BUHI Book 1: Stories of Kitanglad by Bricx Dumas

Years ago, one of my cousins told me: “Mountains divide, oceans connect.”

As a mountaineer, artist, and climate change action advocate, my experience in Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park tells a different story.

The three tribes of Mt. Kitanglad - the Talaandig, Higaonon, and Bukidnon - are geographically spread out across the mountain range. But it is the mountain that connects them, and continuously reconnects them to each other.

Mt. Kitanglad is a shared sacred place. It is also their shared source of food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and necessities. It is their home. It is their heritage.

I was inspired to illustrate the heroes and warriors of Mt. Kitanglad: the elders, the KGVs, the community workers, and the indigenous peoples. A community and a people who all contribute to preserving and securing the mountain and its forests, ensuring that the natural heritage and wonder that is Mt. Kitanglad is protected today and always.

"A visual artist advocating for the sustainable coexistence between humanity and nature."

- Bricx / Shrimppaste, Philippines

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed by the Young ASEAN Storytellers should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official position or opinion of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, its partners, the ASEAN Member States, and the ASEAN Secretariat.