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MUSIC IN MINDANAO INDIGENOUS PRACTICES

Himig Collection, On Philippine History and Culture 1 Comment

Indigenous Philippine folklore is characterized by sacred

rituals and practices, and made more fervent and vibrant
by the music that accompanies them.

In Mindanao, the sounds of the agum and guimbao signal

the assembly of the participants in the performance of
sacrifices by indigenous groups. The miminsad, a dance
song, is also chanted as they walk before the altar.
The wedding feast is another occasion where music plays
a key role. Some Muslim groups play music using small
and large kettledrums as accompaniment to dancing, one
of the highlights of the celebration.

In Jolo, the sua-sua is a celebrated courtship song and

dance that has often been modernized for troupe
performances.
A war dance in Bukidnon called the sagayan epitomizes
the gallantry of Muslim combatants while little girls perform
a festival dance wherein they wear hollow copper anklets
and ring little cells to produce certain sounds “to the
accompaniment of a variety of tom-tom and an indigenous
xylophone.” (Bañas 1975).
In Agusan, the tud-ob, a song composed of four notes, is
sung during rice harvests. In Sulu, four gongs are used to
produce a kind of music called the tagungo.
Mindanao folk music includes the ancient Muslim folk song
and dance called estijaro, and a Mindanao folk song
called uruyan. These are usually accompanied by drums,
gongs, or other percussion instruments like the subing, a
gong.
Source:

Bañas, R.C. (1975). Pilipino Music and Theater. Quezon

City : Manlapaz Publishing.
Photo:

Ceremonial music gongs, Marawi City, 1970 (Retrato

Photo Archive)

Asiatic Musical Traditions in the

Philippines
Asiatic Musical
Tradition in the
Philippines
https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-
3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-
sca/music/asiatic-musical-traditions-in-the-philippines/

A Southeast Asian Musical Tradition is

practiced by those who resisted Spanish—and
later American—Colonial Rule, comprising
roughly 10% of the Philippine population. These
musical traditions relate to the social, political
and economic life of the people, and are
connected to their spiritual beliefs and their
relationship to the natural environment.
       Generally, two “types” of Southeast Asian
music could be found in the archipelago. A
“northern tradition” found in the Cordillera
Mountains in northern Luzon and a “southern
tradition” found in the islands of Mindoro,
Palawan, and in Mindanao and the Sulu group
of islands in the extreme south. Northern
traditions relate to various music cultures in
continental Southeast Asia while southern
traditions relate to the immediate islands in
insular Southeast Asia.
In Mindanao in the south, Islamic groups consist of
the Maguindanao, Maranao, Yakan, Sangil, Tausug,
Sama, Badjao, and the Jama Mapun. Non-Moslem
groups, sometimes referred to collectively by
outsiders as Lumads, consist of the Manobo,
Bagobo, Subanun, Tiruray, Tagabili, Mandaya,
Mansaka, the T’boli and the B’laan. The Pala-wan,
Tagbanwa and Cuyunin are located in the island of
Palawan, while various groups like the Hanunoo-
Mangyan, the Alangan and the Iraya are collectively
called the Mangyanand are located in the island of
Mindoro, south of Luzon.
In the island of Mindanao, however, bossed gongs
of various profiles are played in ensembles, usually
led by a row of gongs (kulintang) and supported or
accompanied by other gongs such as, among the
Maguindanao, and the Maranao, the agung,
the gandingan and the babandil and a drum,
the dabakan. Among the Tiruray,
the agung ensemble is made up of five individual
gongs, each played by one person. Among
theBagobo, these gongs of the agung type
called tagunggo are suspended with ropes and
played by two, three or more persons. Smaller
suspended gongs, on the other hand, are
sometimes called kulintang. Bossed gongs are also
found in Palawan and in Mindoro.
imilar traditions of bossed gong ensembles in
Mindanao are found in the islands of Kalimantan,
Sulawesi, Sumatra, and elsewhere in the southern
archipelago. In both the northern and southern
traditions, however, gongs are associated with
important community celebrations such as harvests
and rituals.
hile ring flutes log drums, xylophones, suspended
beams, two-stringed boat lutes and bamboo jew’s
harps relate to insular Southeast Asia.
n the south, the use of a tense, high-pitched style
with complex melismas characterizes solo singing
among the Moslem groups. This style is used in the
singing of epics such as the Radya Indara Patra and
theDiwata Kasalipan among the Maguindanao,
the bayok a love song among the Maguindanao and
the Maranao, and the Tausug lugu, a solo song
sung in Arabic, mostly by women, for important
Islamic ceremonies. A more “relaxed” style in the
natural speaking range with less melisma is used by
non-Moslem groups. Among the Manobo, for
instance, singing is accompanied by a two-stringed
boat lute and/or a bamboo polychordal zither.
While the music of these peoples relate very much
to their social and natural environment, their
continuous absorption into the mainstream
Philippine culture seems to pose a threat to their
survival and the cultivation of their culture.
About the Author:
Jonas Baes has done research on the Iraya-
Mangyan music of Mindoro which has been
published in journals such as
“Ethnomusicology” and the “International
Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of
Music”. He teaches at the Asian Institute for
Liturgy and Music, the Philippine High School
for the Arts, and the University of the
Philippines.

Chavacano Song by Major Chords

https://www.tagaloglang.com/chavacano-song-by-
major-chords/
Chavacano or Chabacano is a Spanish-based
creole language spoken in the Philippines. It is most
associated with the Zamboanga area on the
southern island of Mindanao. There are at least one
million Filipinos who speak this language fluently.

Top 4 Festivals In Zamboanga, The

Philippines

https://trip101.com/article/festivals-in-zamboanga
The Philippines can be considered a melting pot of
different cultures that date back to colonial times.
Zamboanga City is located on the country’s southern and
second-largest island—Mindanao. It has not only
accepted the culture of Spanish colonial masters but also
imbibed some of the Spaniards’ traits as well. The culture
of celebrating festivals has been well-preserved, and
such fiestas, as they are commonly called, are abundant
up to the present. Experience the intermingling of Spanish
and Filipino cultures as you visit and take part in the top
festivals in Zamboanga, the Philippines.