com.
CHAVEZ-TAFUR, J., K. HAMPSON, A. INGEVALL, and R. THIJSSEN.2007.
Learning from Experience: A Manual for Organizing, Analyzing
andDocumenting Field Based Information. The Netherlands: ILEIA Center for
Information. Pp.9.
CHOWDHURY, G.G. P. F. BURTON, P. MCMENEMY, and A. POULTER 2008.
Librarianship: An Introduction. London: Facet Publishing. Pp.180-181.
COAKES, E.2003.Knowledge Management: Current Issues and Challenges. USA: IRM
Pres.Pp.66-76.
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION-COLLEGE
OFAGRICULTURE.n.d. Introduction to Process Documentation. La Trinidad,
Benguet. Pp.1-5.
GRENIER, L. 1998. Working with Indigenous Knowledge: A Guide For Researchers.
Canada: International Development Research Centre. Pp. 38-40.
HEY, J. 2004. The Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom Chain: The Metaphorical
link.Retrieved March 22,
2012.fromhttp://poeticsofthought.wordpress.com/tag/jonathan-hey/.
KAMOCHE,K.2001.Managing Work and Organizations: Understanding Human
Resource Management.USA:Open University Press.Pp.75-79.
MAUNDU, P.M.1995.Methodology for Collecting and Sharing IK: A Case Study.
Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor. Volume3 (Issue 2):Pp.3-5.
NIKEPROGRAMME.ORG. 2011. What is NIKE?.Retrieved September 23, 2011, from
http://www.nikeprogramme.com.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
APPENDIX A
Communication Letter
Benguet State University
College of Agriculture
Department of Development Communication
___________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
Ma’am/Sir
I am Catherine Navarro, student of Benguet State University taking up Bachelor of
Science in Development Communication major in Science Communication. Currently, I
am doing my undergraduate thesis titled “IFUGAO’S NURTURING INDIGENOUS
KNOWLEDGE EXPERTS (NIKE) PROGRAM AS A KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT UNDERTAKING FOR TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN
KIANGAN, IFUGAO".
Since you are involved in the NIKE program, may I request you to be one of my
respondents? Rest assured that all information to be given will only be for the purpose of
the study.
Your positive response to this request is highly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Respectfully yours,
CATHERINE R. NAVARRO
Researcher
Noted:
MARIA LUZ D. FANG-ASAN
Adviser
30
APPENDIX B
Consent Form
Benguet State University
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNCIATION
College of Agriculture
PROJECT TITLE:
IFUGAO’S NURTURING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
EXPERTS AS A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
UNDERTAKING FOR TRADITIONAL RICE FARMING IN
KIANGAN, IFUGAO.
RESEARCHER:
CATHERINE R. NAVARRO
I have read and understood the information in the Explanatory Statement and had been given the
opportunity to consider the opportunity to consider and ask questions to the information regarding
the involvement in this study. I have spoken directly to my investigator who has answered to my
satisfaction all my questions. I have received a copy of the Explanatory Statement and Informed
Consent Form. I voluntary agree to participate.
Participant’s Signature
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Participant
Signature of the Participant
Witness or Legal Guardian’s Signature:
(Only when participant cannot read or sign this Informed Consent)
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Witness/
Signature of Witness/
Legal Guardian
Legal Guardian,
Investigator’s Signature:
I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge, the participant signing this consent
form has read the information in the Explanatory Statement fully, that this has been carefully
explained to him/ her, and that he/she clearly understands the nature, risks, and benefits of his/
her participation in this study.
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Investigator
Signature of Investigator
31
APPENDIX C
Guide Questions for the Key Informant-Project Implementers
PROFILE
Name: __________________________________________
Age: _______
Position in the community: ___________________
Role in the NIKE: ___________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. How did you get involved with the NIKE program?
2. What were the steps followed by the NIKE in:
a. Identifying the IK experts/holders
b. Gathering data from the IK experts/holders
c. Processing of Data gathered from IK experts/holders
3. What were the forms of IK used by NIKE in:
a. Storing the IK
b. Sharing the IK
4. What problems have you encountered in the NIKE program on
a. Gathering the data
b. Storing the IK
c. Sharing the IK
5. What lessons have you learned from the implementation of the program?
32
APPENDIX D
Guide Questions for the Key Informant-IK Experts/Holders
PROFILE
Name: __________________________________________
Sex: ______Male ______Female
Age: _______
Position in the community: ___________________
Role in the NIKE: ___________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. How did you get involved with the NIKE program?
2. What are the activities/ services implemented by NIKE in your barangay?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the activities/services?
4. What are the problems you have encountered in teaching IK?
5. How did you address this problem?
33
APPENDIX E
IK Research Uploaded in NIKE Website
TINAWON: IFUGAO TRADITIONAL RICE PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Traditional rice production in Ifugao is divided into two phases, namely: field
preparation and rice production. These are subdivided into four seasons of unequal
duration in the agricultural calendar, namely: kiwang (offseason), lawang (planting
season), tiyalgo (dry season), ahitulu (harvest season). Keenness on the effects of
astrologic and seasonal changes on the crops prompted Ifugao forebears to carefully plan
each agricultural work within a year to prevent crop failure. The systematic scheduling of
tasks in rice cultivation exemplifies an efficient organization of agricultural work.
Meanwhile, understanding on soil degradation and rejuvenation made it
imperative for them to cultivate rice crop only for six months and left the rice fields to
fallow for the remaining months. Further, knowledge on the rich diversity of biological
resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem facilitated the discovery of useful herbs
in effective pest management.
SEASONS IN THE AGRICULTURAL CALENDAR
Because districts differ in their ecological settings and owners of ritual fields
(puntonakan) have their leeway in initiating agronomic activities districts follow different
schedules. Thus, annual seasonal calendars are specific to particular districts. Also,
precise dating is impossible as years rarely have the same number of days. The
34
termination of each local agricultural year is determined by the conclusion of harvest rites
and not by celestial phenomena (Conklin: 1980:13).
IWANG/KIWANG: OFF SEASON
This is the longest season with rainy and cold days as well as typhoons. It begins
in late July or early August after the last ritual holiday of the preceding harvests until late
November or first part of December.Rice fields are left to fallow to regain their fertility.
Meanwhile, Woodlots are planted and swiddens are harvested and replanted. Moreover,
prestige feasts are usually held during this period as there is abundance of food.
WORK STAGES and RITUALS
Ubaya Feast. When there is an exceptionally good harvest, a post harvest thanksgiving
feast (ubaya) takes place.Animal sacrifices consist of a pig and five chickens. Rice fields
and the rice granary are blessed so that they may continue to yield abundantly
and be protected from theft and calamities.
Lukya/ Luat Ritual. This means “to open”. After about a month, this ritual is performed
to seek permission from the deities before the first bundles of rice are brought out for
consumption. Grains are brought out for pounding starting with the content of
the huguhug then the palah. For the tumonak, it requires the offering of ten chickens and
a pig.However, a common farmer may just offer a chicken
Apuy. This is done after about two months after the luat. At the rice granary of the
couple, three chickens are offered to the deities and ancestors. Bundles of rice stored at
the granary are brought out for consumption.
Bakle. Rice cakes are prepared at the rice granary of the tumonak. Drinking and feasting
is sought. Farmers help in pounding the glutinous rice into flour. They eat and drink until
evening. The bulul are brought out of the granary to witness the rites.
Ahilamun. In the early part of August, small groups of women return to the field to cut
back the dead and ratooning rice plants. Then they are treaded into the mud to decay
thereby enhancing soil fertility.
