bursting beer belly

Friday, August 28, 2009 The Tagbanua rhythms By Bryan Lazaro To ensure that their traditional songs, dances, and rituals will continue to live on in their children, the Cabigaan Tribal Council of Cabigaan, Aborlan, Palawan, spearheaded a School of Living Traditions (SLT) project in their village in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The Cabigaan SLT focused on the teaching of traditional Tagbanua musical instruments, songs and dances to the young children in the village through cultural masters Rosalinda Nangnang, Gloria Imag, and Dalupe Masudlot and Tribal Chieftain Virgilio Nangnang. Through the SLT, the students learned to play various traditional melodies like the sagayon, suriano, sarungkay (welcome music), taming, mangalay and tugatak (pagdidiwata) using their indigenous musical instruments: the gimbal (drum), babandil (small gongs), and agung (wide-rimmed gong). The students also learned dance rituals performed by a babaylan: tarek, a dance ritu...

Friday, August 14, 2009 ‘Pandan’ weaving among young Jama Mapuns By Bryan Lazaro The Jama Mapuns, one of the ethnolinguistic groups in Palawan, are known for their pandan mats. A tradition that can be traced back to Tawi-tawi, pandan weaving is among their most valued cultural heritage. In order to promote the tradition of pandan weaving, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has funded the creation of a school of living traditions (SLT) specifically on Jama Mapun mat weaving in Isumbo, Sofronio Española, Palawan. Fifteen female students, ages 9 to 22 years old, participated in the three-month training workshop conducted by cultural masters Janeth Hanapi and Tulsina Sabtal (59 years old). The students learned the different steps of pandan weaving, from preparation of leaves, to dying to creating designs and patterns. The students learned six basic designs: tupak sato (random/ordinary style), maligoy (miniature house design), katam (crab design), orang-orang (shrimp ...

Friday, July 31, 2009 Aeta songs and dances By Bryan Lazaro In 1991, Mount Pinatubo, an active volcano at the intersection of the provinces of Pampanga and Zambales, awakened. The world witnessed what geologists considered to be the second largest volcanic eruption in the modern world, next to that of Mount Novarupta in Alaska in 1912. In total, 364 communities and 2.1 million people were affected by the eruption, with livelihoods and houses severely destroyed and over 800 people killed. Among the hardest hit were the Aetas who lived near the volcano. Hundreds of Aeta people were killed; their once-fertile soil covered with layers of ash, and their houses destroyed by the ash storm. With no more homes to return to, the Aeta evacuees had no other option than to be resettled to an area provided by the government, relatively safe from future eruptions of Mount Pinatubo. Situated few kilometers away from Mount Pinatubo in the town of Botolan, Zambales, are Barangays Malomboy, Cabatuan an...