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August 29, 2008
Sometime during the last quarter of 2007, I wrote an article on the conference of Igorots to be held in April 2009 in Germany. Details are more definite now.
The 5th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK Europe (ICBE) Consultation, henceforth Consultation, is a biennial gathering of Igorots in Europe. Conferences were previously held in Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland. The host is usually the Igorot, BIBAK or Cordillera organization in the above-mentioned countries. BIMAAK stands for the five provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR.) These are Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Abra, Apayao and Kalinga.
The Consultation will be held from 10-13 April 2009 in Haus Sonnenau, Vallendar, Germany. The theme is “Igorot Cordillera Rituals: Their Meanings and Significance.” Some Igorots in Germany have formed an Organizing Committee. They are Severino Oblas, Jane Klee-Morgens. Norma Wellhausen and Mario Guinyawan.
For those who want to attend the whole activity, the conference registration fee is 218.00 euro. This amount includes board and lodging and sightseeing tour. The deadline for registration is 27 October 2008. For more details, please contact: Yvonne Belen (e-mail: tokwifi_yvonne@yahoo.com.)
Others may like to attend only the session on Sunday, 12 April 2009. In the morning, research results on Igorot rituals (birth, marriage, death and the agricultural cycle) will be presented. In the afternoon, there will be workshop group discussions on topics of interest. One proposed topic is “Integration in the Host Country,” where the first- and second- generation Igorots will have their own workshop group discussions. Other topics are: “Reviewing the past ICBE Consultations and Looking to the Future,” and “Cordillera Concerns.” The second generation Igorots might decide to have their own workshop group discussion on a topic of their choice. The Gala Night will be held in the evening. Igorot, BIBAK, and/or Cordillera organizations in Europe will render cultural presentations. For those interested to attend the Sunday session only, please e-mail Severino Oblas, the contact person in Germany. His e-mail address is: soblas@web.de.
More details on the 5th ICBE Consultation are available at the ICBE website: www.icbe.eu. The website also contains some documents from previous ICBE Consultations.