CULION SPHERE
In spite of the regional idiosyncrasies and biases, the people have adapted themselves easily, setting aside regional differences to form a homogenous population bonded by common disease – leprosy, and common destiny – Culion, sharing same dreams and vision, working for a common mission of finding cure and new identity.
The Philippines achieved elimination of leprosy in 1998. It was one of the first countries to introduce MDT, which made this success possible. We can see the results here on Culion. But the fight against leprosy isn't just a medical fight. Even when cured of the disease, a person may still struggle against stigma and discrimination. The history of Culion is the history of this struggle for dignity
Until stigma and discrimination are gone, the fight against leprosy will not be over.
Ignorance and misunderstanding result in prejudice and discriminatory attitudes that remain firmly implanted as custom and tradition.
We call on people all over the world to change their perception and foster an environment in which leprosy patients, cured persons and their families can lead normal lives free from stigma and discrimination...
The Philippines achieved elimination of leprosy in 1998. It was one of the first countries to introduce MDT, which made this success possible. We can see the results here on Culion. But the fight against leprosy isn't just a medical fight. Even when cured of the disease, a person may still struggle against stigma and discrimination. The history of Culion is the history of this struggle for dignity
Until stigma and discrimination are gone, the fight against leprosy will not be over.
Ignorance and misunderstanding result in prejudice and discriminatory attitudes that remain firmly implanted as custom and tradition.
We call on people all over the world to change their perception and foster an environment in which leprosy patients, cured persons and their families can lead normal lives free from stigma and discrimination...
The Island
Culion is an island situated at the northernmost part of Palawan. It belongs to the Calamianes Group of Islands. It has a total land area of 415 square kilometers which includes the 41 surrounding islands and measures 1,191.39 square kilometers including its territorial water. It is bounded on the north by Busuanga Island, on the east by the Coron Reef, on the south by Linapacan Island, and on the west by the South China Sea.
The Culion sea is teeming with a total of 201 fish species including commercially important fish like Lapu-lapu (Groupers), Kanuping (Sweetlip Emperor), Maya-Maya (Snapper), Tanguige (Spanish Mackerel), Dalagang Bukid (Blue and Gold Fusiliers) and Bisugo (Breams). Squid, cuttlefish, shrimps, crabs, shellfish and sea cucumber or trepang are plentiful.
Three ecosystems sustain the rich marine life of Culion: mangroves, seagrass, and corals. 17 mangrove species cover the coastline of Culion. 9 seagrass species and 47 coral genera representing 60% of the total genera found in the Philippines are found in Culion.
Culion used to have high density forests with hardwood or “iron trees” like narra, mahogany, molave, kayataw, wasi and ipil. Unfortunately, large areas of what used to be densely forested areas have been ruthlessly cleared by illegal logging and kaingin (slash-and- burn agriculture). All these activities of humans have endangered Culion’s forests and it has contributed to the rapid decrease of wildlife habitat and the consequent depletion of wildlife species. It has also seriously affected the availability of fresh water supply. Furthermore, man’s heightened activities and careless actions like oil spillage and dumping of waste and pollutants, over-harvesting of the mangroves for firewood and charcoal, and coral reef destruction caused by cyanide and dynamite fishing, are threatening our vital ecosystems and marine life.
The reckless denudation of Culion’s forests and rampant exploitation of marine resources and exporting of fauna species is posing a threat to our seemingly boundless natural wealth. While it is easy to destroy Culion’s ecosystems, it is difficult to rehabilitate or to restore it. A forest ecosystem may never recover their original type within the next 500 years. Culion thus faces an environmental problem that requires an immediate response.
The Culion sea is teeming with a total of 201 fish species including commercially important fish like Lapu-lapu (Groupers), Kanuping (Sweetlip Emperor), Maya-Maya (Snapper), Tanguige (Spanish Mackerel), Dalagang Bukid (Blue and Gold Fusiliers) and Bisugo (Breams). Squid, cuttlefish, shrimps, crabs, shellfish and sea cucumber or trepang are plentiful.
