INDIGENOUS RITUAL FOR PEACE

(Tulak Fantag Ktank [in Tduray])

The Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao and the Philippines have
similar beliefs and systems of worshiping the Divine Creator.
This worship and belief systems of the IPs are connected to
nature and is not religion. It is for this reason that
Indigenous Peoples have a strong connection to the
environment -- they know that the environment is their life
and their place of worship.
The Indigenous Peoples believe that in times of crisis, the
Divine Creator must be called upon; for He is the Creator of
all beings living or non-living. Inflicting pain on fellow
creatures and all of creation is not the answer to the ongoing
crisis of our beloved Mindanao.
A Prayer Ritual will be done to call on the Divine Creator to
give thanks for the protection He has accorded to those who
love and live peace. It is asking for His mercy so as to lessen
the suffering in the villages. This is a unifying act of
Indigenous Peoples not to inflict pain towards their fellow
creatures.
The Prayer Ritual will be led by the Spiritual Leaders (Bliyan)
and will be participated in by people from different villages.
There have been many instances in the past that Indigenous
Peoples of South-Central Mindanao have done rituals with
specific intentions and were granted with good results.
With what is currently happening with the Bangsamoro, the
Indigenous Peoples of South-Central Mindanao are once again
threatened with the conflict expanding into their villages if
no action is done.
Because of this, the Indigenous Peoples of South-Central
Mindanao which comprises of the Tduray and Lambangian of
Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat; and the Erumanen ne
Menuvu of North Cotabato will be conducting a simultaneous
Indigenous Rituals in every fenuwo (village) this coming
March 28, 2015 to ask the Divine Creator to unite all Filipino
Citizens for the sake of peace in South-Central Mindanao and
the entire country; to allow the peace talks to continue
between the GPH and the MILF; and the passage of an
inclusive and just Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The simultaneous ritual will be done at exactly 12:00 noon

as, like the situation being faced by South-Central Mindanao,
it will be very hot.
Within the Ancestral Territory of the Tduray and the
Lambangian, the Prayer Ritual will be done in the following
sites: Tuladan at Sitio Kifngfng, Darugao, Upi; Kansad
Gadung in Sitio Lahangkb, Rempes, Upi; Mirab, Upi; Nuro,
Upi; Sitio Rakf, Blensong, Upi; Fnuwo Burut; Fnuwo
Gdan; Fnuwo Bnhaw; Fnuwo Babat; Pedro Colina (PC)
Hill in Cotabato City; Sitio Balalan, Mompong, Datu Odin
Sinsuat; Sitio Brow, Matuber, Datu Blah Sinsuat; Sedm, Datu
Blah Sinsuat; Lamud, South Upi; Sitio Refra, Looy, South Upi;
Sitio Bnuan, Kuya, South Upi; Firis (Batw) which
encompasses Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi, Datu Unsay,
Datu Hofer and South Upi all of which are in Maguindanao.
In Sultan Kudarat province it will be in Sitio Pangawan,
Bulibak, Lebak.
For the Erumann ne Mnuvu it will be in their ancestral
domains in the towns of Carmen, Pikit, Aleosan, Midsayap,
Libungan and Pigcawayan all in the province of North
Cotabato.
An estimated one-thousand Indigenous Peoples from five
hundred villages of the Tduray, Lambangian and Erumann
ne Menuvu tribes in Cotabato City, Maguindanao Province,
Sultan Kudarat Province and North Cotabato Province are
expected to participate.
This Prayer Ritual is a small contribution of the Indigenous
Peoples in the constant journey towards the just peace that
is longed for by each inhabitant in the Bangsamoro, in
Mindanao, and in the entire Philippines.
Contact Persons: Timuay Sannie S. Bello
Timuay Labi (Supreme Chieftain)
Timuay Justice and Governance
Cell Phone # 09109612867
Orlando "Rendaw" O.Mosela
Member, Mintd sa Ingd at Kmamal Kadatan
(Supreme Council of Chieftains and Spiritual Leader)
Timuay Justice and Governance
Datu Roldan Babelon
Secretary General
Gempa te Kalindaan nu Kamal
(Indigenous Political Structure of Erumann)
Cell Phone # 09468534455