Walter Umangil Gaerlan or Wally as fondly called by his friends is a descendant of the Kalinga indigenous people of the Philippines. He was born in Baguio City and raised in Banao, a barrio town of Balbalan in Kalinga province. He spent most of his childhood days in the village of Talalang where his mother was born. It was there where he developed strong connections to his ethnic heritage being exposed to the various arts of the native ancestors. Natural transmission of the arts from elders to the young on regular basis mostly village celebrations gave him the endring knowledge of their traditional performing arts of music and dances of the Kalinga tribal people. Here in America he is an active member of ethnic cultural groups such as the Igorot Fellowship of Las Vegas and the Kalingas-North America Network, both aiming to promote, preserve and perpetuate their indigenous arts and culture.