#gamaba

[yadukaru]

A visit to the Master of Tabih Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo Blaan Tabih weaver Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan #Yaduing #GAMABA #Blaan #IndigenousPeoples #IndigenousPeoplesMonth #culture #stories #Polomolok #SouthCotabato #SOXph #travelphilippines https://www.instagram.com/p/CGR1vMVHzfO/?igshid=igrvcxbk3b18

[yadukaru]

Bonding time with Bai Estelita Bantilan at GAMABA Cultural Center, in sitio Upper Lasang, brgy. Sapu Masla, Malapatan, Sarangani Province. Fu Estelita is a Blaan Igem (mat) weaver. She is one of this year's Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) declared by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Aside from Fu Estelita, Ambalang Ausalin from Lamitan City in Basilan and Yabing Masalon Dulo from Polomolok in South Cotabato also bagged the GAMABA award. "Since 1992, the NCCA have been awarding exemplary Filipinos for the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA). The award is in line with UNESCO’s criteria of Living National Treasures who are persons with high degree of knowledge or skills to perform or recreate elements of intangible cultural heritage." #Yaduing #GAMABA #MapyaMalapatan #SaranganiStories #Sarangani #stories #culturalheritage #Blaan #Culture #SOXph #travelphilippines #travelph https://www.instagram.com/p/B173FX7HeeC/?igshid=9isth0rxe969

[yadukaru]

Representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) visited Sarangani Province last Thursday, June 6, 2019, to grace the opening of GAMABA Cultural Center and Community Celebration for Bai Estelita Bantilan as one of the declared Gawad ng Manlilika ng Bayan (GAMABA). The GAMABA Cultural Center is located at sitio Upper Lasang, barangay Sapu Masla, Malapatan, Sarangani Province. "Since 1992, the NCCA have been awarding exemplary Filipinos for the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA). The award is in line with UNESCO’s criteria of Living National Treasures who are persons with high degree of knowledge or skills to perform or recreate elements of intangible cultural heritage." "In addition to the qualifications of UNESCO, recipients must possess a mastery of tools needed in the craft and ties to the indigenous cultural community. Furthermore, they should have revitalized the community’s artistic tradition and are recognized in their community as a master and teacher." Aside from Fu Estelita, Ambalang Ausalin from Lamitan City in Basilan and Yabing Masalon Dulo from Polomolok in South Cotabato also bagged the GAMABA award. Photos by @japhet_moralde #Yaduing #Malapatan #Sarangani #GAMABA #Blaan #culture #culturalheritage #SOXph #Mindanao #travelphilippines #travelph #travel #stories https://www.instagram.com/p/Byb958dH57c/?igshid=1068r3c7q2oau

[yadukaru]

An assessment visit to one of our National Living Treasures in the Philippines - Fu (Estelita) Labnai Tumandan Bantilan, the Blaan Master of Mat Weaving at Sitio Upper Lasang, Barangay Sapu Padidu, Malapatan Sarangani Province. From left to right: Ethel L. Tangalin, from Malapatan MPPDO, Eliodoro Alcaya Jr. of Sarangani Tourism, Investments and Promotions Center (STIPC), Fu Estelita, Josefino S. Polloso Jr. from the Mayor's Office of Malapatan, and Yadu Karu. #Yaduing #Malapatan #Sarangani #SOXph #WritingLife #Blaan #GAMABA #Culture #People #Stories

[franklin-berba-mia]

The Living Treasure

When tourists from different parts of the world want to get a tribal-looking tattoo, many think of travelling to the Philippines to get one, more specifically to the province of Kalinga. There lies Buscalan, a small village where the oldest and last original “mambabatok” (hand-tap tattoo artist) resides. The artist’s name is Whang-Od Oggay and she belongs to the Butbut tribe. 

Photo by Sherwin Ballesteros from National Geographic

If I were ever given a chance to award someone with the National Living Treasures Award or the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan, I would gladly give it to Whang-Od.

At 97 years old, Whang-Od has been traditionally tattooing men and women from her tribe for more than 80 years. Back then she tattooed warriors and hunters who earned it but now, she applies it to tourists (both local and foreign) visiting her village. 

In her tribe, tattoos are traditionally done by taking a mix of soot and water then applying it to the skin with the use of a stencil. The design would then be pounded onto the skin using a stick with a thorn of a calamansi or pomelo tree at the end. The designs can range from centipedes and trees, to geometric patterns. The tattoos are not only aesthetically pleasing to look at, but they also hold historical and cultural significance to Whang-Od’s tribe. 

Due to modernization, the young people of her village have lost interest in learning the traditional art of tattooing. Also according to tradition, the skills of tattooing can only be inherited through lineage, meaning that Whang-Od cannot simply teach the art to just anyone.  Fortunately, she is now training her grandniece, Grace Palicas, and another bloodline successor, Ilyang Wigan, to keep the art alive.

In an article in Rappler, Whang-Od was said to be recognized for her ‘world-class contribution to the art of tattoo-making that is genuinely Filipino’. Many foreigners have climbed the mountains to Buscalan in order to get a tattoo done by Whang-Od. Also, Whang-Od featured in an art exhibit in Canada, which has been running since April 2, 2016. The exhibit, entitled “Tattoo: Ritual, Identity, Obsession, Art” showcases the “5,000-year-old multifaced world of tattooing and its cultural significance” in the Royal Ontario Museum.

If Whang-Od has been recognized by people outside the Philippines, how come her own country hasn’t given her the recognition she deserves, such as the National Living Treasures Award or the GAMABA? Many Filipinos have even voiced out that she should be given the National Artist Award.

I believe that Whang-Od has done so much in keeping the Kalinga culture alive in this modern world. She continues to show the true essence of being not only a Kalinga but also a Filipino. To me, that has earned her the right to be called one of the National Living Treasures of the Filipino culture. Through her works, we are reminded that despite how modern the way things are now, there is still beauty and wonder in the traditional ways of things.