Women and peace in the Cordilleras.

Peace is usually understood as a state of quietness or tranquility. It is said to be the freedom from agitation or violence.

That said, one may safely say that the women of the Cordillera are lovers of peace. This has been demonstrated throughout Cordillera history (and herstory)--in the stories of resistance against colonial aggressors and vested interests that look on the Cordillera as a resource.

There are plenty of stories that speak about the heroism and bravery of women in the Cordilleras.

There is one the story about the women of Talubin, Mt. Province at the beginning of the 20th century. The Talubin women formed a human barricade to protest a cadastral survey the Americans were planning to conduct. When the surveyors insisted on conducting it, these same women confiscated the equipments that the surveyors were using. In retaliation, the surveyors detained the women's husbands, who had also refused to assist them in the survey. The women, together with their children, then marched to the barracks and conducted a noise barrage which forced the soldiers to release the men.

The women of Sagada and Besao used the same strategies to successfully prevent the mining and logging ventures of the Americans.

And of course, there is the story of the Kalinga women who united for the protection of their land during the Chico Dam struggle.

In the traditional practices of the tribes in the Cordilleras, though the men were the warriors and thus can decide whether to go to war or not, women, who were the main food producers, could prevent the men from going to war by refusing to prepare food.