Videos of Philippine Traditional Music
– Mindanao Lumad –

School of the Highlands (Higa-onon)

Original comment:
“School of the highlands - Higa-onon community”

Although this video mainly deals with the educational situation of the Higaonon, interspersed samples of traditional music can be heard and seen: the beating of the binanug rhythm  (“hawk dance”) on the agung in the very beginning, later repeated (at 1:47); the dancing of the binanug can finally be seen, as well as, just for a second, the typical way the agung is played by two people, one hitting it on the knob, the other one on the rim (3:03). We hear the national anthem of the Philippines sung by school children and have a quick look at the performance of a ceremony, showing the priest (baylan) in front of the altar (bangkasû) (2:02).

For more information, please, read my article on Bukidnon Music and Dance.

Uploaded to YouTube on November 10, 2006
by niz82

School of the Highlands (Bukidnon)

Original comment:
“School of the highlands [in] Guilang-Guilang, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon”

This video about Guilang-Guilang is of highest interest for me, as I personally visited this place in 1982. Although it mainly deals with the educational situation of the Bukidnon, interspersed samples of traditional music can be heard and seen: the playing of the 1-string spike fiddle dayuday, with background noises of the dugsû dance (at 1:24), the speech-song dasang of the tribal leader, the datu (1:24), which is repeated later and copied by a young boy (4:46), a group of women dancing the dugsû, while singing the tabúk (4:46). The video ends with a performance of the binanug (“hawk dance”) (5:12). The same or similar dance rhythms can be heard as an accompaniment of other dances as well: buwâ-buwâ, pig-agawan, inagung and kinindaan. The dance rhythm is played on a bamboo slit drum, in Guilang-Guilang called tagungtung, in other places usually bantula. 

For more information, please, read my article on Bukidnon Music and Dance.

Uploaded to YouTube on November 10, 2006
by niz82

Rule of the Gun in Sugarland

Original comment:
“A powerful documentary by the late Joey Lozano. The story of Manobo villagers' efforts to claim their ancestral land in the Philippines and the abuse they endured because of their claim. Contains both graphic and heart wrenching scenes.”

This touching documentary just leaves me speechless so that I can hardly start commenting on the included music...





Uploaded to YouTube on November 17, 2006
by amalahi

Documentary on the 
Talaandig Tribe of Bukidnon

Original comment:
“Talaandig tribe of Bukidnon, 5 minutes, incomplete”.

This is a short documentary about the Talaandig people of Western Bukidnon. At the end of the video, two dances are shown: binanug (“hawk dance”) and dugsû, the ceremonial dance of the women. The music, which can be heard throughout the video, however, has nothing to do with Talaandig music. Actually, for some seconds, a solo drum player can be seen (but not heard) in the background – providing the real, traditional accompaniment.

ATTENTION: This video includes two photographs, which were taken from my website without asking permission or giving credit! Look at the original source: http://aedv.cs.tu-berlin.de/~brandeis/lumad.html
Additional nuissance: My first picture, allegedly showing Blaan people, actually shows Higaonon from Agusan del Sur, the second photograph should not just be labelled Manobo, but accurately Tigwa Manobo from Southeastern Bukidnon.

Uploaded to YouTube on September 1, 2006
by shihman2001

ES GALI

Original comment:
“TALAANDIG TRIBE SONG”

This is a performance by Waway Saway, well-known Talaandig musician from Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon, one of my former research assistants. The music he is playing in this video, however, has hardly anything to do with traditional Talaandig Bukidnon music. Waway uses here a 2-stringed hegelung lute of the Tboli tribe, while the traditional Talaandig instrument called katiyapi or kutiyapi should be much bigger. And he strums the lute like a guitar, in his own way. Nevertheless, this “neo-tribal” music, one of Waway’s own compositions, definitely transports the younger generation’s sentiments of a newly developed Talaandig tribal identity.
Probably recorded at the beach of Boracay island.

