Term Paper Phil Arts1.docx

SURIGAO CITY’S BONOK-BONOK FESTIVAL TERM PAPER PHILIPPINE ARTS 1- C

LESLIE KATE DIANNE BERTE

MS. LIGAYA RABAGO

Introduction

Fiestas are usually annual rites of celebrations with small town and rural flavors: streamers and indigenous arches, the loud and discordant marching bands, the procession honoring the patron saint, the feasting and bacchanalia. Fiestas are usually smaller in scale, celebratiing a patron saint, a hero or historical event. A festival is a more recent evolvement, denoting bigness and urbanity, with more elements of organized commerce and a wider celebratory scope. Both offer opportunites to experience something singularly Filipino, events usually detailed with religiosity and folklore and abounding in that legendary Filipino hospitality

In the heart of Surigao del Norte, Surigao is consistent in preserving and developing its rich and abundant culture. The “Bonok-Bonok” Festival is a colorful festival displaying the Surigaonon’s Tribal Culture through road moving. It highlights the day-long annual event is the dancing of the bonok-bonok by the ethnic Mamanwas, performed during thanksgiving, wedding ceremonies, and worship. Performing the dance is their way of praying the gods for good health and bountiful harvest. During the festivity, a contest is held between barangays and the coastal areas aiming to beautify Surigao City. Held out of appreciation for the city’s benefactor, San Nicolas de Tolentino, this prominent Mardi Gras festivity highlights road parties and customary ethnic moves.

Historical Background

The Bonok-Bonok Festival features a ritual dance that originated from the early settlers of Surigao, the Mamanwas. Usually, the dance’s rhythm begins with a slow beat that gradually gets faster, which causes the performers to work at the music’s pace. One of the main attractions of the dance is the colorful raiment used, which includes the tubaw or a beaded headdress, bracelets and anklets. The ceremonial dress for men and women is ornate in design with various colors.

The dance ritual has been passed on from generation to generation and is still being practiced today of what is known as the Bonok-Bonok Festival. It is also celebrated in reverence to the Patron Saint San Nicolas de Tolentino and to reflect the city’s rich cultural heritage.

Though forced to settle on hinter islands due to the emergence of urban development, the old and still existing tribe of Mamanwas still practices their customs and traditions, among which is the faith about “kahimunan”, a tribal festivity where graceful dancing and music are typical features. Since the old days, these people chant, and play accompanied by tribal instbonok-bonok instruments, such as the gimbar (drum), the kalatong (gong) and the katik (bamboo instrument). The celebration was presided by a baylan (priest) to make a tribute to their God, “MAGBABAYA”, and ancestors for abundant harvests and good health.

During this ancestral festivity, wild chicken, pigs and fruits are offered, with the presentation of a dance called “BONOK-BONOK”, thus the origin of the festival celebrated today. Friendship and happiness are also expressed through singing and shouting, aside from dancing.

Now held in honor of the city’s patron, this famous Mardi Gras celebration features traditional ethnic dance rituals and street parties. It takes about a day around the city’s Provincial Sports Complex, where you can see the different dance groups perform.

Based on the former governor and Chairman of Bonok-Bonok Culture and Arts Foundation, Inc. (BCAFI) Robert Lyndon Barbers “Bonok-Bonok" means heavy rainfall, the festival came about two years after the 1984 super typhoon that brought destruction to the province. The festival is an offering and a thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest expressed thru dancing in respect to the Patron Saint San Nicolas de Tolentino, which later adopted as a reflection of Surigao's rich cultural heritage, Gov. Lyndon added. He also stated that coincidentally since the start of the BonokBonok, no super typhoons have hit Surigao del Norte.

Body

Surigao is home to one of the country's oldest and most colorful tribes, the Mamanwa. They are similar to the Negritoes of Luzon in features and stature. They are generally short, dark-skinned with a crop of short kinky hair. The Mamanwa Tribe is one of the oldest and still extant tribes in the Philippines. Their other name is Mamanwa Negritos and are believed to be descendants of the original settlers of the Philippines.

They are one of the oldest and successor of the early natives of the Philippines and was forced to settle in the hinterlands due to the fast pace of modernization, they continued to practice their customs and traditions and it still intact and performed to the present times during occasions.

During the tribal festival called the Kahimunan, the tribe of Mamanwa engages in music in graceful dancing, accompanied by chanting and their native instruments such as the gimbar, a gong and bamboo percussion called the kalatong and katik. A priest called the baylan heads the ceremony in tribute to their god they call Magbabaya, and their great ancestors, praying for good health and abundant harvests.

Wild boars, and fowls along with different fruits are offered by the native to the ancestors during the ceremony. They perform the bonok-bonok represented by different babaeyon and chieftains of the village. Through the practice of bonok-bonok, the people express happiness and friendship while dancing and singing. Scarves called banay are waved in the air as sign of goodwill, wealth, and blessing for the entire village.