Ahiloba. Terrace walls including the paddies, dikes, and surroundings are cleared. Water
outlets are blocked to raise water levels in the terrace. At the same time, they make
mounds (inado/pingkol) at the center of the field or at the sides of the terraces for
planting vegetables
35
LAWANG:PLANTING SEASON
This is the season of field work and rice planting. It runs from late November until
March. During this period, terraces are prepared for planting.
WORK STAGE S and RITUALS
Ahigaud/ ahi law-ang. As soon as the women finish clearing the field, the men take their
turn in the field work.They level the pond field, reshape the paddies, and repair whatever
part of the rice field is destroyed during the previous agricultural year, especially the mud
or stonewalls and the dikes.
Ahipaphod. Seed bed preparation. In preparing the seedbed (panopnakan), the pond field
is drained of water. Any living organism that might eat the seeds or deter their
germination is removed. Next, the seedbed is leveled.
Lokah/ loah. Before the rice grains are brought out to the rice fields for sowing, one
chicken is offered to the skyworld deities so they will allow the seeds to germinate well
and be protected from pests and calamities.
Ahihopnak/ ahipatang. Upon completion of the lokah ritual, the rice panicles are placed
on the seedbed. Seeding is done only in the afternoon so that fowls will not devour
it. The one who laid the panicles, usually an old woman, should observe the following:
a. She should not enter the house until dusk; otherwise, rats will ravage the seeds
on the seedbed;
b. Upon entering the house, she should immediately go to one corner, sit, and
wait for other members of the family to prepare her food;
c. She must avoid warm foods, vine vegetables, and meat offered in a ritual lest
the grains will not sprout; and
d. She must not take a bath until the seeds germinate so that the grains will grow
evenly.
Panal. Again, the deities are supplicated so that the seeds may germinate well and be
protected from pests and calamities.
Tungo. A ritual rest day is observed after sowing. Virtually, no one is allowed to go to
the rice fields. Violation of this tungo may provoke the ire of the deities and will not
affect the germination and growth of the seedlings.
Ahibalin and ahihadah. While observing all these restrictions, the woman can
accomplish other field tasks. If there are rice stalks and weeds that did not rot, she turns
36
them over (balin) to putrefy further or remove (hadah) them.The rest of the pond field is
also prepared for transplanting.
Bolnat. When the seedlings have grown and ready to be transplanted, this ritual is held to
beg the deities not to let the seedlings wilt when transplanted; instead, they are implored
to allow the seedlings to grow well and yield abundantly.
Ahiboge/ ahitunod. When the seedlings grow about a foot, transplanting (kahiboge) sets
in. The owner of the biggest rice field (tumonak) initiates the first transplanting activity in
his rice field.
Kulpi / Urpi. This is held after every farmer has finished transplanting rice seedlings in
their respective fields. It is done to thank the deities for the success of the transplanting
season. Abundant rice wine is prepared and every farmer partakes in the merry-
making. Meanwhile, the deities are implored to protect the rice crop from pests and
calamities so they may grow healthy and mature well.
TIYALGO: DRY SEASON
(This season lasts about 3 months, from)
This period runs from late March until late June. By this time, the rice seedlings are
growing. Farmers devote their time in maintaining rice crops and irrigation channels as
well as destruction of pests. Meanwhile, swidden farms are planted.
WORK STAGES and RITULAS
Hagophop. Before the first weeding of the rice crops, this ritual is performed to seek
permission from the deities so that they will allow the weeds to wilt but not the rice
crops.
Ahikagoko, ahihagaphap, ahilupung. When the crops grew about 2 feet tall, groups of
women set about to weed them (kagoko). This enables the roots to acquire all the
necessary nutrients from the soil. After which, they clean the paddies (hagaphap), walls
and surroundings (lupung) for the second time.
Holok Pest Ritual. When infected plants are found, all infected parts are picked off and
burned or left under the hot sun todry. In case of army worms attack, herbs are selected,
chopped, and mixed to make a potent compound against the pests. As always, sacrificial
animals are offered and strict observance to certain restrictions is required. Another
technique in pest control is to synchronize transplanting. This way, pests spread and the
devastating effect they can cause in one rice field is minimized.
37
Hulin/Tagtag Ritual. This is performed when rats infest the rice crops. Groups of
men drive away the rats from the fields with the use of wooden implements and bamboo
clappers.
Ahiabul/ahiadug. As soon the crops boot (munbuhbuh/ munhulit), the farmers put up
scarecrows and tie strings to ward off birds from eating the spikelets.
Bodad. When the rice crops are about to bear grains, this ritual is performed to seek the
blessings of the deities so the grains will be full, heavy, and mature well. Three chickens
are offered.
Paad. The farmers must refrain from eating all kinds of aquatic foods, otherwise, the
spikelets will not bear grains.
Gito and Puwo. This thunderstorm and typhoon rituals are performed to implore the
deities to spare the rice crops from being destroyed.
AHITULU/AHI-ANI: HARVEST SEASON
This is the shortest season in the Ifugao calendar. It runs from late June to July and it
concludes the agricultural year
WORK STAGES and RITUALS
Hanglag. Early bundles of rice are reaped from the rice fields and toasted to
make tinukpi. This is to test the grains idf they are ready to be harvested. Meanwhile,
the mumbaki invokes the deities to hasten the ripening of the grains.
Ngilin. On the eve before the scheduled day of harvest, a chick is offered to the deity of
covetousness (Umamo) so they will not interfere during harvest. The people believe that
because of their jealousy, they may cause trouble among the harvesters and other workers
or may decrease the yield; hence, they must be appeased.
Ahitulu/ ahibotok/ ahi
ani. After confirming that the grains are ripe, harvest
begins. Once again, the first to harvest his crop is the tumonak. After him, the rest may
follow. Very early in the morning, before harvesters reach the rice field, a small group of
women set out to cut choice seeds (binong-o) to be used on the next agricultural cycle.
Women harvest the grains while the men carry the harvest to the rice granary.
Implements used are: (a) gamulang- knife used by women for gathering grains; and
(b) batawel - wooden pole carried on the shoulders of men with bundles of rice placed on
both ends of the pole. Compared to other work stages, the harvest season is the most
enjoyable since everybody participates in the harvest activities regardless of age, gender,
and capability.
38
Aside from that, abundant rice wine is served both at the village and at the rice field, thus,
relieving the harvesters’ (munbotok) and the carriers’ (munbatawel) thirst and
weariness. To top it all, both groups of men and women sing the hudhud and engage in a
playful banter, thus, creating a cheerful atmosphere. After harvest, the people take a rest
for about two to three weeks. Then, the women return to the field to glean late ripening
grains.
Dimakal. Post Harvest. Everyone has harvested his or her rice field.
Ahihape and Ponpon. Drying and Storage. The newly harvested grains are dried under
the sun the following day. After three days of drying, the grains are stored inside the rice
granary. Some are brought inside the residential houses and kept in the huguhug as well
as in the pala.
Tungo. Rest day is declared the next day after harvest.
Luwa Ritual. This ritual is performed to ask permission from the deities for the people to
eat shells and fishes as well as vegetables.
Huap Ritual. To close the season, another ritual, the hu-ap, is performed. Huap literally
means “to cover”. One chicken is needed for the accomplishment of this ritual. All
instruments and paraphernalia used during the ritual performances are kept.
REFERENCES:
Barton, R.F. Ifugao Economics. 1922. American Archaelogy and Ethnology. University
of California Publications. Vol. 15, No. 5, pp 385 – 446.
Bulayo, Z. 1998. Tinawon Production among the Namulditan Farmers in Hingyon,
Ifugao. Bachelor’s Thesis.University of the Philippines College Baguio
Conklin, H.C. 1980. Ethnographic Atlas of Ifugao: A Study of Environment, Culture and
Society in Northern Luzon. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
DULAWAN, M.
2000.
The Ifugao.
