Ybannag: My Heritage

Alilika appa takki na
Makokone ta kahaya
Innamu nu marabbak ka
Mevattang tadde takki ma...

If you are wondering what those phrases meant, its a luluby known to all Ybanags. Its a lulubye that ive been singing to my daughters to make them fall asleep.

Its a story about a lizard being told to take care of himself while climbing on a papaya tree.

Warned that if he does not climb carefully, he might fall down and gets his legs left behind at the tree top.

Ybannags are known dwellers by the rivers of Cagayan in the north of Philippines. They lived through fishing and farming but as civilization continue to improve their lives, the cultural heritage is in the brink of being forgotten.
In the advent of development, locals shun from their old ways and embrace technology as their new way of life. You rarely see the young ones speak our language proudly.

As for my case, my parents were able to send me to a good school, found a living away from my roots and was able to marry from Central Luzon.

My children did not grow the way i grew up in the country side... Ive been teaching them my native tounge to preserve the culture of my roots. Though i did not succeed doing so with my eldest since the demands in my job prevented me from spending more time with her during her infancy, my younger daughter shows promise.

There was one time, my firstborn cried because she thought I was speaking Chinese with younger her sister.

I will continue to educate my children of their roots.

Im a proud native of Ybannag tribe in the north and i want to past on some of our treasured culture to the next generations of Ybannag who will live in the urban jungles.