Three ecosystems sustain the rich marine life of Culion: mangroves, seagrass, and corals. 17 mangrove species cover the coastline of Culion. 9 seagrass species and 47 coral genera representing 60% of the total genera found in the Philippines are found in Culion.
Culion used to have high density forests with hardwood or “iron trees” like narra, mahogany, molave, kayataw, wasi and ipil. Unfortunately, large areas of what used to be densely forested areas have been ruthlessly cleared by illegal logging and kaingin (slash-and- burn agriculture). All these activities of humans have endangered Culion’s forests and it has contributed to the rapid decrease of wildlife habitat and the consequent depletion of wildlife species. It has also seriously affected the availability of fresh water supply. Furthermore, man’s heightened activities and careless actions like oil spillage and dumping of waste and pollutants, over-harvesting of the mangroves for firewood and charcoal, and coral reef destruction caused by cyanide and dynamite fishing, are threatening our vital ecosystems and marine life.
The reckless denudation of Culion’s forests and rampant exploitation of marine resources and exporting of fauna species is posing a threat to our seemingly boundless natural wealth. While it is easy to destroy Culion’s ecosystems, it is difficult to rehabilitate or to restore it. A forest ecosystem may never recover their original type within the next 500 years. Culion thus faces an environmental problem that requires an immediate response.
History
The Municipality of Culion is part of a group of islands in Northern Palawan called Calamianes that includes the municipalities of Busuanga, Coron, and Linapacan. During the Spanish Period, these were known as Las Islas de Calamianes, Provincia de Espana.
Aside from churches, the Spaniards built defensive fortifications in strategic places in Taytay, Cuyo, Agutaya, Linapacan, including a watch tower and fort in the locality of Libis in Culion.
In 1858, Calamianes was divided into 2 provinces, “Castilla” and “Asturias”. Castilla, which included northern Palawan, retained its capital of Taytay. Asturias extended south to Balabac. In 1873, the capital of Palawan was changed from Taytay to Cuyo. The French anthropologist Alfred Marche traveled the Philippines and documented his research of many places. French Ambassador Pirre Revol in particular translated Marche’s account of the Calamianes, and Culion.
Marche, who makes a fairly accurate description of the geography of the island, refers to Culion as the principal village of the Calamianes. The fact that a boat from Manila “touches Culion once a month” attests to the growing economy of the place at that time. Marche’s description of the place and people he met in the 1880’s are important indicators of the ethnography of Calamianes since more than a hundred years ago.
The primacy of Culion as a leading settlement community of the Calamianes is further supported by the fact that a Justice of the peace resided and held office in Culion. Claudio Sandoval y Rodriguez a Spanish mestizo from Jaro, Leyte married Evarista Manlavi daughter of a rich landowner from Cuyo. Claudio Sandoval became Jezgado de Paz de Culion, Calamianes and held office sometime in the late 1880’s. The seal of Claudio’s office was found stamped on handwritten circular dated December 11, 1889 that he sent to all within Culion’s “roriedad y sus visitas” warning residents of the penalties that will be imposed on them should they be caught gambling. Culion’s “visitas” included the island of Busuanga and other areas in Calamianes.
When the treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898, wherein Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States for 20 million dollars, the funding of Culion as a reservation is closely related to the early efforts of the Americans to establish some form of public health policy in the Philippines as part of their long-term intentions to occupy the archipelago.
One of the motivating factors for the creation of the Manila Board of Health was traditional belief that the maintenance of public health required the isolation of cases of leprosy from the rest of the public. After an investigation of a number of sites, the island of Culion was selected as a segregation colony in 1901. On October 27, 1902 the Second Philippine Commission appropriated an initial $50,000 for the establishment of Culion under the Secretary of Interior Dean C. Worcester and Director of Health Victor G. Heiser. On August 22, 1904, Luke E. Wright, the American Civil Governor of the Government of the Philippine Islands, Executive Order No. 35 signed the transfer of jurisdiction and control of Culion from the Municipality of Coron, reserving the same as a leper colony and a government stock farm.