National Commission for Culture and
Arts.
Intramuros,
Manila.
Rice Production in the Philippine Cordillera, Central
Cordillera Agricultural Programme (CECAP) 2000, pp. 51-53.
Nozawa, C., Malingan,M., Plantilla, A., and Ong, J. Evolving Culture, Evolving
Landscapes: The Philippine Rice Terraces. In Amend T., Brown J., Kothari A.
Phillips A. and Stolton S. (eds.) 2008. Protected Landscapes and Agrobiodiversity
Values. Volume 1 in the series, Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, IUCN &
GTZ. Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg. p. 71-93.
NAVARRO, CATHERINE R. APRIL 2012. Ifugao’s Nurturing IndigeousKnowledge
Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in
Kiangan, Ifugao. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Maria Luz D. Fang-asan, PhD
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to draw lessons from the implementation of the NIKE program
as a knowledge management undertaking by looking into the processes being done to capture,
store, and share the IK and to determine the problems they had encountered while doing the
process. The data were gathered through key informant interviews and document review of
reports done by NIKE program.
Data gathering from IK holders was through focus group discussions, personal
interviews, and group interviews. Data processing by developing information materials from raw
data gathered by surveyors. The IMs developed were validated before submission for mass
production. The program stored IK in printed and electronic forms being disseminated through
Community Learning Centers (CLCs), exhibits, and a Pilot School in IFSU.
The problems encountered during the implementation were dangerous roads, the
surveyor’s security, reluctance of knowledge holders to share information, dual residency of the
IK holders, language barrier, difficulties of collaboration, the aging of IK holders, and the loss of
biodiversity.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for
Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao/ Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
Conclusions drawn indicate that indeed the NIKE Programme is a Knowledge
Management undertaking; hence it should be maintained by the implementers or emulated by
other entities. NIKE program’s medium of sharing information considered the formal and
informal means.
NIKE should be taken as a model by other IK documentation efforts. IK documentation
should be treated as a priority because of the aging of IK holders.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for
Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao/ Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography...................................................................................................... i
Abstract…………………………………………………………………….
i
Table of Contents..............................................................................................
iii
1
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................
Rationale..............................................................................................
1
Statement of the Problem....................................................................
3
Objectives of the Study.......................................................................
4
Importance of the Study......................................................................
4
Scope and Limitation of the Study.....................................................
4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE.........................................................................
5
Benefits Derived in Knowledge Management...................................
5
Methods of Gathering Data………………………………………...
6
Methods of Storing Information........................................................
7
Methods of Sharing Information……………………………...........
7
METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................... 9
Locale and Time of the Study...........................................................
9
Respondents of the Study................................................................
9
Data Collection………….……………………………….………..
11
Data to be Gathered………………………..………………………
12
Data Analysis……………………………………………….…..…
12
13
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION………………………………………………
13
Identification of IK Experts ………………………………………
15
Methods of Gathering Data from the IK Experts………………….
16
Processing of Data Gathered………………………………………
17
Forms of Storing IKs………………………………………………
20
Forms of Sharing IKs………………………………………………
23
Problems Encountered in the Implementation of the Program…….
27
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………
27
Summary…………………………………………………………..
28
Conclusions………………………………………………………..
28
Recommendations…………………………………………………..
29
LITERATURE CITED……………………………………………………….
APPENDIX……………………………………………….………………....
30
A. Communication Letter to the Respondents……………………...
30
B. Consent Form…………………………………………………….
31
C. Guide Questions for the Key
Informant -Project Implementers………………………………..
32
D. Guide Questions for the Key
Informant –IK Experts/Holders………………………...............
33
E. IK Research uploaded in NIKE Website…………………………
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INTRODUCTION
Rationale
In the United Nations System, Knowledge Management (KM) is “a wide concept
involving the processes of identifying and collecting relevant information and knowledge
currently available, its classification and storage, timely dissemination and updating”
(UNDP, 2006). These processes are centered on three major communication activities
being carried out by development-oriented organizations – capturing, storing and sharing
knowledge.
Among the benefits of KM are improved team communications, reduced problem
solving time, consistency, improved project management, process improvement. For
indigenous peoples (IPs) struggling to document their traditional knowledge which is
facing the threat of extinction, KM would mean easy access to their own knowledge and
a systematic way of conserving such.
Like other IPs in the world, the IPs of Ifugao have managed to nurture their
indigenous knowledge through generations as shown by the continuing observance of
their IK at present. The rice terraces built by their ancestors hundreds of years ago are
still intact. This is an indicator that agriculture has long been practiced by their ancestors.
However, it has been observed that many of their IK are now becoming vulnerable to the
influences of modernization.
In an effort to keep their indigenous knowledge from getting lost, the Ifugao
people embarked on a novel program they call NIKE or Nurturing Indigenous
Knowledge Experts among their younger generations. This program stemmed out from a
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conservation effort for the Ifugao rice terraces by SITMo or Save the Ifugao Terraces
Movement.
As described in the program’s website, NIKE is a joint collaborative programme
that works on the transfer of indigenous knowledge from the old folks to the younger
generation of Ifugaos through formal and informal means. It is being implemented by a
consortium of five agencies namely Department of Education Ifugao (Dep-Ed Ifugao),
Ifugao State University (IfSU), National Commissions on Indigenous People (NCIP),
Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) and the Provincial Government of Ifugao.
It is funded by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan
(NFUAJ) which aims to raise awareness in order to protect our irreplaceable cultural and
natural heritage, as well as to promote local community activities, among others.
The four knowledge areas making up the cultural heritage of Ifugao covered by
the program are land management, terrace engineering, construction techniques,
agricultural cycle and their accompanying rituals.
The implementation of NIKE’s four-phased action plan began in 2006 with
SITMo mapping knowledge sources for Phase 1. Phase 2 was the development of both
oral and written knowledge bases. Phase 3 was the development of knowledge
transmission systems. This phase was completed in May 2010. The program is currently
in its fourth and final phase which is the production of knowledge resources.
The phases of the program are similar with the processes in Knowledge
Management, hence it can be said that NIKE is a KM undertaking. The encouraging
outputs of the first three phases are enough reason to look into this program for lessons
that may be applied in other situations, hence this study.
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Statement of the Problem
Information about the NIKE program and its implementation are available in the
program website and in several articles published in newspapers and other websites.
Most, if not all, have been prepared by the implementing agencies. To complete the
picture, there is also a need to know the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of the
other actors in the project like the IK experts or members of the younger generation who
are to be nurtured as IK experts in the future.
The study sought to answer the following questions particularly for indigenous
knowledge in traditional rice farming:
1. How were the IK experts identified?
2. How were the IK captured or gathered from the experts?
3. How were the IK processed?
4. In what form were the IK stored?
5. In what form will the IK be shared?
6. What problems were encountered in the implementation of the program?
Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study was to draw lessons from the implementation
of the NIKE program as a knowledge management undertaking particularly on traditional
rice farming.
Specifically, it aimed to:
1. Determine how the IK experts were identified;
2. Describe the methods used in gathering data from the IK experts;
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3. Describe how the data gathered were processed;
4. Determine the forms in which the IK were stored;
5. Determine the forms through which the IK will be shared; and,
6. Determine the problems encountered during the implementation of the
program.
Importance of the Study
The results of the study may provide insights to other agencies concerned with
Indigenous Knowledge revitalization and/or transmission. Findings may also be used by
other researchers, teachers, students, and community development workers as reference
or supporting document.
Scope and Limitation
The study focused mainly on lessons that were gained from the NIKE program as
a KM undertaking: capturing, storing and sharing of the IK of Ifugaos on the traditional
rice farming in Kiangan, Ifugao.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Benefits Derived in Knowledge Management
Time and again, we always hear that, “knowledge is power”. As seen nowadays,
information has become as important as traditional physical goods (Chowdhury, 2008).
