Innovation in Language Learning

Long ago, in the magnificent mountains of Barlig, Mountain Province, Philippines, the Ifiallig would sit around the fires of the ator (council-house) to listen to tales of their hero-ancestors like Linmipaw and Amfusnun. When work in the payyiw (ricefields) is done, venerable elders and storytellers (umu-ufok) recount these stories in their own language they call Finallig. These stories (ub-ufok), handed down for many generations, serve as a record of their history, genealogy and cultural traditions. There used to be a time when Barlig’s society revolved around the conversations and agreements forged within the walls of the ator. The seat of government and center of culture. The umu-ufok made sure that a fire was constantly burning, for one vital function of the ator was to provide the source of fire for village households. Today, however, the penetration of external religions, the public school education, the political system imposed by the national government, the introduction of electricity and new technology steadily erode the Ifiallig way of life. More importantly, the passing away of influential village elders, with no one to take over their role, will inevitably extinguish Barlig’s orature, and along with this will vanish the beautiful stories that have given honor and value to the life of a people. In an effort to keep Ifiallig orature alive, I conducted a retrieval and translation project of Ifiallig tales. The stories were recorded in situ in the original Finallig language from the mouths of the storytellers themselves. The stories were transcribed, translated and re-narrated into Filipino and English. Ten digital animated films were produced accompanied by online modules that discuss Philippine language and culture. This paper discusses (1) the methods I used in retrieving Ifiallig orature, (2) the significance of Ifiallig orature and (3) the process of reviving these tales through the development of online modules. The presentation will include short video clips from animated films that could be found in this link: http://www.cseashawaii.org/projects/tagalog-animations/

Keywords: folklore, online modules, Barlig Philippines;

References:
[1] http://www.cseashawaii.org/projects/tagalog-animations/