On May 27, 1906, the first contingent of 370 patients from Cebu was brought to Culion by two Coast Guard cutters, the Polilio and the Mindanao.
On September 12, 1907, Act 1711 of the Philippine Commission was passed that gave full responsibility to the Director of Health for the compulsory segregation of the lepers, and confinement and treatment in Culion.
Between 1906 and 1910 the Americans rounded up 5,303 leprosy afflicted individuals and brought them to the colony. On July 18, 1912, acting Governor General Newton Gilbert signed EO No. 35 in which he further defined the territory of the leper colony and government stock farm.
In 1917, Section 1066 of Act No. 2711 (Revised Administrative Act) provided that the Department Head through the Director of Health shall have jurisdiction over the colony and its waters for the efficient management of the sanitarium.
On June 18, 1952, Congress passed R.A. No. 753 which transferred administrative control to the Director of Hospitals. In 1964, the Secretary of Health again took administrative control and enforcement of rules and regulations over all the lands and waters of Culion Leper Colony as provided under Section 106 of the Revised Administrative Code. Sections 1060 to 1071 of RA no. 753 was later repealed by Republic Act No. 4073, an Act further liberalizing the Treatment of Leprosy by Amending and Repealing Certain Sections of the Revised Administrative Code, resulting in the loss of jurisdiction by the Department of Health over the natural resources of Culion.
In 1979, a Culion Committee was created under Letter of Intructions No. 796. The Ministry of Human Settlements conceived and organized in 1982 an alternative development approach for residents of Culion under the Culion Development Project (CDP). This was later amended by Executive Order No. 241 on July 24, 1987 that transferred the said committee and the CDP to the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project (PIADP) of the National Council on Integrated Area Development (NACIAD). This transfer did not however affect the jurisdiction of DOH over the Culion Leper Colony.
On June 22, 1988, Congress passed R.A. No. 6659 that authorized qualified residents of Culion Leper Colony to vote for the elective provincial officials of the Province of Palawan. In 1991, Speaker Ramon Mitra and House Representative David Ponce De Leon introduced a house bill for the creation of the Municipality of Culion. On February 12,1992, President Corazon C. Aquino signed Republic Act 7193 creating the Municipality of Culion in the Province of Palawan.
May 8, 1995 was the first election of municipal and barangay officials of Culion was held resulting in the election of Mr. Hilarion M. Guia and Mr. Emiliano Marasigan Jr. as its first duly elected mayor and vice-mayor, respectively.
On October 29, 1998, through Department of Health Administrative Order No. 20-A Series of 1998, administrative control and authority over the Municipality of Culion was officially transferred from the Department of Health to the Municipality ending nearly one century of administrative control by the health department over Culion Island.
On March 12, 2001, Republic Act 9032 signed by President Gloria Macapacal Arroyo expanded the area of jurisdiction of the Municipality of Culion, Province of Palawan, amending for the purpose Republic Act 7193. The barangays of Balala, Baldat, Binudac, Culango, Galoc, Jardin, Libis, Luac, Malaking Patag, Osmeña and Tiza were declared legally existent upon the creation of the Municipality of Busuanga to the Municipality of Culion. Barangays Burabod and Halsey were transferred from the Municipality of Busuanga to the Municipality of Culion subject to ratification by plebiscite in the two municipalities of Culion and Busuanga. Barangay Carabao for the Tagbanua indigenous cultural community was likewise created subject to ratification by plebiscite in Culion.
While on July 15, 2002, plebiscites held in Culion and Busuanga simultaneously with the election of barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan representatives resulted in the ratification of the transfer of Halsey and Burabod to Culion and the creation of Barangay Carabao.
Aside from churches, the Spaniards built defensive fortifications in strategic places in Taytay, Cuyo, Agutaya, Linapacan, including a watch tower and fort in the locality of Libis in Culion.