Also, as explained by Kamoche (2001), knowledge connotes power and issues related to
power are of great importance to managers. This explains why Abell and Oxbrow (2001),
stressed that knowledge is the most sought after remedy to uncertainty.
The aim of KM is to keep tract of valuable capabilities used in one place that
could be applied elsewhere (Abell and Oxbrow, 2001). Thus, successful KM can be
determined through its beneficiaries, if they will be able to visualize the affectivity of
knowledge. In addition, in applying a KM strategy, before collecting, storing and sharing
knowledge, there should have been idea of how will the community might benefit from it.
In this case, measurement of KM strategy can be traced on the derived benefits of
knowledge holders as well as the general public where the research has been done.
According to Maundu (1995), there are several ways in which the community can
gain profit from collecting Indigenous Knowledge (IK), these includes the following:
• IK can be made available to the less knowledgeable within the community,
especiallythe young by means of printed word and other learning materials.
• Individual members can use research, the literature and even their own
experience toIK, which they pass on to the community.
• Innovative participatory research can be used to modify IK, in order to
improveutilization.
• Specific problems can be identified together with appropriate interventions
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giving riseto projects and activities beneficial to the community.
Methods of Gathering Data
There are different methods of gathering data like interviews, observations, field
walks and the like, and so critical planning on which must be used must be applied in
order to obtain accurate and detailed information.
Under the method of interviewing, Maundu (1995), stressed that it is the suitable
method for group and individuals since it can be for a quite informal such as in market
places or on roads and on more formal like community workshops or pre-arrange
household visits. On the other hand for the observation, US Department of Education,
Office of Educational Research and Improvement had listed two (2) advantages of it such
as objective interpretation and a low burden for people providing data. However, there
are four (4) disadvantages which they had also listed such as time consuming, some items
are not observable, can be expensive, and participant may be affected by the observer’s
presence.
Meanwhile, for the guided field walks, it is a combination for interview and
observation method. However, under this method, Maundu (1995), had listed several
disadvantages like:
• Tiring, especially for older people, who tend to be most knowledgeable,
• Time consuming, and
• Only effective in species-rich places with considerable variations in habitat.
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Methods of Storing Information
Information age or the KM age places emphasis on the power of information to
help connect, develop and manage organizations and individual (Chowdhury, 2008). In
addition, technologies are a means to link information and sharing of knowledge to
different people in the different parts of the world.
As stated by Coakes (2003), the development of technology has taken the
drudgery out of the search and analysis of data and is capable of converting it into
information to which knowledge can be applied. On the other hand, having technologies
available is still not enough because not all have access to these technologies.
Nevertheless, it is still best that information derived may have outputs like journals,
books, newspapers, photo essays, photo slides, audio CDs, DVDs, and VCDs.
Methods of Sharing Information
The essence of KM also points out to connecting people to people, connecting
people to information, enabling conversion of information into knowledge and
encouraging innovation and creativity through the nurturing of a knowledge environment,
(Abell and Oxbrow, 2001). Basically, this explains the reason for knowledge sharing.
Moreover, it is in knowledge sharing that we make practical knowledge very
useful wherein it can help improve the conceptualization of a given issue and through
knowledge sharing we can prevent losing the information and lessons learned (Chavez et
al., 2007).
Disseminating information or sharing information can be done in different ways.
As listed by DDC-CA (n.d.), here are some of ways where in knowledge can be shared:
• Photo montages can be put up in all the project meetings,
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• key stake holders can allocate space on walls for short newsletter and posters,
• documentation experts can take video materials to show in communities,
• public channels can and should be used,
• short videos can be shown on television,
• materials can be put up on websites,
• case studies can be published in magazines,and
• Keeping written materials short and presenting them well with pictures.
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METHODOLOGY
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Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in Kiangan, Ifugao. Kiangan is politically sub-divided
into 15 barangays and is inhabited by Tuwali sub-groups. The town got its name from
Kiyyangan (stressed in the second syllable), an ancient village near the bank of Ibulao
river from across the Lagawe valley. But the name Kiyyangan is safely enshrined in
Ifugao mythology. It is believed that Kiangan is the dwelling place of Wigan and Bugan,
the mythological ancestors of the Ifugao when they migrated from Kay-ang. Accordingly,
Kiangan is one of the oldest and one of the smallest towns in Ifugao province.
NIKE Phase I, which is the mapping of existing IK in the province, revealed that
most IK on Indigenous rice production are found in Kiangan.
The study was conducted on December 2011 to March 2012.
Respondents of the Study
There were four key informants who are project implementers of the NIKE
program and one IK holder on traditional rice production identified in Phase 1.
The project implementers interviewed were Rachel F. Guimbatan, 40 years old,
comes from both ethnolinguistic groups, Bungubungna of the Tuwali and I-Henanga of
the Ayangans. She is the Chief Technical Advisor for the Programme and also the
Overall Coordinator reporting directly to the funding agency. In 2005, according to
Guimbatan, she wrote the NIKE program’s concept and luckily the program got support
from the NFUAJ. Moreover, she was also the one who designed the project to be a four-
phased programme being implemented in 4 cycles.
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Figure 1. Map of Kiangan, Ifugao showing the locale of the study
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Guimbatan also said that the programme was envisioned to be piloted as a small
project initiated by the NGO-SITMo, where she is volunteering, and to be expanded as a
programme in its third phase and would then involve government agencies/institutions.
As she added, the NIKE concept sparked mainly by her involvement as a planner
and a professional architect in the conservation of the Philippine Rice Terraces which has
been placed in the World Heritage Site In Danger list in 2001.
Esther Licnachan, on the other hand is 42 years old. She is a pure Ayangan with
his father originating from Asipulo and her mother from Mayoyao. Being the National
Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) provincial officer, she was also the NCIP
representative on the NIKE program. The third key informant is Marlon Martin, also
works as a project coordinator in program. The fourth key informant is Armand
Camhol, 29 years old, originates in Maggok, Hungduan and belonged to the Tuwali
groups. He was with the program during the phase 1 as Researcher/Field Surveyor and
the Program Manager of Phase 2.
Maria Galeon, 73 years old, is residing in Tuplac, Kiangan and was one of the
identified IK holders during the first phase of the program. At the same time she was also
hired by NIKE to be one of the IK professors specializing on traditional rice cycle in the
Pilot school which is IFSU during the phase 2 of the program.
Data Collection
Guide questions for key informant interview were used as an instrument in
collecting the needed data. Document assessment was also done to review reports and
materials produced.
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Data Gathered
The data gathered were the criteria and procedure used in identifying the IK
experts; the methods used in gathering and processing data from the IK experts; and the
forms in which the IK were stored and disseminated.
Data Analysis
All information from the respondents was consolidated and was qualitatively
discussed. Items were also classified according to the objectives of the study.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Findings of the study are organized and discussed in this section according to the
objectives of the study and the major activities in the Knowledge Management process.
Identification of IK Experts
The identification of IK holders was done during Phase I of NIKE in April to
September 2006. The survey team first considered the four heritage sites of Ifugao --
Kiangan, Hungduan, Mayoyao and Banaue. These places are still evidently rich in the
indigenous culture of the province. They observed that each area had its own strength in
terms of indigenous knowledge. Native house construction and stone walling were
concentrated in Mayoyao; the watershed was found in Hungduan and the terrace
communities were in Kiangan and Banaue. Since the municipalities of Aguinaldo,
Asipulo and Hingyonare among the terrace communities, they were also included in the
survey. IK experts on a specific knowledge were identified from the places where the
knowledge is richly manifested.
