A DAP-AY is a place of gathering (like this one in the photo) of the villagers to conduct rituals, meetings and many other activities. It has been reflective of the way the natural resources of Sagada was preserved and is being continually taken care of by the people. Not only that, it has been a place of transfer of wisdom from the ancestors to the present generation-the simple but effective traditional ways of life matters-family, manhood, livelihood, preserving the culture, the natural resources, etc.
Sagada is one of the few town with a preserved natural resources and the dap-ays plays a vital role in this environmental journey of the town. It is where ancestors have set sytems/rules in utilizing, preserving, conserving and managing well their natural resources. That is the reason why when you're still approaching the town, you can already smell the pine breeze. They don't just cut pine trees, systems are followed in doing this even if they own the large hectare where hundreds of pine trees are. This is so because they greatly respect the effective traditional ways taught by the ancestors.
We may now be in the so-called Computer Age, but it's still best to appreciate and to continue to practice the traditional ways.