In 1858, Calamianes was divided into 2 provinces, “Castilla” and “Asturias”. Castilla, which included northern Palawan, retained its capital of Taytay. Asturias extended south to Balabac. In 1873, the capital of Palawan was changed from Taytay to Cuyo. The French anthropologist Alfred Marche traveled the Philippines and documented his research of many places. French Ambassador Pirre Revol in particular translated Marche’s account of the Calamianes, and Culion.
Marche, who makes a fairly accurate description of the geography of the island, refers to Culion as the principal village of the Calamianes. The fact that a boat from Manila “touches Culion once a month” attests to the growing economy of the place at that time. Marche’s description of the place and people he met in the 1880’s are important indicators of the ethnography of Calamianes since more than a hundred years ago.
The primacy of Culion as a leading settlement community of the Calamianes is further supported by the fact that a Justice of the peace resided and held office in Culion. Claudio Sandoval y Rodriguez a Spanish mestizo from Jaro, Leyte married Evarista Manlavi daughter of a rich landowner from Cuyo. Claudio Sandoval became Jezgado de Paz de Culion, Calamianes and held office sometime in the late 1880’s. The seal of Claudio’s office was found stamped on handwritten circular dated December 11, 1889 that he sent to all within Culion’s “roriedad y sus visitas” warning residents of the penalties that will be imposed on them should they be caught gambling. Culion’s “visitas” included the island of Busuanga and other areas in Calamianes.
When the treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898, wherein Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States for 20 million dollars, the funding of Culion as a reservation is closely related to the early efforts of the Americans to establish some form of public health policy in the Philippines as part of their long-term intentions to occupy the archipelago.
One of the motivating factors for the creation of the Manila Board of Health was traditional belief that the maintenance of public health required the isolation of cases of leprosy from the rest of the public. After an investigation of a number of sites, the island of Culion was selected as a segregation colony in 1901. On October 27, 1902 the Second Philippine Commission appropriated an initial $50,000 for the establishment of Culion under the Secretary of Interior Dean C. Worcester and Director of Health Victor G. Heiser. On August 22, 1904, Luke E. Wright, the American Civil Governor of the Government of the Philippine Islands, Executive Order No. 35 signed the transfer of jurisdiction and control of Culion from the Municipality of Coron, reserving the same as a leper colony and a government stock farm.
On May 27, 1906, the first contingent of 370 patients from Cebu was brought to Culion by two Coast Guard cutters, the Polilio and the Mindanao.
On September 12, 1907, Act 1711 of the Philippine Commission was passed that gave full responsibility to the Director of Health for the compulsory segregation of the lepers, and confinement and treatment in Culion.
Between 1906 and 1910 the Americans rounded up 5,303 leprosy afflicted individuals and brought them to the colony. On July 18, 1912, acting Governor General Newton Gilbert signed EO No. 35 in which he further defined the territory of the leper colony and government stock farm.
In 1917, Section 1066 of Act No. 2711 (Revised Administrative Act) provided that the Department Head through the Director of Health shall have jurisdiction over the colony and its waters for the efficient management of the sanitarium.
On June 18, 1952, Congress passed R.A. No. 753 which transferred administrative control to the Director of Hospitals. In 1964, the Secretary of Health again took administrative control and enforcement of rules and regulations over all the lands and waters of Culion Leper Colony as provided under Section 106 of the Revised Administrative Code. Sections 1060 to 1071 of RA no. 753 was later repealed by Republic Act No. 4073, an Act further liberalizing the Treatment of Leprosy by Amending and Repealing Certain Sections of the Revised Administrative Code, resulting in the loss of jurisdiction by the Department of Health over the natural resources of Culion.
In 1979, a Culion Committee was created under Letter of Intructions No. 796. The Ministry of Human Settlements conceived and organized in 1982 an alternative development approach for residents of Culion under the Culion Development Project (CDP). This was later amended by Executive Order No. 241 on July 24, 1987 that transferred the said committee and the CDP to the Palawan Integrated Area Development Project (PIADP) of the National Council on Integrated Area Development (NACIAD). This transfer did not however affect the jurisdiction of DOH over the Culion Leper Colony.
