Indigenous Sounds of Gathering: Music and Dance Memory in the Cordillera Highlands of the Philippines
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Kumiko Uyeda (kumikouyeda@gmail.com); Dr. Sarah Waltz (swaltz@pacific.edu)
Research or Creativity Area
Conservatory of Music
Abstract
This documentary film demonstrates how indigenous music and dance are deeply ingrained into the Tinggian people’s collective memory. The Tinggian people are from the province of Abra and are one of several ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera mountains of the Philippines. Most of this documentary film’s contents were filmed in the barangay (village) Taripan in Malibcong, Abra, Philippines.
This documentary film depicts two traditional Tinggian dances accompanied by Cordillera flat gong music, pallook and tajok. Pallook is a joyful group dance performed at celebrations, where women and men dance in alternating formations with (usually) men playing the gongs. Tajok is a social partner dance between men and women of all ages and the accompanying musicians play the gongs on their laps. The film also shows a traditional chant called Uggayam, which is included at all social gatherings and performed by a chosen elder of the community, signifying its importance to Tinggian cultural identity. Ugayyam is usually performed at the beginning of an event before other dances or chants to signify the start of festivities at a celebration. These performances in the documentary were a part of a birthday celebration where the community gathered together.
The documentary also depicts scenes of road travel, environment and daily life, which are interwoven with the scenes of music and dance. By juxtaposing the scenes of music and dance with scenes of road travel, environment and daily life, the documentary explores ideas of tradition, heritage, indigeneity, and homecoming. This documentary film was created from various video and audio clips recorded during fieldwork research in July 2024.
Purpose
Overall, the intention of this research is to document Tinggian music and dance in a scholarly manner, raising indigenous Philippine culture to the same visibility as conventionally accepted practices of music and dance. I intend to use this project as a basis for future research, as a graduate student in ethnomusicology. This project will contribute to the broader knowledge of Cordillera culture, and can be used to undo harmful stereotyping and generalization of Cordillera ethnic groups.
I used ethnomusicological fieldwork methods to study Tinggian music and dance. The responsibilities of ethnomusicological fieldwork go “beyond the fieldwork setting and often involve a long-term commitment to the rights and concerns of field consultants and their communities” (Position Statement on Ethnographic Research & Institutional Review Boards). As a person of Tinggian descent, I have a unique position to negotiate outsider and insider perspectives.
The primary method of research is participant observation, where the researcher participates in the music making process with the group that they are studying. This would be taking lessons from cultural bearers and participating in social gatherings. Other research methods used were: daily field notes, audio and visual recordings, and interviews.
Questions during research were:
- How is Tinggian cultural music and dance being preserved in the Tinggian community?
- Are there social issues that the Tinggian community faces that affect the practice and preservation of traditional music and dance?
- What is the correlation between material culture and cultural practices?
•How is Tinggian cultural music and dance being preserved in the Tinggian community? •Are there social issues that the Tinggian community faces that affect the practice and preservation of traditional music and dance? •What is the correlation between material culture and cultural practice?
Results
- Tinggian cultural music and dance is alive and well in Abra, Philippines. It is even being modernized through contemporary intepretations which are performed by all age groups. Music and dance mostly serves as a secular social function. One of the singing traditions, salidummay, is also being kept alive by being used in the liturgy of the local Catholic mass.
- Tinggian identity is rooted in diversity and the numerous local dialects. Many people take pride in being able to speak multiple languages and dialects. They speak languages such as Tagalog, Ilocano and English, and people in any given town can speak their own dialect in addition to the dialects of neighboring communities.
- There is a considerable knowledge gap between older and younger generations. Younger generations are able to "go through the motions" of the cultural music and dance, but many are unaware of the deeper significance of these practices due to the influence of modernization.
- Some people experience pride when asked to represent their culture, while others feel shame. In the 20th century, it was common to hide one's Tinggian identity as a form of protecting oneself from discrimination. However, in the past 30-50 years, there has been a growing resurgence of Tinggian pride (and Cordillera pride in the larger Cordillera Administrative Region), which can be seen in the public school curriculums (Indigenous Peoples Education) and the increasing number of festivals.
- Much of the material culture has been lost to the influence of modernization, coming in the form of antique resellers, changing aesthetics, and new (Western-influenced) standards of living. While the Tinggian people retain their music and dance, some sub-tribes have been able to preserve their own cultural attire, while others have borrowed aesthetics from neighboring ethnolinguistic groups.
- In the Philippines, political corruption is widespread, including in Abra, making it difficult for people to improve their own livelihoods. Emigration is common; people often have to abandon their cultural practices when they move to larger cities or abroad, and such cultural practices are not passed on to their children. Political corruption also contributes to poor road conditions, inhibiting cultural practitioners' ability to disseminate cultural knowledge and take on pupils to continue their work.
- The Catholic Church, particularly the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) has been integral in documenting indigenous Tinggian culture since they arrived in the Philippines in the 20th century. SVD founded the Divine Word College of Bangued, opening up avenues for Tinggian people to publish research about their own culture.
- People in Abra (and in the Philippines in general) are continuing to adopt Western standards into their personal outlooks on life, indicating that the West is still idealized as an example of progress while indigenous lifestyles are perceived as less favorable.
Significance
Understanding the sociological implications of cultural preservation is imperative to the future of cultural research. As stated in the Purpose section, this research contributes to the general knowledge about the Cordillera region while detailing the nuances that make the Tinggian identity unique. This research is also part of a larger social movement within the Philippines where younger generations become interested in preserving and promoting their own indigenous cultures.
Music and dance preservation is just as integral to Cordillera political identity as to Cordillera cultural identity. Factors such as modernization, globalization and emigration will be assessed for their impacts on Tinggian music and dance preservation. It is important to study both the social and political experiences of Tinggian people, as their musical traditions are becoming a form of resilience and advocacy.
Location
Room 211A, University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
Start Date
26-4-2025 11:00 AM
End Date
26-4-2025 11:15 AM
Indigenous Sounds of Gathering: Music and Dance Memory in the Cordillera Highlands of the Philippines
Room 211A, University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
This documentary film demonstrates how indigenous music and dance are deeply ingrained into the Tinggian people’s collective memory. The Tinggian people are from the province of Abra and are one of several ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera mountains of the Philippines. Most of this documentary film’s contents were filmed in the barangay (village) Taripan in Malibcong, Abra, Philippines.
This documentary film depicts two traditional Tinggian dances accompanied by Cordillera flat gong music, pallook and tajok. Pallook is a joyful group dance performed at celebrations, where women and men dance in alternating formations with (usually) men playing the gongs. Tajok is a social partner dance between men and women of all ages and the accompanying musicians play the gongs on their laps. The film also shows a traditional chant called Uggayam, which is included at all social gatherings and performed by a chosen elder of the community, signifying its importance to Tinggian cultural identity. Ugayyam is usually performed at the beginning of an event before other dances or chants to signify the start of festivities at a celebration. These performances in the documentary were a part of a birthday celebration where the community gathered together.
The documentary also depicts scenes of road travel, environment and daily life, which are interwoven with the scenes of music and dance. By juxtaposing the scenes of music and dance with scenes of road travel, environment and daily life, the documentary explores ideas of tradition, heritage, indigeneity, and homecoming. This documentary film was created from various video and audio clips recorded during fieldwork research in July 2024.
