Closing Remarks by Averil Pooten Watan
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12th Igorot Cordillera BIMAAK-Europe (ICBE) Conference
ULB Campus du Solbosch, Bâtiment S, Salle Dupréel, Avenue Jeanne 44,
1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
29 May–1 June 2025
Closing Remarks of ICBE Conference Day 3, Saturday, 31 May 2025
By Averil B Pooten Watan
Good afternoon.
As we come to the close of our ICBE day conference, I want to take a moment to reflect on the richness of today’s gatherings—on the voices, the stories, and the truths we have shared together.
This morning’s panel reminded us of our cowboy/ cowgirl resilience as Igorots - that our indigeneity is not something locked in the past, moreover not something for us to prove authenticity (for whichever generation or lived experience we identify) — it is alive, evolving, and deeply personal. Through the lens of our three panelists—Macario, Abigail, and Angelie—we saw how identity, migration, memory, anxiety and movement shape who we are today as Igorots in the diaspora.
To our reactors—Mark, Lorena, and Glen —thank you for grounding and probing further those insights with your reflections and experiences.
And to our workshop groups this afternoon—thank you again to our panelists but also to our facilitators Airah and Lorena, Grisham and Myra and Gammy and Betsy, but last and not least to each of you in the groups — for the energy, honesty, reflection and experience you brought to the discussions.
Whether you explored the experiences of different-generation Igorots, the concept of indigeneity in today’s world, convert or erase shame, or the stories of our Igorot “cowboys and cowgirls,” you reminded us that our community has not only diversity depth, diversity, and dynamism.
As moderator and fellow member of the diaspora, I am moved by the commitment you’ve shown—to remembering where we come from, to honouring our elders, and to building a future where being Igorot is celebrated, understood, and sustained—wherever we are in the world.
Let us carry this spirit with us as we prepare for tonight’s cultural gala. Let it be a celebration not only of music, dance, and tradition—but of the living, breathing culture that each of us continues to embody.
On behalf of the organising team and the ICBE community. Thank you for your presence, your participation, and your passion.
Let us continue to walk together—stronger, prouder, and ever more connected.