On June 22, 1988, Congress passed R.A. No. 6659 that authorized qualified residents of Culion Leper Colony to vote for the elective provincial officials of the Province of Palawan. In 1991, Speaker Ramon Mitra and House Representative David Ponce De Leon introduced a house bill for the creation of the Municipality of Culion. On February 12,1992, President Corazon C. Aquino signed Republic Act 7193 creating the Municipality of Culion in the Province of Palawan.
May 8, 1995 was the first election of municipal and barangay officials of Culion was held resulting in the election of Mr. Hilarion M. Guia and Mr. Emiliano Marasigan Jr. as its first duly elected mayor and vice-mayor, respectively.
On October 29, 1998, through Department of Health Administrative Order No. 20-A Series of 1998, administrative control and authority over the Municipality of Culion was officially transferred from the Department of Health to the Municipality ending nearly one century of administrative control by the health department over Culion Island.
On March 12, 2001, Republic Act 9032 signed by President Gloria Macapacal Arroyo expanded the area of jurisdiction of the Municipality of Culion, Province of Palawan, amending for the purpose Republic Act 7193. The barangays of Balala, Baldat, Binudac, Culango, Galoc, Jardin, Libis, Luac, Malaking Patag, Osmeña and Tiza were declared legally existent upon the creation of the Municipality of Busuanga to the Municipality of Culion. Barangays Burabod and Halsey were transferred from the Municipality of Busuanga to the Municipality of Culion subject to ratification by plebiscite in the two municipalities of Culion and Busuanga. Barangay Carabao for the Tagbanua indigenous cultural community was likewise created subject to ratification by plebiscite in Culion.
While on July 15, 2002, plebiscites held in Culion and Busuanga simultaneously with the election of barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan representatives resulted in the ratification of the transfer of Halsey and Burabod to Culion and the creation of Barangay Carabao.
ANCESTRY & HERITAGE
The People
The original people of Culion are the Tagbanuas, a cultural minority group that lives by fishing and food gathering. While preserving their native customs and traditions, the Tagbanuas are greatly influenced by Muslim culture and social organization.
Early trading activities attracted people from other parts of Palawan, like Calamianen and Cuyonon, who came and stayed in Culion as their new home.
Today, however, the Tagbanuas no longer practice many of their cultural traditions and many of them have been converted to Christianity. They are largely marginalized, making up only about 8% of Culion’s total population. Barangay Carabao, under Republic Act 9032, was established for these indigenous people. They were also granted Certificates of Ancestral Domain under Republic Act 8371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
The establishment of the leper colony in 1906, hansenites and hospital staff were brought to Culion from different parts of the Philippines bringing their customs, habits, dialects, and regional characteristics, and the influx of migrants in the last three decades have understandably made Culion an heterogeneous population.
The original people of Culion are the Tagbanuas, a cultural minority group that lives by fishing and food gathering. While preserving their native customs and traditions, the Tagbanuas are greatly influenced by Muslim culture and social organization.
Early trading activities attracted people from other parts of Palawan, like Calamianen and Cuyonon, who came and stayed in Culion as their new home.
Today, however, the Tagbanuas no longer practice many of their cultural traditions and many of them have been converted to Christianity. They are largely marginalized, making up only about 8% of Culion’s total population. Barangay Carabao, under Republic Act 9032, was established for these indigenous people. They were also granted Certificates of Ancestral Domain under Republic Act 8371, also known as the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.
The establishment of the leper colony in 1906, hansenites and hospital staff were brought to Culion from different parts of the Philippines bringing their customs, habits, dialects, and regional characteristics, and the influx of migrants in the last three decades have understandably made Culion an heterogeneous population.
The Threat of Invasive Specie
For time immemorial Culion was relatively a secluded place. As reservation with the intent to isolate, nobody cold just enter. The place therefore a reservation, a place to isolate a dreaded disease that for almost a century effectively enclosed the community and its environment from outside influence and integration.
