Talaandig Ancestral Territory

"Welcome. You are now in the heart of Talaandig Ancestral Territory. Be Culture Conscious...." so says the sign at the road on the way up to the tribal village of the Talaandigs at Barangay Songco, Lantapan. Here is a community of people who are consciously reviving and keeping the ancient ways and wisdom of the tribe. They have resorted to the traditional and tribal way of resolving conflicts and maintaining peace thereby preserving relations and harmony among the dwellers. Customary law is also enforced.

A school for living tradition was built as an avenue for elders to teach the young learn and appreciate embroidery, dance, music, arts and literature. Activities involved doing earth paintings (painting utilizing soil as a medium), singing and dancing to traditional music, and making musical instruments and indigenous accessories among others. 

Here is a group of tribal folks that continues to preserve their cultural identity by consistently living its traditional practices and customs within the tribal village. The rituals, the music and arts, the traditional knowledge and history – all of these that embody the Talaandig way of life are consciously practiced amidst the insurgence of modern ways and influences. 

Central Mindanao University

One of the two (2) State-owned universities of Bukidnon, the Central Mindanao University (CMU) is known for its commitment for excellence not only in academic instruction but also in research, extension and production. The institution covers a land area totaling 3,080.60 hectares allocated for livestock and pasture, upland crops, irrigated rice, watershed/forest plantation, fruit and tree crops, agricultural experimental areas and campus and residential site. The CMU campus exemplifies an ideal agricultural school where a majority of its students are children of farmers and the school buildings and infrastructures are built in the wide area characterized by valleys, hills, forests and agricultural fields. CMU is noted as a top-performing school of the country in the fields of agriculture education, forestry, teacher education, veterinary medicine, nutrition and dietetics, and engineering.