Kulintang is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of the larger gong-chime culture of Southeast Asia, kulintang music ensembles have been playing for many centuries in regions of the Eastern Malay Archipelago—the Southern Philippines, Eastern Indonesia, Eastern Malaysia, Brunei and Timor,[6] although this article has a focus on the Philippine Kulintang traditions of the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples in particular. Kulintang evolved from a simple native signaling tradition, and developed into its present form with the incorporation of knobbed gongs from Sunda.[5] Its importance stems from its association with the indigenous cultures that inhabited these islands prior to the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity or the West, making Kulintang the most developed tradition of Southeast Asian archaic gong-chime ensembles. Technically, kulintang is the Maguindanao, Ternate and Timor term for the idiophone of metal gong kettles which are laid horizontally upon a rack to create an entire kulintang set.[7] It is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. Due to its use across a wide variety groups and languages, the kulintang is also called kolintang by the Maranao and those in Sulawesi, kulintangan, gulintangan by those in Sabah and the Sulu Archipelago and totobuang by those in central Maluku.[8] By the twentieth century, the term kulintang had also come to denote an entire Maguindanao ensemble of five to six instruments.[9] Traditionally the Maguindanao term for the entire ensemble is basalen or palabunibunyan, the latter term meaning “an ensemble of loud instruments” or “music-making” or in this case “music-making using a kulintang.”[10] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Together with the Illanun and Maguindanao, the Maranao are one of three indigenous Muslim groups native to the island of Mindanao in the southwestern part of the Philippines, this tribal group share in a generalized Southeast Asian culture but has its own cultural identity. Almost all Maranaos are Muslims, but some groups living in the hills around Lake Lanao are committed to a version of Islam that is fused with traces of pre-Islamic traditions. The spreading of Islam in Mindanao created a differentiation between its native peoples, those who became Muslim were named “Moro” and those who did not are called “Lumad”. The Maranao, who are the first inhabitants of the shores of Lake Lanao still inhabit this region, the name Maranao means People of the Lake or “Lake Dwellers”, referring to the indigenous people who inhabited the grounds around Lake Lanao. This lake in North Central Mindanao is located at an altitude of 2,300 feet above sea level and can be considered as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Mindanao. One Maranao folk tale describes how Lake Lanao was created. The story tells that a group of angels under the control of the Archangel Diabarail (Gabriel) moved out huge groups of people from the area named Mantapoli to prevent the world from turning upside down. The angels lifted the place very carefully and carried it through the air like a carpet, including the people with their houses, animals and crops. It was brought down at the centre of the earth, this in accordance with the command of Allah. The angels filled the hole that was left from the Sultanate with deep blue water; however the water had risen fast and threatened to flood the rest of the world. The Four Winds came to the rescue and created an outlet that was later named the Agus River, the hole became Lake Lanao. The native Maranao have a fascinating culture that revolves around kulintang music, a specific type of gong music, that can be found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines. The Kulintang, traditionally considered a women’s instrument, is an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of horizontally-laid gongs and is played by striking the bosses of the gongs with two wooden beaters. When playing the Kulintang, the Maranao will always sit on chairs while other tribal groups that play this instrument commonly sit on the floor. The Maranao are proud people and well known for their mysticism, royalty and beauty which are evident in their music and dances, mostly accompanied by the kulintang and agong. Maranao tribal dances are marked by intricate hand and arm movement along with shimmering costumes. These dances are performed in a dashing manner with almost no facial expression. One of the most famous Maranao dances is the Sinkil, which takes its name from the bells worn on the ankles of the Muslim princess. She is usually accompanied by a waiting lady, who holds a colourful decorated umbrella over the Princess head, no matter where she goes. Almost every Maranao family specializes in some form of art or craft that is part of the traditional Maranao culture like woodcarving, tapestry weaving, brass-making and the fine art of silver and gold smiting. The Maranao crafts and arts are unquestionably more distinctive and therefore easily recognizable from other cultures of the Philippines. Prominent in the Maranao art of decoration is the Okir or Okkil, an indigenous, organic flowering and branching motif used in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. The Maranao, one of the tribes in Mindanao is adapting to modern society without completely losing their ethnic identity and like any other indigenous group they try to escape the modernizing influences of the present. They rightfully strive to live in their own domain as their ancestors have lived for nearly five thousand years. