Summary
Highlights
Susan Alvaro, an Aeta mother, explains how the Aeta people prepare land for planting taro, cassava, lima beans, and winged beans. Historically, they also relied on ube (purple yam) and passed down agricultural knowledge through generations. She shows fresh and dried lima beans, noting their use in dishes with pork, chicken, tomatoes, and cabbage. Ampalaya (bitter melon) is a seasonal crop available during the rainy months.
The Aeta people have diverse languages; the community featured speaks Mag-indi, distinct from Mag-antsi spoken in Porac. Susan also introduces a delicious wild chili, 'larang labuyo,' that grows naturally in the mountains of Barangay Nabuclod. This chili is small but very spicy and was never planted but rather grew on its own.
Susan shows the content of taro, explaining it will be cooked later, and that this is where lima beans will be added. She points out dug-up ube (purple yam), noting that most of its contents have been taken, likely stolen, upsetting her. She plans to replant some to ensure future growth, and describes a large, violet ube that she will cook at home.
Susan recalls the displacement caused by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, during which she carried her five-year-old child to an evacuation center. The eruption devastated their lives, and the government resettled them. The volcanic ash mixed with the soil, making it impossible to grow rice anymore. She emphasizes the profound importance of land to the Aeta, as it is their ancestral home and essential for survival through planting, passed down from their ancestors.
Susan stresses the importance of hard work and self-reliance rather than solely depending on assistance. She reminds her fellow Aeta that their land was inherited, not bought, emphasizing their responsibility to cultivate it with fruits and vegetables, especially during the rainy season. She highlights traditional cooking methods using bamboo as pots and the value of preserving their traditional foods and culture.
A significant challenge for the Aeta is the encroachment of 'unat' (lowlanders) onto their ancestral lands. Susan describes the distress caused when outsiders attempt to take their inherited land. She advocates for respect and calls for solidarity among Aeta, urging others not to disrespect or exploit them, regardless of education or status, to prevent further suffering.
Susan introduces 'kardis' (pigeon peas), known as 'karu' in Aeta language. She explains that it will be mixed into a traditional Aeta dish for tasting. She notes that historically, Aeta cooking primarily involved boiling food with only salt, without fat, oil, or MSG. She demonstrates how to remove lima beans from their pods and describes the preparation of 'Sukit,' a mountain dish, mentioning that it usually includes banana and 'kamoteng baging' (a type of sweet potato), which are missing from this preparation.
Susan concludes by emphasizing the importance of not forgetting their culture. She implicitly encourages the continued practice of their traditions, including their unique cuisine.