Philippine Art has its “past” and “present” yet central to it is their belief in one supreme

it still continues to develop by various deity, Maknongan and the common sets of
contemporary artists. The past history of indigenous beliefs. These mumbakis offers
Philippine Art has gone through various prayers during wedding, thanksgiving,
process for its production. With their funeral, and other occasions. They also open
different context in terms of style, history, the graves of their ancestors and bring home
and cultural, the symbols and meanings of the the remains for a canao. They have
artworks are depicted. memorized almost every oral traditions,
stories and lineages which are passed on from
For one to understand the importance and generation to generations which they perform
influence of Philippine Art to the present, as rituals.
here are some known artforms present in the
Pre-conquest or the period before the coming Kashawing
of the first colonizers. According to Riya Lopez, the term
“Kashawing” is a known ritual for the
Pre-Conquest Artforms Maranaos. It is performed to ensure good
harvest.
Mayvanuvanua
According to Maria F. Mangahas, the term Tagbanwa
“Mayvanuvanua” refers to a sacrificial rite
performed at the beginning of the summer According to the California State University
fishing season by mataw fishers in Batanes. East Bay, the term “Tagbanwa” refers to
It is an act of attraction to successfully ethnic group located in north and central
capture the fish dorado for a limited period of Palawan. The Tagbanwa are noted for the
time. complicated Pagdiwata ritual, held to
celebrate various occasions including
Cañao or Kanyaw bountiful harvests and weddings. The ritual
According to the Rotary Club of Baguio, involves the drinking of rice wine from
“Cañao” is a local term for the ritual-dance Chinese stoneware jars through bamboo
performed during native feasts or straws. The Tagbanwa exploit forest
celebrations in the highlands of the resources including copal, rattan, and wax for
Cordilleras–in the Luzon area of the income; they also craft iron with the double-
Philippines. The ritual is done as a symbol of bellows forge. They are one of the few
celebration or expectation for a fruitful remaining peoples still using the blowgun.
harvest. Kinship is reckoned bilaterally, although
there is a bias towards matrilocality after
Mumbaki or Shaman marriage. Affinal relations are tenuous, and
“in-law avoidance” is practiced.
According to Grace Grabrito, the term
“Mumbaki” is a local term that translates to a Kudyapi
religious specialist meaning “sayer of
prayers” for the Ifugaos. Almost every adult According to Fekke Jager, “Kudyapi” is a
in the region is a mumbaki who practices the known instrument of the Maranaos. The
tenets of the religion which they are instrument is classified as a chordophone and
associated with. Each mumbaki invokes is a two stringed boat lute. It is made out of
prayers and rituals to various deities, though wood. One string is for the melody and the
other one is for the drone. Eight frets is Agong or Agung
originally held in place, placed on the neck of
the lute by a sticky rubbery substance, According to Larry Catungal, “Agung” is the
propolis, produced by honey bees to repair fourth instrument of the Kulintang ensemble.
damages and openings in the hive. The lute is You may find one of two agung in an
decorated with floral motives; the tail is ensemble, which are usually hung either on a
carved to represent a stylised crocodile head. stand or on a sturdy tree branch. The agung is
played by one or two – depending on the
Kulintang number of agung – using a rubber-padded
beater, and is played on both the boss/knob
According to Larry Catungal, “Kulintang” is and the face of the gong.
a musical tradition can be found across the
Southeast Asian Archipelago. The style of Pangalay
kulintang we played is found in the Southern
Philippines among the Maguindanaoan According to LIKHA.org, “Pangalay” or also
people, in the province of Maguindanao, known as “Sea Gypsies” is a native dance of
Mindanao. It consists of 7 to 9 bossed or the Badjao. Pangalay is a dance that
knobbed bronze or brass pot gongs, which are emphasizes the agility of the upper body. The
suspended on a strung cord. Typically, there rhythmic bounce of the shoulder with
are 8 gongs, though this may vary from simultaneous alternating waving of arms are
kulintang set to set. The tuning of the gongs the basic movement of this dance. The
themselves will vary too, in that each gong pangalay is commonly performed at
maker and kulintang player have their own weddings and other social gatherings.
perceptions of good tuning. There are as
many tunings as there are sets according to Kinabua
some kulintang players. The pot is played
with two unpadded soft word beaters. According to Joel Velasquez, “Kinabua” is a
dance performed by a man and a girl or two
Gansa or Gangsa girls. The dance portrays the hawks’ use of
sweet songs to lure out the hen and the chicks
According to Scribd, “Gangsa” is the name of that are then made into a meal. The dancers’
a completely different instrument, one which feet make rapid movements, creating circular
is indigenous to the cultures found in the patterns around each other, as their arms
mountain regions (the Cordillera) of the spread out like wings of eagles.
northern Philippines. The gangsa of the
northern Philippines is a single hand-held Banog-banog
smooth-surfaced gong with a narrow rim. A
set of gangsa, which is played one gong per According to Danceanddance.com, “Banog-
musician, consists of gangsa tuned to banog” is a dance that portray hunters
different notes, depending on regional or shielding in their chickens from the
local cultural preferences. The number of famishing hawk. The hawk ends up
gangsa in a set varies with availability, and entrapped and dies in the hands of hunters.
depends on the tradition of a particular ethnic Based on WikiPilipinas, the dance is usually
group of the Luzon Cordillera:Kalinga, performed by the healed patients of the
Ifugao, Bontoc, etc. babaylan (priest) and sometimes on social
occasions. The ladies wear patadyong of dark
colors and kamisa made of piña or birang gongs and guimba (drum) or other traditional
(abaca cloth). The sleeves are bell-shaped. A instruments.
headdress, a necklace and a belt made of
silver coins are worn on the forehead, around Kadaliwas
the neck and around the waist. The men wear
g-strings or bahag of earth colors. Both According to the National Library of the
women and men are barefooted. The musical Philippines, “Kadal iwas” is a dance of the T-
instruments used are the gong and the drum. boli which features “monkeys” romping
The gong is held by one person while the two around covered with dried banana leaves; and
others beat the gong on both sides with sticks the langka baluang of the Tausug.
called karakol. The drum is likewise beaten
on both sides to provide rhythm. The time
signature is in 2/4.

Man-manok

According to LIKHA.org, “Man-manok” is a

dance performed by three Bago Tribe
roosters competing against each other for the
attention of Lady Lien. They use blankets
depicting colorful plumes to attract her.

Talip

According to the National Library of the

Philippines, “Talip” is a dance done after a
courtship dance. The man lures a woman
with an attractive blanket to place on her
shapely shoulders, the Ifugao celebrate the
intaneg or wedding with the festival dance
called dinnuyya. In the presence of a
mumbaki drinking ceremonial wine, the
bride is dressed with the dong-dong and the
groom with the horned kango on their heads.

Inamong

According to WikiPilipinas, “Inamong” is an

ethnic dance performed during the harvest
time by Tigwahanon Manobos of Bukidnon.
The dance shows a couple, with their bodies
and arms slightly bent forward, mimicking
the motions of a pair of flirting among
(monkeys). Inamong, therefore, means
“monkey-like or “simian antics”. This funny
mimetic dance is performed accompanied by