But Culion that was once dreaded and therefore to be avoided, which was the same reason for its existence as a sanitarium of hansenite disease cannot be forever be hidden from others attention. With its natural resources virtually intact, the land so sparsely populated and the management therefore from encroachment of those who found the place a haven for both fishing and other agricultural opportunity, people from both nearby and far flung places opted to occupy and established their lot. The same is true to the wards and children or relatives of former patients and or hospital employees who after the liberalization law of Hansenite patients opted not only to stay in Culion but decided instead to improve their lot .
There are 4 types or group of people considered at the moment as resident. The first are the patients; they are either the original group who were forced to stay in Culion as an American policy of isolating them from mainstream society who came from all parts of the country as a means of preventing further spread of the disease during the American occupation in the early 18th century. The second group is the health services employees that either volunteered or are appointed by the national government to care or provide support services to the sanitarium. The third group is the indigenous people who originally inhabit the place or consider the territory as their domain or sphere of both cultural and economic activities. Whether they were supposedly driven out from the established sanitarium boundary and jurisdiction, they or some of these people manage to stay in the area or its periphery. And the last group are the settlers and migrant residents. They are neither the neighboring town inhabitants that consequently established their stake for land and eventually secure permission from then recognized authority the DOH chief of the sanitarium hospital.
Any biodiversity is balanced by natural adaptability and a web of interdependence, from predation to being prey and symbiosis to support mechanism. These are all interconnected with integrity of sustaining each others continues existence.
A healthy environment is characterized by a culture of maintaining an equilibrium of mutual dependence support it is vibrant. Growing and continuously changing at its own pace with the tenacity and endurance of an island.
But this cycle of life in a given habitat with its community of biodiversity must maintain a norm ofstandard that is there a statute or covenant that could be not only trusted by the hose who constitute it, but more so who wants to adhere to it. This is what society must be, indifferent to change but such coming to what might be better. To the greater members and to the sacrifice of those who wanted to be part of it.
Culion neither want righteousness from those who merely want to assert their will. Nor must it come to an end without the authority even for a moment, listen to those who also wish and hope that somehow, someday the reality becomes each others truth.
The sudden conversion of Culion into a municipality brings with it problems both internal and external. But as change in power inevitably caused resentment and animosity a new culture emerged. A struggle within the people is therefore inevitable. People are divided in their precept as the DOH and those that sit in power in the municipality assert their authority in determining the future of Culion. Whether this is healthy or not and further the welfare of the populace can be construed as positive, as these exercise of conflict between the DOH and the municipality are both focused towards common good of Culion. The sanitarium was converted into General Hospital. The municipality meanwhile struggled to formulate statutes and laws necessary for the people and the place. Somehow and inadvertently people began to realize the shift in power and authority from the sanitarium to the municipality.
External conflicts also arises, foremost is the establishment of municipal boundary which remain in contrast with other municipality. Also the municipal waters which had been traditionally being accessed by neighboring towns as well as the commercial fishers that are competing with the local fishing industry. These are the issues that continue to haunt the local officials as a number of residents are benefited directly or indirectly by the commercial fishers.
Somehow the people are beginning to adapt to the demand of the present. Despite the odds and conflicts, Culion is moving on...
Meaning of Palawan - brief history
The history of Palawan may be traced back 22,000 years ago as confirmed by the discovery of fossils of the Tabon Cave Man in the municipality of Quezon. Although the origin of the cave dwellers is not yet established, anthropologists believe they came from Borneo. There are several versions regarding the origin of the name "Palawan". Some contend that it was derived from the Chinese word "Pa-Lao-Yu" meaning "Land of Beautiful Harbors". Others believe that it came from the Indian word "Palawans" meaning "Territory". Still others say that it was derived from a plant which the natives called "Palwa". But popular belief is that, "Palawan" is a corrupted from the Spanish word "Paragua" because the main island's shape resembles a closed umbrella.