NIKE conducted the survey using the mapping technique. The mapping
technique is a participatory rural appraisal method which uses situation maps indicating
the location where a phenomenon is observed and in this case, where the experts are
found.
Specific steps undertaken included a courtesy call to the mayor and to the
barangay chairman of the locality to explain what the project was all about. Then the
team asked for referral of knowledge holders from the barangay kagawad, teachers and
the council of elders. The main criteria in identifying IK experts were their level of
expertiseand a recommendation by credible community leaders.
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Figure 2. Sample base map used during the mapping activity.
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The IK experts were then employed by the NIKE project as IK Professors. For
those specializing in Traditional Rice Cycle, the identified IK Professors were Prof.
Maria Galeon, a retired elementary school teacher and couples Prof. Simon Tuguinay,
and Prof. Virginia Tuguinay, both farmers.
Methods of Gathering Data from the IK Experts
The NIKE team used a combination of different methods in data gathering like
Focus Group Discussion and interviews.Licnachan said, “They really had to design their
own strategy whenever the situation calls for it during the data gathering.”
Focus group discussion. To gather data from the elders, NIKE used FGD as a
technique. Guimbatan explained that the methods used by each surveyor were not the
ordinary academic Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and interviews, for the surveyors
adopted the methods out of their necessity. The FGD were done in small groups
composed of three individuals. FGD was also used by the surveyors for validation. They
claimed that the FGD was very effective, fast and time saving for they were able to
interview three people at the same time unlike one-on-one interviews.
Personal
interviews. NIKE conducted one-on-one interviews with IK holders
using structured and open-ended questions formulated by the surveyors.
Sometimes, surveyors stayed overnight in the survey area to have more time for
interviews with the knowledge holders. Armand Camhol, one of the surveyors, wrote in
his personal accounts that he usually did his interviews at night after the IK holders
finished their farm duties and other household tasks.This conformed with what Johnson
(1992) said, cited by Grenier (1998), that interviews are best done in places where the
informant is most comfortable.
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Some surveyors started the interview by explaining further the purpose of
documenting the IK in order to gain the interviewee’s participation and to wipe out their
doubts. After this, appointmentfor interviews was sought by the surveyors.
Group
interviews.Structured interviews ingroups composed of 3-5 individuals
were done. In some instances, this group of individual was being chanced by the surveyor
doing the indigenous ways they were good at and so a permission to interview this group
was asked by the surveyor and at the same time an opportunity to take pictures while they
were working.
Processing of the Data Gathered
Data processing is the process of converting data into information. Hey (2004)
stated that “it is commonly assumed that data itself inherently contain no meanings.
Information is therefore often seen as “data with meaning”. Following this line of
thought, data processing is therefore concerned with putting meaning into raw data
gathered from the field. For this project, data processing was done through the
formulation of technical working groups. The input was raw data and the output was the
instructional material.
Formulation of Technical Working Groups.Technical Working Group (TWGs)
were organized at Dep-Ed and at IFSU. The TWG at Dep-Ed, composed of two writers,
was tasked to develop materials for the elementary and secondary levels. The TWG at
IFSU, composed of 20 writers who have undergone some training on textbook-workbook
writing and on IK systems and practices, was tasked to develop materials for the tertiary
level.
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Data consolidation.After the interviews and FGDs, members of the TWGs came
together to consolidate all gathered data and put them into writing.
Production of instructional materials (IMs).Instructional materials were produced
for the elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Presentation meetings.The IMs developed were shown during presentation
meetings with the IK holders, people from the academe, cultural experts and other project
implementers for validation.
Pilot testing. After the validation of IMs in the presentation meetings, TWGs
began pilot testing of the materials in their own classes at IFSU during the Second
Semester of SY 2009-2010. Inputs from studentswere gathered for the improvement of
the materials.
Final editing. Finalized drafts of IMs were subjected to final editing
Validation. Final validation with IK holders and project staff was done with the
presentation of the revised version of IMs.
The next phase will take care of the reproduction of the IMs.
Forms of Storing the IKs
Guimbatan said that the IKs documented were stored both in printed and
electronic forms. These are all lodged at NCIP Ifugao Provincial Office. This is the
agency concerned primarily with protecting indigenous property rights and whereaccess
to this information is subjected to policies.
Printed form. The written materials are handouts, books, textbook-workbook,
teaching modules, and final reports. These are all handled by IFSU. They are all in the
final printing stage at the time of the study.
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On the other hand, according to Licnachan, Dep-Ed was working on the
integration of IK in books which will be used by the elementary students, from Grades 3-
6. Martin said the books developed by DepEd are still subject to validation.
At the NCIP mini-library, there isa total of nine writtenmaterials -- six
compilations of the profiling and identification of IK holders, one final report on NIKE
phase 2, one reference and one module material on IK.
Electronic form.Licnachan said that duringPhase 3, they were able to create the
“ProjectNIKE” website (www.nikeprogramme.org) which serves as storage of the
published and unpublished Ifugao IKs. Updates or current happenings on the NIKE
program are also found in the website. The website can be accessed through the internet.
Sample pages from the website are shown in Figures 3-6.
Figure 3 shows the main page of the NIKE Website. It contains the logos of
agencies involved in the project. Under the Main Menu, there is a link named IK
Database. Clicking on this link brings one to another page (Figure 4) indicating that the
database is still being populated.The sub-links which include Stories of Old, Bookshelf,
Videos, IK Researches, Let’s Learn Ifugao and Ifugao-English Dictionary.
Sub-link Stories of Old leads one to a collection of ten Ifugao folk stories, all
authored by a certain Lourdes Dulawan. Sub-link Bookshelf leads one to more links of
information materials on Ifugao. In this collection, only the NIKE papers came from the
project. The rest are from other sources.
Sub-link IK Researches brings one to nine articles, three of which are on
ricefarming. These are Tinawon: Ifugao Traditional Rice Production (Figure 4), Pingkol
Dilemma (Figure 5), and Holok Pest Management (Figure 6).
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Figure 3. Main page of the NIKE program website
Figure 4.Information about NIKE program’s IK database.
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The first article presents the four seasons in the agricultural calendar including a
description of activities and rituals. The second article is about an indigenous practice
that is at the brink of extinction due to the introduction of the Golden Apple Snail. The
third one is about an endangered pest management system using herbs and accompanying
rituals.
Forms of Sharing IKs
The forms of IK transmission are aptly described by Guimbatanwhen she stated
“…development is possible in a conservation area through IK transfer/education, and it
can be done by harnessing the very same factors (formal education, communication
technology among others) that are weakening our link to our intellectual heritage”.
She further elaborated that transmission was done through formal means by Dep-
Ed and IFSU and through informal means by the NCIP (online education and research)
and SITMO (Community Learning Centers).
Community Learning Centers (CLCs).As described in their website, CLCs are
“community-led learning centers handled mainly by indigenous knowledge holders
belonging to different people's organizations. CLCs will serve as venues for indigenous
knowledge transmission at the community level to complement IK integration into the
formal education system”. Guimbatan said that these CLCs are NIKE’s informal means
of transmitting IKs. The centers cater to all ages like scholars, students, pupils, tourist,
professionals and OSYs. Seven CLCs have already been established in the four heritage
sites in Kiangan, Mayoyao, Hungduan and Banaue.
Since a NIKE building has not been constructed, municipality-operated buildings
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Figure 4.IK research on the Tinawon rice production.
Figure 5. IK research on the Pingkoldilema
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Figure 6.IK research on Holok pest management.
have been used for CLC activities. Aside from lectures, there were hands-on
activities like making garden mounds and making dikes for tourists/visitors and the
youthspecifically the OSYs.
