4.1. Inheritance Patterns and Land Associations

Like for instance, we are also I want to bring you that when we talk about culture you know how this culture is related to climate change and disaster risk reduction. So I would like to bring one of the important contributions of Regina Mapua Lim where she talks about the Philippines cultural identity on traditional settlements in development, and she uses a framework of cultural environment for analysing these indigenous traditional settlements and their cultural identity, and their understanding towards the impacts of the climate change and as well as the day-to-day routine vulnerable situations.

This part introduces the connection between culture and its influence on understanding climate change and disaster risk reduction. Regina Mapua Lim's research focuses on how traditional cultures in the Philippines perceive and adapt to climate change while maintaining their cultural identity. Her framework analyzes how these indigenous peoples’ cultural practices inform their responses to environmental challenges.

Think of how different communities worldwide celebrate harvests. In some cultures, festivals mark the end of the harvest, linking community, culture, and the environment. Just like these celebrations, the way indigenous groups understand and respond to climate change is shaped by their cultural beliefs and practices.

Like if you see the Philippines, you have the mountaineers culture on the top, and you have the mainstream culture The Tagalog mainstream culture, and you have the sea culture which is the Coran islands. So about 7,000 islands that compromise the Philippines there are over 120 ethnolinguistic groups that continue to inhabit traditional settlements spread out over the Archipelago.

This section elaborates on the diversity of cultures within the Philippines, detailing how various communities, such as mountain dwellers and coastal populations, preserve their unique identities despite being part of a larger nation. The Philippines is home to a rich tapestry of over 120 ethnolinguistic groups, each with its own traditional practices and ways of life, which shapes their understanding of land and climate impacts.

Consider a large family where each member speaks a different dialect and has different customs. Just like this family, each ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines has its traditions and beliefs that influence how they interact with and react to environmental changes.

So these vernacular settlements are located in different terrains within ecosystems creating economies, or ways of living particular to culture place and people. So they have their own language, they have their own dialect, they have their own culture, they have food habits, they have their dressing senses, they have their communal understanding.

This section emphasizes how traditional settlements are not just places to live but are intricately connected to the local ecosystem. The way people live, including their diets, clothing, and language, is influenced by their environment. This ties back to how climate change can affect their economies and lifestyles, making their cultural practices essential for their survival.

Picture a small community that relies on fishing. They have unique recipes and fishing traditions that have been passed down for generations, shaped by the fish species available in their region. As climate impacts change fish populations, both their economy and cultural practices may adjust, showing the strong link between culture and environment.

So what she did was she developed a kind of conceptual framework of analysis. So she actually looked at how what kind of structures that create the cultural identity, and that concepts of development and she worked in this cultural environment framework of how the mainstream cultures, alpine cultures, and the coastal cultures how they respond, what kind of systems they do have, and that is what she derives some very participatory approaches.

This chunk discusses the analytical framework developed by Regina Mapua Lim to understand cultural identities through different responses to climate change. By examining various cultural settings—such as alpine or coastal—she identifies participatory methods that empower communities to engage in their development processes.

Imagine a local meeting where community members share their ideas about conserving their resources. Just like this meeting can lead to better planning and cooperative actions, Lim's participatory approach encourages communities to voice their needs and adapt together to the changes in climate.

Like for instance, and some of these rice harvesting culture, where these mountain people like they have these rice harvesting as one of the important livelihood source. And here even the pig is also one of the important food which they consume, and you can see that they also conduct lot of feast of with these pigs and also big jaws and you know they put the rice bundles and which are actually a symbolic representation of the ritual feasting.

This section highlights the importance of rice harvesting in the livelihood of mountain communities and discusses how they incorporate cultural rituals into their agricultural practices. The act of feasting with pigs and the symbolic offerings of rice bundles demonstrate the significance of community bonding and shared heritage tied to their land associations.

Think of the Thanksgiving feast in the U.S., where families gather to share a meal and give thanks. In a similar way, these mountain communities use feasts to celebrate their harvest and strengthen relationships, creating a sense of belonging and shared culture.

So here even the traditional feast it is talking about how it actually one is sharing his wealth, and that is how brings the labour and the community’s cooperation. So that they have to come together for the harvest.

This chunk explains how community feasting acts as a mechanism for wealth redistribution within society. When wealthier members share their resources during feasts, it fosters cooperation and teamwork essential for harvesting and agricultural productivity.

Similar to community potluck dinners, where everyone brings a dish to share, these feasts allow community members to support each other, ensuring that everyone has enough to eat and creating a sense of unity.

Now they also use the Sadanga language to conduct these rituals and to negotiate a numerous peace pacts which define the territorial boundaries and rights related to the neighbours.

This section discusses how rituals not only serve cultural purposes but also function as platforms for negotiation regarding shared resources and territorial rights. The Sadanga language is used to facilitate these discussions, demonstrating the linguistic ties to cultural identity and land associations.

Think of how nations negotiate treaties to define borders and resource usage. In the same way, these communities use their cultural practices and language to assert their rights and maintain peace with neighboring groups.

And here it becomes you know the rice culture with all the rituals believes the inheritance patterns and all these associations with the land and territory continue to be part of their identity providing means in their lives.

The final chunk emphasizes how cultural rituals and agricultural practices create a strong identity tied to land and resources. The inheritance patterns established through these traditions ensure that the community's way of life is sustained and reinforced, linking individuals to their history and environment.

Just like family traditions passed down through generations—such as recipes—shape our identities, the inheritance patterns of these communities establish a continuous connection to their land and culture, integral for their survival and heritage.

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