NCCA Celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Month in Davao Region

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) annual celebration of National Indigenous Peoples’ Month moves to Davao Region in Mindanao with Tagum City as its main venue. This October, Dayaw: Indigenous Peoples Festival 2011, under the auspices of the NCCA’s Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts and Mindanawon Foundation, in partnership with local governments, government agencies and the private sector, focuses the spotlight on the country’s indigenous peoples, celebrating their arts and ways of life, discussing important issues and making more people aware of the richness and importance of indigenous cultures.

The leaders and representatives of more than 100 indigenous peoples of the Philippines will converge together on October 6-10, 2011 to showcase their rituals, performing arts, cuisines, games, crafts and others. Additionally, they will be joined by delegates from Southeast Asian countries in simultaneous exchange and interactive activities such as performances, exhibitions, forums, lecture-demonstrations, workshops on traditional crafts and cuisines and indigenous games.

This year, Dayaw aims to celebrate the cultures of the Filipino people as well as those of the visiting foreign delegates by “understanding the commonalities of the various indigenous peoples.” It also aims to “strengthen/broaden the awareness, appreciation and pride of all Filipinos for our own traditional culture in the context of cross-cultural interactions in a global society.

With the theme “Paghabi ng Ating Pagkakatulad Tungo sa Kapayapaan” (Interweaving Our Commonalities Towards Peace), the festival features many components such as Tanghalang Makulay (a ritual and performing arts festival), Salu-salong Sarap (a food festival), Mga Habi ng Panaginip (an arts and crafts exhibit, focusing on basketry, textile and mat weaving), Sama-sama sa Tuwa (games/sports), and Usapang Dangal at Likhang Paghayag (forum and creative workshop on peace and unity).

The celebration is in consonance with Presidential Proclamation 1906, declaring October as National Indigenous Peoples’ Month. The NCCA has been holding major festivals for several years now in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. In 2007, Kalimudan: Panaghi-usa sa Mindanao (Mindanao Indigenous Peoples’ Gathering) held in Davao City in November, featured Mindanao’s ethnic groups. The following year, Timpuyog: Indigenous Peoples’ Month Celebration in Luzon was held in Santiago City, Isabela, focusing on Luzon ethnic groups and featuring performances, arts and crafts workshops, cultural awareness lectures, forums, tours, and a theme-park exhibition featuring the traditional houses, cultural resources, practices/rituals, chants, music, songs and dances, stories, traditional arts and crafts, indigenous games. In 2009, the Indigenous Peoples’ Festival was held in the Visayas, particularly in Roxas City, Capiz, called Dungog, with similar activities and aims. Last year, Dayaw 2010 was held in Metro Manila.

This festival aims to provide venue for indigenous peoples to celebrate the richness of their cultures; allow cultural exchanges that will foster deeper cultural understanding to sustain a culture of peace; provide opportunity to discuss IP rights; give students and other people a chance to deepen their awareness and appreciation of indigenous cultures; recognize the expertise and contributions of indigenous communities; and advocate for the preservation as well as integration of traditional culture into the national cultural mainstream.

Dayaw 2011 is held in cooperation with local governments, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Department of Education, Department of Tourism, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Higher Education, Philippine Information Agency, Department of Trade and Industry, National Commission for Muslim Filipino, SM City Davao, Abreeza Ayala, as well as non-governmental, socio-civic and peoples’ organizations.

The NCCA is led by its chairman, Prof. Felipe de Leon, Jr., and Malou Jacob as executive director, with Commissioner Joycie Dorado-Alegre as SCCTA head.