Kirby Pábalan-Táyag Aráullo is a renowned Filipino culture bearer and currently the National Coordinator for Culture and Heritage for NAFCON (National Alliance for Filipino Concerns). He is a Dátû and Lakan by blood, a direct descendant of the last Paramount Kings of Luzon (of both Lakandúlâ of Tondo and Rája Matandá of Maynílâ, who are also of the Sultans of Sulu and Brunei, and of the ancient Mahārājas of the Majapahit Empire). He is also a direct descendant of anti-colonial revolutionary Katipuneros who fought for the liberation of the Philippines from colonialism. Dátû Kirby's upbringing exposed him to the contradicting worlds of traditional politics and grassroots activism.

 

Kirby is the co-founder of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies at the University of California, Davis, and has been teaching Filipino people’s history and writing in indigenous Philippine scripts (Baybayin & Kulitan) for over a decade. An alumnus of UC Davis, Kirby has also started his graduate studies in the field of history at Harvard University, and on International Human Rights Law at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. He is a visiting professor at various colleges in the Philippines and a research fellow with Sínúpan Singsing, a publicly-funded institute for indigenous advocacy and the study of Kapampángan language, history, and culture.

 

Dátû Kirby is well-rooted in his culture and passionate about his heritage; he strives to decolonize Philippine history and democratize Ethnic Studies through knowledge and play.

 

He is the author of the new book "Black Lives & Brown Freedom: Untold Histories of War, Solidarity & Genocide."