Revisiting Tagbanua [indigenous people] traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation

The Tagbanua of Sitio Daan in Barangay [village] Aporawan are an ethnolinguistic group, residing in Palawan [Philippines] since pre-colonial times, whose traditions of swidden agriculture and forest foraging are still being practiced today. From pre-colonial times, subsequent generation of Tagbanua continuously to rely on traditional knowledge and practices, modifying or adapting as needed, to provide subsistence and income for their families. The preservation of traditional practices have ensured that rich genetic biodiversity of rice has remained within the community without sacrificing the ecological integrity of their natural environment. Conventional farming means may have achieved high productivity levels but resulted in serious ecological consequences (Marten, 1986:13) necessitating measures to mitigate its effects while the sustainability of the swidden ecosystem has been proven with its capacity to continue production on a long-term basis (Marten and Saltman, 1986:31-32). The traditional livelihood practices employed by the Tagbanua are culturally embedded strategies and grounded on their cultural identity. Their adaptation strategy is not only limited to seeking technical solutions, but is a complex whole involving social relations, dynamic decision-making, and a rich background of 'performative knowledge' developed within the cultural framework of the Tagbanua (Roncolo et al., 2009:99-100). Unfortunately, the uplands of Palawan are not impervious to the pressures of the market, larger household sizes, competition for land and other natural resources, government policies contradicting cultural norms, and the effects of a changing climate on the natural environment. Thus, the Tagbanua are compelled to negotiate whether their indigenous culture will succumb to these pressures. Human adaptation has always been the object in the discipline in Anthropology, and for this paper, open-ended ethnographic interviews have been conducted to elicit nuanced understanding on the effects of change on their lives. Traditional systems have sufficed but for how long will these traditions last?