Understanding the Environmental Roles of Mining Beliefs and Practices in Sitio Midas, Itogon

Mining beliefs and practices are among the most important considerations concerning environmental conservation, specifically for the Kankanaeys of Sitio Midas, Itogon, Benguet. These beliefs and practices have guided the community's mining activities and relationships, and informed residents' environmental stewardship, despite the unavoidable link between mining and environmental destruction and degradation of Kankanaey culture. This study explores the vital role of mining beliefs and practices in protecting the environment in a small-scale scale-mining community using a qualitative ethnographic research design with unstructured interviews and non-participatory observation as data collection methods. The findings revealed that modernization does not prevent miners from using their traditional skills, methods, and expertise, which are simple and practical, without causing significant environmental damage. The Kankanaeys' proenvironmental worldview influenced traditional mining norms and behaviors in Sitio Midas. Kankanaey miners' cultural and environmental concerns include a loss of spirituality, the decline of traditional culture, the influence of large commercial mining companies, and safety mining. Despite these challenges and concerns, traditional Kankanaey mining continues to play an important role in environmental sustainability and community resilience, providing new insight or initiatives to increase assistance and capabilities relevant to traditional culture in mining and environmental protection.