Exhibits. With the objective of promoting IK education amonglocal community
people and government project implementers, two exhibits on the IK movement wereput
up. These were at Ifugao State University (IFSU) and Don Bosco School in Lagawe,
Ifugao. The exhibits attracted not only students but also people of various professions and
stature in life.
Pilot
School. IFSU served as the pilot school of NIKE for the integration and
sharing of IK. There were eight representative knowledge holders from three
municipalities, Kiangan (3), Hungduan (3) and Mayoyao (2), who were hired to work in
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the Pilot school for the transfer of IKs. This was attended by 14 young students and four
volunteers from SITMo’s Eco-Tourism programme.
Meanwhile, the trainings conducted in the pilot school were: Training of Out-of-
School Youths (OSYs) in Eco-Knowledge Tourism and Training of OSYs in IK
monitoring and Knowledge Management. The training of OSYs in Eco-Knowledge
Tourism had the purpose of training tourist guides on IK and its proper utilization in
tourism activities. Moreover, as expected by the trainors, at the end of the training, the
students had acquired more than basic theoretical knowledge and skills in IK at the same
time producing a group of IK conscious tour guides. On the other hand, the training of
OSYs in IK monitoring and KM dealt on the management of the IK of the CLCc in the
three heritage areas, Kiangan, Hungduan, and Mayoyao.
Problems Encountered in the
Implementation of the Program
Most of the problems encountered during the implementation of the program were
on the identification of knowledge holders.
Dangerous
roads. Considering the mountainous landscape of Ifugao and the bad
condition of roads, the surveyors constantly faced danger as they travel past cliffs and
areas prone to erosion. Most of the time, they also need to travel by foot through dark and
mossy forests before reaching far flung target areas. Usually the walking consumed most
of their time and as a result, they end up sleeping in the villages.
Security of surveyors.The security of the surveyors was also a problem. Since
interviews with knowledge holders usually took place after farm work, the surveyors
would find themselves walking home alone late at night because there were no
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transportation available. They have been suspected to be troublemakers or members of
the rebel group New Peoples’ Army.
Reluctance of IK holders.Licnachanmentioned as a problem during the data
gathering the reluctance of the knowledge holders to share the needed information. They
really had to design their own technique. The reason for the IK holders’ reluctance is
their past experiences. An outsider came to document their practices and after that the
outsider did not acknowledge these IK holders. Some instances, like the practice of using
medicinal plants by theIKholders in a practice should only be known in the IK holders’
community.
Dual residency of IK holders.Some of the knowledge holders identified are
serving everyone in the sub-ethnolinguistic group which occupies two or three barangays.
As a result, mapping the target areas requires a lot of validation and study.
Language barriers. Martin explained that although it is a single province,
Ifugaohas diverse ethno-linguistic compositions. There are slight differences in
customary practices, terminologies and other areas of IK so it was difficult to come up
with standard Ifugao IK classifications or even definitions. The validation process also
posed a great challenge in data processing as most IK holders were unlettered such that
every single page of the workbook needed to be discussed individually and therefore,
time-consuming.
Difficulties of collaboration.The third phase of the project was implemented by a
consortium of five agencies. There were some agencies having more than one team leader
working and deciding on the same project which at times would lead to conflicts.
Likewise, facilitating joint collaboration of agencies with different personalities had also
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been a challenge particularly on the issues between the academic and non-academic
agencies defining valid knowledge.
The aging of IK holders. According to Licnachan, with the mapping activity they
had done, one challenge that came up was their realization that the knowledge holders
were usually the oldies themselves. This is made worse by the observation that very few
are following their footsteps and that youth are not very keen about applying the
indigenous knowledge.
Maria Galeon, one of the IK holders believes that the program is acceptable
among the out-of-school youth because they were very eager to learn. She noticed that
they were taking down notes during lectures and that they kept on asking when the
construction of the building will start. However, despite this acceptance of the OSYs,
Galeon said that she only feels sorry that the youths do not do things the way these were
done before. In the clearing of area or land preparation, they now use rotor which makes
plowing very easy. Nevertheless, she also added that in order for the youth to appreciate
IK, the IK holders have been trying to encourage the youth by telling them the
advantages of organic fertilizers over commercialized fertilizers.
Loss of biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity can lead to the loss of indigenous
knowledge. This is manifested in the endangered practice of ‘pingkol’. Even if people
would like to do it, some required plants are no longer available like water lilies, granaria,
and algae. They were all eaten by the “golden kuhol” or the golden apple snail.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
26
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted to draw lessons from the implementation of the NIKE
program as a knowledge management undertaking particularly on traditional rice
farming. Specifically, it aimed to determine the processes being done to capture, store,
and share the IK and to determine the problems they had encountered while doing the
process.The data were gathered through key informant interviews and document review
of reports done by NIKE program.
The IK holders were identified through referrals from key informants of target
areas/sites or through the recommendations of the local community. Data gathering from
IK holders was through focus group discussions, personal interviews, and group
interviews. Data processing was done by a group of writers comprising the Technical
Working Groups who developed information materials from raw data gathered by
surveyors. The IMs developed went through validation and were soon pilot tested in
formal classes. The inputs gained from pilot testing were incorporated into the IMs which
were ready for mass production at the time of the study
The program stored IK in printed and electronic forms. The printed form were
handouts, books, textbook-workbook, teaching modules, and final reports while the
electronic form was the Website. The program disseminated IK through Community
Learning Centers (CLCs) in municipality-operated buildings, exhibits, and thru a Pilot
School in IFSU.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
27
The problems encountered during the implementation were dangerous roads, the
surveyor’s security, reluctance of knowledge holders to share information, dual residency
of the IK holders, language barrier, difficulties of collaboration, the aging of IK holders,
and the loss of biodiversity.
Conclusion
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. The NIKE Programme is a Knowledge Management undertaking.
2. The small number of IK holders identified indicates that they are already
decreasing in number.
3. Gathering data from IK holders requires methods that suit the IK holders’
sensibilities.
4. Processing of data gathered involved processes like validation and pilot testing
before reproduction.
5. NIKE program’s medium of sharing information considered the formal and
informal means.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are
formulated:
1. The NIKE should be taken as a model by other IK documentation efforts.
2. IK documentation should be treated as a priority because of the aging of IK
holders.
3. IK documentation researchers should be trained on IP-sensitive methodologies.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
28
4. An evaluation of this program should also be done to assess the program’s
strengths, and weaknesses.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
12
LITERATURE CITED
ABELL, A. and N. OXBROW.2001. Competing with Knowledge: the Information
Professionalin the Knowledge Management Age. London: Library Associations
Publishing. Pp.67-85.
BUTCHER, N.2003.Choosing Your Knowledge Management Strategy.Retrieved
November 12, 2011 from http://www.tlainc.com.
CHAVEZ-TAFUR, J., K. HAMPSON, A. INGEVALL, and R. THIJSSEN.2007.
Learning from Experience: A Manual for Organizing, Analyzing
andDocumenting Field Based Information. The Netherlands: ILEIA Center for
Information. Pp.9.
CHOWDHURY, G.G. P. F. BURTON, P. MCMENEMY, and A. POULTER 2008.
Librarianship: An Introduction. London: Facet Publishing. Pp.180-181.
COAKES, E.2003.Knowledge Management: Current Issues and Challenges. USA: IRM
Pres.Pp.66-76.
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION-COLLEGE
OFAGRICULTURE.n.d. Introduction to Process Documentation. La Trinidad,
Benguet. Pp.1-5.
GRENIER, L. 1998. Working with Indigenous Knowledge: A Guide For Researchers.
Canada: International Development Research Centre. Pp. 38-40.
HEY, J. 2004. The Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom Chain: The Metaphorical
link.Retrieved March 22,
2012.fromhttp://poeticsofthought.wordpress.com/tag/jonathan-hey/.