The history of Palawan may be traced back 22,000 years ago as confirmed by the discovery of fossils of the Tabon Cave Man in the municipality of Quezon. Although the origin of the cave dwellers is not yet established, anthropologists believe they came from Borneo. There are several versions regarding the origin of the name "Palawan". Some contend that it was derived from the Chinese word "Pa-Lao-Yu" meaning "Land of Beautiful Harbors". Others believe that it came from the Indian word "Palawans" meaning "Territory". Still others say that it was derived from a plant which the natives called "Palwa". But popular belief is that, "Palawan" is a corrupted from the Spanish word "Paragua" because the main island's shape resembles a closed umbrella.
Deep Ecology
If we are to truly re-connect with the nature, we need to change our perceptions and approach more than our location. As long as we limit ourselves to rationality and its limited sense of "practicality," we will be disconnected from the "deep ecology" of our place. As Heidegger explains: "Dwelling is not primarily inhabiting but taking care of and creating that space within which something comes into its own and flourishes." It takes both time and ritual for real dwelling. Likewise, as Roy Rappaport observes, "knowledge will never replace respect in man's dealings with ecological systems, for the ecological systems in which man participates are likely to be so complex that he may never have sufficient comprehension of their content and structure to permit him to predict the outcome of many of his own acts." Ritual is the focused way in which we both experience and express that respect.
Saving environment...
Ritual is essential because it is truly the pattern that connects. It provides communication at all levels - communication among all the systems within the individual human organism; between people within groups; between one group and another in a city and throughout all these levels between the human and the non-human in the natural environment. Ritual provides us with a tool for learning to think logically, analogically and ecologically as we move toward a sustainable culture. Most important of all, perhaps, during rituals we have the experience, unique in our culture, of neither opposing nature or trying to be in communion with nature; but of finding ourselves within nature, and that is the key to sustainable culture.
We have idolized ideals, rationality and a limited kind of "practicality," and have regarded the conscious rituals of these other cultures as at best frivolous curiosities. The results are all too evident. We've only been here a few hundred years and already we have done irreparable damage to vast areas... As Gregory Bateson notes, "mere purposive rationality is necessarily pathogenic and destructive of life."We have tried to relate to the world around us through only the left side of our brain, and we are clearly failing. If we are to re-establish a viable relationship, we will need to rediscover the wisdom of these other cultures who knew that their relationship to the land and to the natural world required the whole of their being. What we call their "ritual and ceremony" was a sophisticated social and spiritual technology, refined through many thousands of years of experience, that maintained their relationship much more successfully than we are.Ritual is EssentialSeeing ritual and ceremony as
sophisticated social and spiritual technologyby Dolores LaChapelle
Saving environment...
Ritual is essential because it is truly the pattern that connects. It provides communication at all levels - communication among all the systems within the individual human organism; between people within groups; between one group and another in a city and throughout all these levels between the human and the non-human in the natural environment. Ritual provides us with a tool for learning to think logically, analogically and ecologically as we move toward a sustainable culture. Most important of all, perhaps, during rituals we have the experience, unique in our culture, of neither opposing nature or trying to be in communion with nature; but of finding ourselves within nature, and that is the key to sustainable culture.
We have idolized ideals, rationality and a limited kind of "practicality," and have regarded the conscious rituals of these other cultures as at best frivolous curiosities. The results are all too evident. We've only been here a few hundred years and already we have done irreparable damage to vast areas... As Gregory Bateson notes, "mere purposive rationality is necessarily pathogenic and destructive of life."We have tried to relate to the world around us through only the left side of our brain, and we are clearly failing. If we are to re-establish a viable relationship, we will need to rediscover the wisdom of these other cultures who knew that their relationship to the land and to the natural world required the whole of their being. What we call their "ritual and ceremony" was a sophisticated social and spiritual technology, refined through many thousands of years of experience, that maintained their relationship much more successfully than we are.Ritual is EssentialSeeing ritual and ceremony as
sophisticated social and spiritual technologyby Dolores LaChapelle
