MODULE 15: Dances of Ethnic Pagan Origin- Tribal Dance

I.                    Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

a. discuss the origin of the Paganism/ Tribal Dance;

b. enumerate the different Tribal Dances; and

c. appreciate the dances of Ethnic Pagan.

II.                  Overview:

Paganism is not new or unusual in our modern life.  For many people, it exists less as an active religion than as parts of our popular culture. Halloween costumes and treats, Christmas trees and mistletoe, Easter bunnies and eggs, maypole dances and hundreds of other folkways began as Pagan practices.  Modern-day Pagans seek to restore the religious context of these practices.

III.           Learning Content:

Paganism

The origin of the word pagan is from the Latin, meaning a “country dweller”.  When cities were paganus Christianized the people in the country continued to practice the old religions.  The word pagan took on those folks out there in the sticks who still all that old-fashioned stuff. Later it came to mean any member of an indigenous folk or tribal religion or anyone who was not “of the Book” ( i.e. The Koran, Bible, Torah)

        

Pagan religions originated in time when people lived close to the land.  Pagan theologies reflect as an awareness of nature with its cycles of the seasons, as well as the

cycles and seasons of the human life.  Such awareness is a common thread among Pagans today.  Few modern Pagans can fully know or follow how our ancestors worshiped.  Instead we invent and reinvent our religious practices, and even our beliefs, as we determine how they resonate with our contemporary lives.  Some people” to describe this form Neopagan prefer to use the word “of modern Paganism.

We capitalize the words Pagan and Paganism in accordance with standard practices for religious names, e.g., Buddhist and Buddhism, Muslim and Islam.  Paganism is a vital, genuine – and growing! – Spiritual path.

Origins of Ethnic Pagan Tribal Dances

TRIBAL SUITE pockets of cultural minorities live in the style of their forebearers in the hills and mountains throughout the Philippine Archipelago. The hillside and interior of Mindanao are inhabited by non-Christian Filipino tribes whose culture and animistic beliefs predate both Islam and Christianity.

Dance for them is a basic part of life, still performed essentially "for the gods." As in most ancient cultures, unlike the Muslim tribes in their midst, their dances are nonetheless closely intertwined with ceremonials, rituals, sacrifice, and life.

Aral Kafi – (Pandanggo) - This Talaingod dance, performed to the beat of four drums by a female, portrays a virgin-mother bathing and cradling her newborn baby, named Liboangan. She supposedly had a dream, or pandanggo, that she was to bear such a child. This concept of a virgin-birth may have been derived from the Catholic faith. The dance progresses through different stages of the child's growth, from birth to maidenhood. As a young woman, she must deal with competing suitors, one of whom is favored by the mother. A heated encounter between the suitors ultimately results in their death.

Kadal Tahaw of T'boli – This is a bird dance performed by the T'boli during planting and harvesting which simulates the flights and hops of the tahaw bird.

Blit B'laan – This is a courtship dance of the Bilaan of Davao del Sur imitating forest birds during the mating season.

Makatod – This is a Mandayan dance focused on a young prince borne high by coutiers to a place of honor. The dance represents flying hawks and performed by males in bagani costumes.

Dugso - The Bukidnon from northeastern Mindanao perform this dance to entertain the deities, to make them feel more comfortable during the fiesta that has been organized for them to help make them more open to the requests of the celebrants. It was originally thought that this dance was performed only during harvest time or upon the birth of a male heir. Women would wear colorful feathered headdresses, plaid costumes and anklets. They would step rhythmically around a bamboo arch decorated with newly-gathered palay (rice stalks) and corn, and their movements are emphasized by the tinkling sounds from the anklets.

Bagobo Rice Cylce – This (also known as Sugod Uno) is a tribal dance performed by the Bagobo people of Davao del Sur. To the Bagobo, the dance is called Miyamas neng Ommoy. Ommoy is a Bagobo term for the rice grains without husks. The dance portrays the step-by-step cycle of rice culture -- from planting, harvesting to thanksgiving rituals for a bountiful rice harvest.

Pagdiwata – The dance draws its origins from the Tagbanua Tribe of Palawan, which depicts the rituals performed after planting rice.