Uploaded to YouTube on April 29, 2007
by regiben1

Tigwa Manobo Dance in Bukidnon

Original comment:
“A rare video taken from the deep mountains of Kibongkog, San Fernando, Bukidnon, Philippines, of the Manobo Tribe’s welcome dance. Courtesy of Rev. Kim of the PROK Presbyterian Church and Rev. Goel Bagundol, chairperson of the Bukidnon Associate Conference (UCCP).”

Myself, I was in Kibongkog in 1993; for more information click here. On the video, you can see and hear the small bamboo flute lantuy, then the 2-string boat lute kuglung played in combination with the bamboo tube zither salurey, and, finally, the percussion log bangkakawan. The video shows a stage choreography of group dancing, which is not traditional and was probably created for the annual Kaamulan Festival in Malaybalay. Also, the combination of lute, zither and log drum as shown here is not traditional. But all the elements themselves are, of course, very typical for Tigwa Manobo music.

Uploaded to YouTube on April 2, 2006
by fellester

Kuglung (lute) and salurey (bamboo zither)
of the Matigsalug Manobo

Original comment:
“Courtship Dance of Bukidnon's Matigsalog-Manobo Tribes”

In the original title, the lute is called "kudlong". However, everywhere I went, the Manobo called the instrument "kuglung".






Uploaded to YouTube on August 26, 2007
by igorwoods

Matigsalug Music

Original comment:
“Matigsalog people use logs as musical instrument creating beautiful and unique sound.”

This instrument is called bangkakawan. It is usually played by two pairs of women stamping the log at both ends, as well as by two men hitting it in its middle while performing a kind of pantomine, which tells a specific story. Another picture and an audio clip can be found on my website here: CLICK




Uploaded to YouTube on September 27, 2007
by arkipelagofilmprods

Monkey Dance

Original comment:
“Taken in Barangay Camansi, Mindanao”

I’m not very sure which tribal group is presented here, as there are several villages in the Philippines, which are called Camansi. As the people in the video look very much like Ata or Matigsalug Manobo, I guess that their place must be Barangay Camansi, Municipality of Montevista, Compostela Valley Province, or Barangay Camansi, Toril District, Davao City, Island of Mindanao.

The dance rhythm is beaten on an empty plastic container, used as a substitute for a drum or agung.


Uploaded to YouTube on January 06, 2008
by euntes

A Christmas Carol by a Bukidnon Manobo Woman

Original comment:
“An authentic Manobo woman carolling an establishment in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon in December 2007.”

It seems that this woman, probably a Tigwa or Matigsalug Manobo, came from somewhere in southern Bukidnon, maybe from the San Fernando area. She is playing an idiochord bamboo tube zither called salurey. 






Uploaded to YouTube on January 06, 2008
by gwargz

Log drum edel accompanies dance 
of the Blaan

According to the original comment, this is supposed to be a “Manobo Victory Dance, Philippines 1960s – The Manobo/Manuvu are a Proto-Austronesian peoples from Mindanao in the Philippines. This is a traditional victory dance performed after a successful head-hunting raid. This video was taken by anthropologist Robert Garfias in the 1960s.”

According to the best of my knowledge, however, the people shown here are Blaan and the log drum played here looks like a typical edel of the Blaan...


Uploaded to YouTube on March 30, 2007
by anak1

Courtship Dance of the Blaan

Original comment:
“A courtship dance of the B'LAAN, native of South Cotabato and Sarangani Province”

The similarities between Blaan and Tboli dancing are very obvious.








Uploaded to YouTube on December 20, 2006
by spirits323

School of the Highlands (Blaan)

Original comment:
“School of the highlands - Blaan community”

Although this video mainly deals with the educational situation of the Blaan, interspersed samples of traditional music can be heard and seen: a little bit of boat lute (faglung) playing and solo singing of a woman.








Uploaded to YouTube on November 10, 2006
by niz82

School of the Highlands (Ubo)

Original comment:
“School of the highlands - Ubo community”

Although this video mainly deals with the educational situation of the Ubo, interspersed samples of traditional music can be heard and seen: solo singing of a woman and boat lute playing with dancing.








