By: Tara Isabel Lago

September 25, 2025

Cultural LINKS (Leveraging Indigenous Niches through Knowledge and Storytelling) is one of Cartwheel Foundation Inc.’s initiatives to empower Indigenous Communities (IPs) through education and encouraging them to thrive in their culture. Launched in August 2021 and continuing until now, Cartwheel has successfully published children’s picture books for the Sama-Bajau, Talaandig, and Tagbanwa communities. 

In early August 2025, the Cartwheel team returned to the Sama-Bajau in Paranaque, which was the first IP community to engage in Cultural LINKS. Mirroring kwentuhan sessions or story circles, the Cartwheel team conducted group interviews with the parents, teachers, and students who successfully graduated from Cartwheel’s Sama Bajau Activity Center. The goal of these interviews was to evaluate the long-term impact of Cultural LINKS and what Cartwheel can contribute in keeping alive the culture of the Sama-Bajau living in Metro Manila.

What were the insights gained? 

During the interview sessions with Teachers Marilyn “Mar” Bayona and Faida Faisal, Cartwheel learned that the Sama-Bajau storybook Agbeya-beya Palaran Kaut, Sama-samang Paglalakbay has been incorporated into the teachers’ daily lessons for the past three years. The one copy at the Sama-Bajau Activity Center has folds and several creases, a sign of a well-loved and well-used book. 

Depending on the day’s lesson, Teacher Mar reads one out of the six stories out loud. Since the book is small, all the students gather close to Teacher Mar to see the illustrations. After Teacher Mar reads the text in Filipino, Teacher Faida translates the text into Sinama, the native language of the Sama-Bajau.

From the teacher and student interviews, the two teachers and the four learners agree that they prefer to hear the stories in Sinama. At the same time, they would like the picture books to include Filipino and English as well so that their stories are more accessible to a wider audience.

Even though the students were five years old or younger during the publishing process of the picture book, they have a strong recollection of the story-making sessions, especially the arts and crafts sessions pertaining to boats. They unanimously chose “Bangka Ariki, Bangka Aheya,”  or “Small Boat, Big Boat,” as their favorite story. According to Teacher Mar, they always request for her to read said story.

When asked why they enjoy “Bangka Ariki, Bangka Aheya,” learner Elena (age 9) said it is because the boats in the story remind her of home by the sea. The other learners enjoy the colors, the fish, and the adventures on the boats. In the eyes of these young readers, “Bangka Ariki, Bangka Aheya” does the best job in representing their roots as sea-faring people. 

Interestingly, mother Carbaysa had a different outlook on boat living, stating that life outside of Metro Manila was hard. Her memories of boat living are less fond than Elena’s memories, which conveys that Sama-Bajau children and adults have different needs when it comes to cultural preservation. 

Still, mother Carbaysa did appreciate the storytelling workshop in May 2022, where she and other Sama-Bajau parents talked about their traditional fishing methods and cuisine on their boats. Mother Carbaysa particularly enjoyed listening to another Sama-Bajau member talk about spearfishing because it reminded her of her childhood.

What’s next?

To sustain the impact of Cultural LINKS in Paranaque, Cartwheel can look into publishing sturdier versions of the picture book so it can be well-loved and well-used for longer. Since the students prefer to read and listen in Sinama, Cartwheel can collaborate with a fluent Sinama speaker to create an audio recording as a helpful supplement for the teachers and learners. 

After more than three years from the end of Cultural LINKS in Paranaque, the book, along with the storytelling sessions, continue to have an indelible impact on the Sama-Bajau community. The book plays an active role in helping them not only remember their heritage but also to instill pride in their culture. These interview findings support the continued implementation of Cultural LINKS for other IP communities, like the Talaandig and Tagbanwa.

—

Tara Isabel Lago volunteered with Cartwheel from July to August 2025, interacting with the Sama-Bajau learners and community members residing in Paranaque. She is a sophomore in Columbia University, New York studying Neuroscience and Behavior. In the future, she hopes to earn a PhD and conduct brain research that can benefit people in the present and in the long run. When not working in the lab or engaging with her local community, Tara can be found writing stories, playing taiko, and scrapbooking.