KAMOCHE,K.2001.Managing Work and Organizations: Understanding Human
Resource Management.USA:Open University Press.Pp.75-79.
MAUNDU, P.M.1995.Methodology for Collecting and Sharing IK: A Case Study.
Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor. Volume3 (Issue 2):Pp.3-5.
NIKEPROGRAMME.ORG. 2011. What is NIKE?.Retrieved September 23, 2011, from
http://www.nikeprogramme.com.
Ifugao’s Nurturing Indigeous Knowledge Experts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management
Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming in Kiangan, Ifugao / Catherine R. Navarro. 2012
APPENDIX A
Communication Letter
Benguet State University
College of Agriculture
Department of Development Communication
___________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
Ma’am/Sir
I am Catherine Navarro, student of Benguet State University taking up Bachelor of
Science in Development Communication major in Science Communication. Currently, I
am doing my undergraduate thesis titled “IFUGAO’S NURTURING INDIGENOUS
KNOWLEDGE EXPERTS (NIKE) PROGRAM AS A KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT UNDERTAKING FOR TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN
KIANGAN, IFUGAO".
Since you are involved in the NIKE program, may I request you to be one of my
respondents? Rest assured that all information to be given will only be for the purpose of
the study.
Your positive response to this request is highly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Respectfully yours,
CATHERINE R. NAVARRO
Researcher
Noted:
MARIA LUZ D. FANG-ASAN
Adviser
30
APPENDIX B
Consent Form
Benguet State University
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNCIATION
College of Agriculture
PROJECT TITLE:
IFUGAO’S NURTURING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
EXPERTS AS A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
UNDERTAKING FOR TRADITIONAL RICE FARMING IN
KIANGAN, IFUGAO.
RESEARCHER:
CATHERINE R. NAVARRO
I have read and understood the information in the Explanatory Statement and had been given the
opportunity to consider the opportunity to consider and ask questions to the information regarding
the involvement in this study. I have spoken directly to my investigator who has answered to my
satisfaction all my questions. I have received a copy of the Explanatory Statement and Informed
Consent Form. I voluntary agree to participate.
Participant’s Signature
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Participant
Signature of the Participant
Witness or Legal Guardian’s Signature:
(Only when participant cannot read or sign this Informed Consent)
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Witness/
Signature of Witness/
Legal Guardian
Legal Guardian,
Investigator’s Signature:
I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge, the participant signing this consent
form has read the information in the Explanatory Statement fully, that this has been carefully
explained to him/ her, and that he/she clearly understands the nature, risks, and benefits of his/
her participation in this study.
______________________ _________________________
Date:
_____________
Name of Investigator
Signature of Investigator
31
APPENDIX C
Guide Questions for the Key Informant-Project Implementers
PROFILE
Name: __________________________________________
Age: _______
Position in the community: ___________________
Role in the NIKE: ___________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. How did you get involved with the NIKE program?
2. What were the steps followed by the NIKE in:
a. Identifying the IK experts/holders
b. Gathering data from the IK experts/holders
c. Processing of Data gathered from IK experts/holders
3. What were the forms of IK used by NIKE in:
a. Storing the IK
b. Sharing the IK
4. What problems have you encountered in the NIKE program on
a. Gathering the data
b. Storing the IK
c. Sharing the IK
5. What lessons have you learned from the implementation of the program?
32
APPENDIX D
Guide Questions for the Key Informant-IK Experts/Holders
PROFILE
Name: __________________________________________
Sex: ______Male ______Female
Age: _______
Position in the community: ___________________
Role in the NIKE: ___________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. How did you get involved with the NIKE program?
2. What are the activities/ services implemented by NIKE in your barangay?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the activities/services?
4. What are the problems you have encountered in teaching IK?
5. How did you address this problem?
33
APPENDIX E
IK Research Uploaded in NIKE Website
TINAWON: IFUGAO TRADITIONAL RICE PRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Traditional rice production in Ifugao is divided into two phases, namely: field
preparation and rice production. These are subdivided into four seasons of unequal
duration in the agricultural calendar, namely: kiwang (offseason), lawang (planting
season), tiyalgo (dry season), ahitulu (harvest season). Keenness on the effects of
astrologic and seasonal changes on the crops prompted Ifugao forebears to carefully plan
each agricultural work within a year to prevent crop failure. The systematic scheduling of
tasks in rice cultivation exemplifies an efficient organization of agricultural work.
Meanwhile, understanding on soil degradation and rejuvenation made it
imperative for them to cultivate rice crop only for six months and left the rice fields to
fallow for the remaining months. Further, knowledge on the rich diversity of biological
resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem facilitated the discovery of useful herbs
in effective pest management.
SEASONS IN THE AGRICULTURAL CALENDAR
Because districts differ in their ecological settings and owners of ritual fields
(puntonakan) have their leeway in initiating agronomic activities districts follow different
schedules. Thus, annual seasonal calendars are specific to particular districts. Also,
precise dating is impossible as years rarely have the same number of days. The
34
termination of each local agricultural year is determined by the conclusion of harvest rites
and not by celestial phenomena (Conklin: 1980:13).
IWANG/KIWANG: OFF SEASON
This is the longest season with rainy and cold days as well as typhoons. It begins
in late July or early August after the last ritual holiday of the preceding harvests until late
November or first part of December.Rice fields are left to fallow to regain their fertility.
Meanwhile, Woodlots are planted and swiddens are harvested and replanted. Moreover,
prestige feasts are usually held during this period as there is abundance of food.
WORK STAGES and RITUALS
Ubaya Feast. When there is an exceptionally good harvest, a post harvest thanksgiving
feast (ubaya) takes place.Animal sacrifices consist of a pig and five chickens. Rice fields
and the rice granary are blessed so that they may continue to yield abundantly
and be protected from theft and calamities.
Lukya/ Luat Ritual. This means “to open”. After about a month, this ritual is performed
to seek permission from the deities before the first bundles of rice are brought out for
consumption. Grains are brought out for pounding starting with the content of
the huguhug then the palah. For the tumonak, it requires the offering of ten chickens and
a pig.However, a common farmer may just offer a chicken
Apuy. This is done after about two months after the luat. At the rice granary of the
couple, three chickens are offered to the deities and ancestors. Bundles of rice stored at
the granary are brought out for consumption.
Bakle. Rice cakes are prepared at the rice granary of the tumonak. Drinking and feasting
is sought. Farmers help in pounding the glutinous rice into flour. They eat and drink until
evening. The bulul are brought out of the granary to witness the rites.
Ahilamun. In the early part of August, small groups of women return to the field to cut
back the dead and ratooning rice plants. Then they are treaded into the mud to decay
thereby enhancing soil fertility.
Ahiloba. Terrace walls including the paddies, dikes, and surroundings are cleared. Water
outlets are blocked to raise water levels in the terrace. At the same time, they make
mounds (inado/pingkol) at the center of the field or at the sides of the terraces for
planting vegetables
35
LAWANG:PLANTING SEASON
This is the season of field work and rice planting. It runs from late November until
March. During this period, terraces are prepared for planting.
WORK STAGE S and RITUALS
Ahigaud/ ahi law-ang. As soon as the women finish clearing the field, the men take their
turn in the field work.They level the pond field, reshape the paddies, and repair whatever
part of the rice field is destroyed during the previous agricultural year, especially the mud
or stonewalls and the dikes.
Ahipaphod. Seed bed preparation. In preparing the seedbed (panopnakan), the pond field
is drained of water. Any living organism that might eat the seeds or deter their
germination is removed. Next, the seedbed is leveled.
Lokah/ loah. Before the rice grains are brought out to the rice fields for sowing, one
chicken is offered to the skyworld deities so they will allow the seeds to germinate well
and be protected from pests and calamities.