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The culture of the Philippines reflects the countrys complex history. It is a blend of the Malayo-Polynesian and Hispanic cultures, with influences from Indian and Chinese. The Philippines was first settled by Melanesians; today, although few in numbers, they preserve a very traditional way of life and culture. After them, the Austronesians or more specifically, Malayo-Polynesians, arrived on the islands. Today the Austronesian culture is very evident in the ethnicity, language, food, dance and almost every aspect of the culture. These Austronesians engaged in trading with China, India, Japan, the Ryukyu islands, the Middle East, Borneo, and other places. As a result, those cultures have also left a mark on Filipino culture.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The Spanish colonized the islands and after more than three centuries of colonization have heavily impacted the culture. The Philippines being governed from both Mexico and Spain, had received a fair bit of Hispanic influence. Mexican and Spanish influence can be seen in dance and religion as well as many other aspects of the culture. After being colonized by Spain, the Philippines became a U.S. territory for about 40 years. Influence from the United States is seen in the wide use of the English language, and the modern pop culture. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tboli and Blaan, two indigenous groups On Mindanao live 18 tribal Filipino groups. The most well known are the Tboli and the Blaan (or Bla-an). The other groups are the Ata, Bagobo, Banwaon, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaunon, Kalagan, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Mangguwangan, Manobo, Mansaka, Subanen, Tagakaolo, Teduray and the Ubo. Most characteristic of these indigenous groups is that they live in a traditional way, comparable with how the ancestors lived centuries ago. Lumad, the collective name On Mindanao there are in total 18 indigenous groups. The collective name for the 18 indigenous groups on Mindanao is Lumad. It is just another word for indigenous .These ethnic groups distinguish themselves by their language and culture. Old and new elements in their life The cultural heritage is visible in their clothes and ornaments they wear. Housing, economic activities, cultural habits and often religion are all very traditional. Some groups learned to know tourism as a good alternative to earn extra money. In general however, the indigenous groups still live like in the past The Tboli and their subsistence activities The Tboli (pronounce Tiboli) people live in the southern part of the province Cotabata, in the environment around lake Sebu, west of the city General Santos. It is estimated that are between 100000 and 150000 Tboli. In the past the Tboli practiced the primitive way of agriculture slash and burn. Slash and burn means that the people will clear a part of the forest by cutting the big trees and burning the lower and smaller trees and bushes, after which they use the cleared plots as arable land for some years without any fertilization. Rice, cassava and yams were the most important agricultural products. Next to that, the people went hunting or fishing for additional food. For years slash and burn is no longer possible. The forests are gone by intensive economic activities as foresting. At present The Tboli live in the mountains. Agriculture is the only source of income. Some foreigners, in cooperation with the aid organization Cord Aid, succeeded in developing some hectares of arable land in the last few years. Nevertheless, the Tboli live in poor circumstances; a struggle for live. Image © Claus Qvist Jessen Image © Jens Peters The Tboli distinguish their selves, like all other tribal Filipinos, by their colorful clothes and specific ornaments like rings, bracelets and earrings. Religion and culture Only a few Tboli are Christian or Islamite. More than 95 percent of The Tboli people still has their animistic religion. They were hardly influenced by the spread of the Islam on the island. The Spaniards too, didnt succeed to Christianize the Tboli during the Spanish colonial period. Main reason was that the Tboli withdrew to the hinterlands in the uplands. The Tboli and members of other indigenous tribes like the Higaunon, still believe in spirits who live on several places in the natural environment.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 09:37:49 +0000
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