00:00But the good thing about this community is that they exchange knowledge.
00:07The old student of Ma'am Melona shares the different traditions of the Dumagat.
00:17One of them is the common communication that only a few remember and are afraid to lose.
00:24During the time when there was no paper and cell phone, the Dumagat people used to talk to the leaves.
00:37For example, we talk to them and they come here.
00:47For example, the leaves are like this.
00:55If there's a lot of stones, it means there's a lot of people here.
01:00It means a lot to us.
01:07When the leaves are like this, it means it's in front of us.
01:11Ah, it's there.
01:15This is our house.
01:20Now, the Dumagat people use two-way radios.
01:25We use two-way radios.
01:30We use two-way radios.
01:33We use two-way radios.
01:40But the two-way radios have a limited battery.
01:44And only the solar power is what the Dumagat people rely on.
01:51That's why Ma'am Melona temporarily limits the use of technology to preserve the culture.
02:15This mountain is the classroom of the children today.
02:20Together with Ma'am Melona, there are two grandpas who are also students.
02:31They are picking leaves first.
02:45Each one has a meaning.
02:49We call it tibig.
02:52It means love.
02:56I love you.
03:01Whole.
03:03Whole.
03:06What does it mean?
03:08In Tagalog, it means whole.
03:10I want to know what the name of the leaf is.
03:14Because it sounds like the word.
03:16It's used a lot to discourage children.
03:21It's like a Bible.
03:23My love will never be broken.
03:27It's a promise.
03:32These children will go from grade 1 to grade 10.
03:37They are students at Pinaganakan Integrated School in the subject of culture and tradition.
03:48Unlike their parents, they have the privilege to read, write, and know when they were born.
03:57It's a promise.
03:59What does it mean?
04:01But it's important for the children to not forget their culture.
04:08It's a promise.
04:10It means love.
04:13We don't stop them from learning.
04:17We really want them to learn.
04:20There's something that can end us.
04:22But I just want them to know that wherever they go, their roots are still there.
04:30Let's not forget our roots.
04:35Because when we're gone, nothing will erase our roots.
04:45As a millennial, I admire the old-fashioned way in which people communicate with each other.
04:55It's a shame that this culture is almost extinct.
05:14It's a shame that this culture is almost extinct.
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