Ahihopnak/ ahipatang. Upon completion of the lokah ritual, the rice panicles are placed
on the seedbed. Seeding is done only in the afternoon so that fowls will not devour
it. The one who laid the panicles, usually an old woman, should observe the following:
a. She should not enter the house until dusk; otherwise, rats will ravage the seeds
on the seedbed;
b. Upon entering the house, she should immediately go to one corner, sit, and
wait for other members of the family to prepare her food;
c. She must avoid warm foods, vine vegetables, and meat offered in a ritual lest
the grains will not sprout; and
d. She must not take a bath until the seeds germinate so that the grains will grow
evenly.
Panal. Again, the deities are supplicated so that the seeds may germinate well and be
protected from pests and calamities.
Tungo. A ritual rest day is observed after sowing. Virtually, no one is allowed to go to
the rice fields. Violation of this tungo may provoke the ire of the deities and will not
affect the germination and growth of the seedlings.
Ahibalin and ahihadah. While observing all these restrictions, the woman can
accomplish other field tasks. If there are rice stalks and weeds that did not rot, she turns
36
them over (balin) to putrefy further or remove (hadah) them.The rest of the pond field is
also prepared for transplanting.
Bolnat. When the seedlings have grown and ready to be transplanted, this ritual is held to
beg the deities not to let the seedlings wilt when transplanted; instead, they are implored
to allow the seedlings to grow well and yield abundantly.
Ahiboge/ ahitunod. When the seedlings grow about a foot, transplanting (kahiboge) sets
in. The owner of the biggest rice field (tumonak) initiates the first transplanting activity in
his rice field.
Kulpi / Urpi. This is held after every farmer has finished transplanting rice seedlings in
their respective fields. It is done to thank the deities for the success of the transplanting
season. Abundant rice wine is prepared and every farmer partakes in the merry-
making. Meanwhile, the deities are implored to protect the rice crop from pests and
calamities so they may grow healthy and mature well.
TIYALGO: DRY SEASON
(This season lasts about 3 months, from)
This period runs from late March until late June. By this time, the rice seedlings are
growing. Farmers devote their time in maintaining rice crops and irrigation channels as
well as destruction of pests. Meanwhile, swidden farms are planted.
WORK STAGES and RITULAS
Hagophop. Before the first weeding of the rice crops, this ritual is performed to seek
permission from the deities so that they will allow the weeds to wilt but not the rice
crops.
Ahikagoko, ahihagaphap, ahilupung. When the crops grew about 2 feet tall, groups of
women set about to weed them (kagoko). This enables the roots to acquire all the
necessary nutrients from the soil. After which, they clean the paddies (hagaphap), walls
and surroundings (lupung) for the second time.
Holok Pest Ritual. When infected plants are found, all infected parts are picked off and
burned or left under the hot sun todry. In case of army worms attack, herbs are selected,
chopped, and mixed to make a potent compound against the pests. As always, sacrificial
animals are offered and strict observance to certain restrictions is required. Another
technique in pest control is to synchronize transplanting. This way, pests spread and the
devastating effect they can cause in one rice field is minimized.
37
Hulin/Tagtag Ritual. This is performed when rats infest the rice crops. Groups of
men drive away the rats from the fields with the use of wooden implements and bamboo
clappers.
Ahiabul/ahiadug. As soon the crops boot (munbuhbuh/ munhulit), the farmers put up
scarecrows and tie strings to ward off birds from eating the spikelets.
Bodad. When the rice crops are about to bear grains, this ritual is performed to seek the
blessings of the deities so the grains will be full, heavy, and mature well. Three chickens
are offered.
Paad. The farmers must refrain from eating all kinds of aquatic foods, otherwise, the
spikelets will not bear grains.
Gito and Puwo. This thunderstorm and typhoon rituals are performed to implore the
deities to spare the rice crops from being destroyed.
AHITULU/AHI-ANI: HARVEST SEASON
This is the shortest season in the Ifugao calendar. It runs from late June to July and it
concludes the agricultural year
WORK STAGES and RITUALS
Hanglag. Early bundles of rice are reaped from the rice fields and toasted to
make tinukpi. This is to test the grains idf they are ready to be harvested. Meanwhile,
the mumbaki invokes the deities to hasten the ripening of the grains.
Ngilin. On the eve before the scheduled day of harvest, a chick is offered to the deity of
covetousness (Umamo) so they will not interfere during harvest. The people believe that
because of their jealousy, they may cause trouble among the harvesters and other workers
or may decrease the yield; hence, they must be appeased.
Ahitulu/ ahibotok/ ahi
ani. After confirming that the grains are ripe, harvest
begins. Once again, the first to harvest his crop is the tumonak. After him, the rest may
follow. Very early in the morning, before harvesters reach the rice field, a small group of
women set out to cut choice seeds (binong-o) to be used on the next agricultural cycle.
Women harvest the grains while the men carry the harvest to the rice granary.
Implements used are: (a) gamulang- knife used by women for gathering grains; and
(b) batawel - wooden pole carried on the shoulders of men with bundles of rice placed on
both ends of the pole. Compared to other work stages, the harvest season is the most
enjoyable since everybody participates in the harvest activities regardless of age, gender,
and capability.
38
Aside from that, abundant rice wine is served both at the village and at the rice field, thus,
relieving the harvesters’ (munbotok) and the carriers’ (munbatawel) thirst and
weariness. To top it all, both groups of men and women sing the hudhud and engage in a
playful banter, thus, creating a cheerful atmosphere. After harvest, the people take a rest
for about two to three weeks. Then, the women return to the field to glean late ripening
grains.
Dimakal. Post Harvest. Everyone has harvested his or her rice field.
Ahihape and Ponpon. Drying and Storage. The newly harvested grains are dried under
the sun the following day. After three days of drying, the grains are stored inside the rice
granary. Some are brought inside the residential houses and kept in the huguhug as well
as in the pala.
Tungo. Rest day is declared the next day after harvest.
Luwa Ritual. This ritual is performed to ask permission from the deities for the people to
eat shells and fishes as well as vegetables.
Huap Ritual. To close the season, another ritual, the hu-ap, is performed. Huap literally
means “to cover”. One chicken is needed for the accomplishment of this ritual. All
instruments and paraphernalia used during the ritual performances are kept.
REFERENCES:
Barton, R.F. Ifugao Economics. 1922. American Archaelogy and Ethnology. University
of California Publications. Vol. 15, No. 5, pp 385 – 446.
Bulayo, Z. 1998. Tinawon Production among the Namulditan Farmers in Hingyon,
Ifugao. Bachelor’s Thesis.University of the Philippines College Baguio
Conklin, H.C. 1980. Ethnographic Atlas of Ifugao: A Study of Environment, Culture and
Society in Northern Luzon. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
DULAWAN, M.
2000.
The Ifugao.
National Commission for Culture and
Arts.
Intramuros,
Manila.
Rice Production in the Philippine Cordillera, Central
Cordillera Agricultural Programme (CECAP) 2000, pp. 51-53.
Nozawa, C., Malingan,M., Plantilla, A., and Ong, J. Evolving Culture, Evolving
Landscapes: The Philippine Rice Terraces. In Amend T., Brown J., Kothari A.
Phillips A. and Stolton S. (eds.) 2008. Protected Landscapes and Agrobiodiversity
Values. Volume 1 in the series, Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, IUCN &
GTZ. Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg. p. 71-93.
Document Outline
- Ifugao�s Nurturing IndigeousKnowledgeExperts (NIKE) as a Knowledge Management Undertaking for Traditional Rice Farming inKiangan, Ifugao
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- REVIEW OF LITERATURE
- METHODOLOGY
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- LITERATURE CITED
- APPENDIX