Uploaded to YouTube on November 10, 2006
by niz82

Bagobo Agung Ensemble, 
Philippines 1960’s

Original comment:
“The Bagobo are an indigenous Proto-Austronesian tribe of Mindanao, the Philippines. Here is a traditional Bagobo Agung ensemble taken by anthropologist Robert Garfias in Mindanao during the 1960’s. The Agung is closely related to the southern Philippine Kulintang tradition, and distantly related to Indonesian Gamelan musical genres.”






Uploaded to YouTube on March 14, 2007
by anak1

Manobo agung (ahong) Ensemble,
Philippines, 1960s

Original comment:
“The Manuvu/Manobo are an indigenous proto-Austronesian people inhabiting the highland regions of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. They are somewhat culturally akin to the neighbouring Bagobo, Bukidnon, Mandaya and Mansaka peoples, and among the shared musical traditions of these groups is the "Agung", a gong ensemble consisting of hung gongs played during ritual or social ceremonies. Agung ensembles are played by various groups in the Philippines and Borneo.

This video was taken by famed Ethnomusicologist and Anthropolgist Robert Garfias on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines in the 1960s. Further information on Mr. Garfias and his research can be found at:
http://aris.ss.uci.edu/rgarfias/”

Uploaded to YouTube on October 08, 2007
by anak1

LIKHA - Bagobo Rice Cycle

Original comment:
“First performed by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group in 2001 as part of "Durian: Isang Alamat Bagobo", LIKHA presents the US debut of the rice cycle portion of the original ROFG piece, beginning with the clearing of the field in preparation for planting and harvesting.

Artistic Director: Rudi Soriano
Consultant: Ramon Obusan
When: Ethnic Dance Festival June 12, 2004
Where: Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

Join our dance workshops at www.likha.org”

It has to be kept in mind that this is a stage presentation by dancers who are NOT tribal people. I have a problem with calling this performance “authentic.” But it’s nice to watch, anyway...

Uploaded to YouTube on May 25, 2006
by likhasf

Project Saksi – 
Tribal Dance of the Subanen

Original comment:
“The Project Saksi Students performed their tribal dance to showcase their Subanen Culture/Tradition during the First Graduation Program at Kanangan, Titik, Sindangan/Leon Postigo, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.”

As there are hardly any materials on Subanen music available, this is a very rare and informative source!

The manner of playing an agung presented here, by two musicians, one hitting the boss with a beater, the other one hitting the rim with two thinner sticks, is widespread in Mindanao. I observed the same playing technique among the Higaonon of Agusan del Sur and among the Bukidnon and Tigwahanon of Bukidnon province.

Uploaded to YouTube on November 15, 2006
by : PMCERNAL

The Sacred Rice Vine of the Subanen

Original comment:
“The pangasi of the Subanen tribe in Lake Wood, Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. Video made by Filippo Davidde in 2007.”

The video shows the production of the rice vine pangasi and its use during a ritual. Some ritual music and chanting can be heard.







Uploaded to YouTube on January 07, 2008
by euntes

Stallsmiths in Philippines

Original comment:
“Encouraging Heart Music worship”

As far as I understand, this is a video about the life and work of a missionary, Glenn Stallsmith, and his family in the Philippines, between 2001 and 2007. Glenn obviously incorporated a lot of traditional music in his missionary work. He was or still is active in the Northern as well as in the Southern Philippines.

The song underlying the first part of the video is a typical Manobo song from Mindanao, probably of the Umayamnon Manobo, accompanied on a 2-stringed lute kuglung. Don’t get confused, as the associated pictures show scenes from Northern Luzon, e.g. groups playing gangsa gongs (1:55) or bamboo stampers (2:00) and Ifugao dancing (3:01). After the Manobo song is finished, you can see the performance of a modern Umayamnon Manobo song (3:32), then Kalinga playing gangsa and bamboo stampers, as an accompaniment of a church song (4:09)

Uploaded to YouTube on May 15, 2007
by glennstallsmith