ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY

Interdisciplinary Studies
Summer, AY 2020-2021

Reflection Paper

Name (Surname, First Name) : Solmeron, Jobella Greziel

Course and Year : Bachelor of Science in Accountancy; 1st year
IDS Code and Schedule : 16-050; 5:15P-7:05P Weekdays
Professor : Ocdenaria, Jose Marie
Reflection (One page only)
(Technicalities: 500-600 words; Single space, Book Antiqua-13)
If you were the narrator, would you go home or
stay in the Christian town to continue your studies?
The story entitled “I am one of the mountain people” by Macario Tiu has
significantly depicted the harsh reality for the Indigenous People. It shows how tribal
conflicts affect the lives of our indigenous brothers and sisters, most especially the younger
generation. At a very young age, the narrator or the story’s main character was forced to
stay in a Christian town to have a Christian education. Despite his refusal and
disagreement to remain in Santa Barbara (name of the Christian town), he has left with no
choice but to stay in hopes of learning many things from the Christians to help and protect
their tribe. Nonetheless, it was depicted in the story how the narrator badly wants to go
home and stay with his tribe instead of continuing his studies in the town. Honestly, his
reasons for wanting such are reasonable and acceptable, given all the adverse experiences
he encountered, like racial discrimination and feeling of exclusion from his own tribe. Even
so, if I were the narrator, I would not do the same as he did. Instead, I would stay in the
Christian town and continue my studies despite the struggles and longingness that I have
been encountering. After all, I am staying in the town for a purpose. Also, I believe that if I
continue, all the hardships will surely pay off.
A famous phrase states: “everything is easier said than done.”If I were in the main
character’s position, arriving with my decision to stay and continue my studies in the
Christian town is indeed easier said than done, given all the unfavorable implications it
brings. However, I personally believe that every struggle, every pain, and every sorrow
will be “worth it” the moment I will actualize my purpose. In the story, continuing his
studies would mean realizing his purpose: to gain knowledge from the Christians that
would surely benefit and protect their tribe from opportunistic and vicious people. Though
this decision would mean that he needs to “sacrifice” by being with the Christians, it will
become a way of safekeeping his tribe against them—the people who burn their villages,
kill the tribal people, and steal their ancestral lands (as stated in the story). After all, pain is
temporary and inevitable; thus, learning to embrace the pain for the good of the majority,
especially for the good of one’s own tribe, would indeed be worthwhile later on.
To conclude, I realize that besides giving us awareness about the injustice that the
indigenous people face today, the story also shows the importance of education. Besides
bringing advancements to one’s life, education could also be a way to address tribal
conflicts, give justice to the oppressed (notably the IP), and an avenue to understand the
varying cultures and beliefs of people. Thus, with this, we should all value education, for
this could be the key to a better and harmonious society.