Environmental and cultural changes and their implications in the practice of the in 1-Sagadas' begnas ritual, Northern Philippines
2017
Anacio, D.B.
Understanding the dynamics of environmental and culture change is crucial for addressing numerous issues plaguing our society. To contribute to this field of knowledge in environmental science, this study focused on the begnas ritual in Sagada, Northern Philippines by analyzing how various changes affected culture and environment relationships. The begnas is an indigenous ritual, associated with traditional agrarian calendars, performed several times a year in different villages of Sagada, Mt. Province. Using an interpretative qualitative research framework, it determined that the begnas is an ecosystem-based ritual composed of environmental and cultural elements, used for fulfilling three broad purposes: (1) for marking agricultural activities, (2) as a means of thanksgiving for the well-being of the community, and (3) as a means for cleansing misfortunes within the village. However, various changes stemming from American Episcopal missions, state-sponsored technologies and policies, and the media and tourism industry affected culture and environmental systems in Sagada. These changes resulted to various issues, highlighted through changes in the structure and components of the begnas. This study also illustrated how culture plays a major role in the manifestation and management of changes and its impacts in Sagada. Lastly, the impacts of such changes to nay socio-ecological system were also analyzed.
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