Festival Highlights and Activities

During the annual festival of Bonok-bonok the Mamanwa tribe is invited to be part of the festival. They do the offering of the animals during the street dance which starts from the boulevard of the city, they also do the opening tribe dance of the festival dance competition.

During this annual city fiesta celebration, you can experience a day long of festival highlights. However, the main feature is the Bonok-Bonok dance presentation, participated by the natives for worship, thanksgiving and wedding ceremonies.

The introduction to the festival is the Bulawanon Barangay, where “Bulawanon” meaning beautification. Before the start of the Bonok-Bonok, a preliminary contest will be held among the 22 barangays of Surigao City, as well as 9 coastal barangays. All in all, the festival takes about a month of pre-celebrations that liven up the households of the families in the city.

A day long parade marked by street dancing and festivities featuring the ethnic Mamanwa tribal dance, Bonok-bonok commemorating thanksgiving after a bountiful harvest, worship of gods and tribal wedding. Contingents from around the country showcase creative costumes, floats, dances and chants of Viva Señor San Nicolas! and Viva Maradjao Karajao! The dance rhythm starts with a slow beat as it pulsatingly goes faster, prompting snappy body movements to pace with the music.

Colorful ceremonial costumes include an elaborate beaded headdress or tubaw, bracelets and anklets. The festival is held on the evening of the city's annual fiesta.

Another thing that tourists love to experience is seeing members of one of the country’s most colorful tribes, the Mamanwas, filling the streets. Known for their indigenous craft, creative patterns and brass jewelry, these people comprise a huge part of the crowd also dancing the Bonok-Bonok Maradjao Karadjao.

Aside the display of dancing and colors on the streets, you can also find a rich collection of antique archaeological diggings, including burial coffins,Surigao battle Strait findings, jars and antique Chinese kitchen ware, which were discovered in Panhutungan, Placer. All these are on public display at the Surigaonon Heritage MiniMuseum that is located at the Boulevard.

Analysis Festivals and fiestas offer a unique window to the Filipino's cultural landscape and an opportunity to savor the many celebratory flavors of its cultural diversity. Athough festivals and fiestas share a common definition, there are distinctions.

Philippines Festivals mostly evolve around a common theme of religion. The devotion they show to their religious faith is truly phenomenal. The legacy of Spanish rule brought Roman Catholicism, which is represented by some 80% of the population, 15% are Muslim with the remainder being smaller Christian denominations. So whenever the towns celebrate the feast of their patron Saint, the Philippines Festivals and Philippine Fiestas start and finish with gusto.

What makes the Surigao Province unique is that it came from one of the Philippines’ ethnic tribes-the Mamanwas. Surigao City’s Bonok-Bonok Festival depicts the merry making of these native folks as sign of gratitude to their pagan gods for a bountiful harvest and good wealth. As for my opinion about how, the Spaniards and Catholicism influenced the Bonok-bonok festival, it is true that it somehow influenced the festival through the years just like how the people prepare feast of food and making extravagant preparations shows how we were influenced and how people show devotion of the saint during the festival. Although some of the traditions are still intact such as the use of the instruments of the Mamanwas, how the dance is influenced by the dance tribe and the environment, the costume that depicts of how the Mamanwas look like, chants and colors that were used.

Back in 2013 when I was still in High School, I took part of the Bonok-Bonok Festival, it was really exhausting, fun and fulfilling moment were I really did appreciate every part of the bonok-bonok dance. We faced a lot of struggle even before the competition, since we we’re short of budget the students made some of the costume pieces. The costume was inspired by the Mamanwas and the colors was inspired by environment and the colors of the Mamanwas as well. Some of the dances as well was inspired by the dance of the tribe, and how the nature dance, some parts of the dance have chants as well. For how many yrs. the Caraga Regional Science High School didn’t join the annual festival dance competition, but we were so happy that it was decided that we would join back in 2013. Everything that was been made was all worth it when we were told that we were the champion of the Bonok-Bonok Dance Competition.

As a millennial, Surigaonon and a Filipino who took part of this Bonok-bonok Festival it is important that we experience how it feels to be really part of it and that we should also practice doing this since it’s part of our culture. It is important as well to know the meaning and the historical background of the Festival to know why and how it really started. It is also important to spread the knowledge the future generations to keep the spirit of our tradition and culture alive. It is also important to give respect to different cultures, traditions and festivals of the different provinces of the Philippines as they portray their symbolism of their provinces.

As a Phil Arts 1 I am thankful for this subject to really dig deep into my roots, as I was somewhat an ignorant person before who just celebrated the festival just because it is a festival. Although I have basic knowledge of the festival, I didn’t know why and how it started. I am thankful that as a Surigaonon I am proud to say that I really did learned a lot from this subject of how my culture and tradition works. I learned to embrace the learnings that I got and gave so much impact in my life and knowledge.

References

http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/bonok_bonok_festival.html Bonokbonokfestival.blogspot.com https://triptheislands.com/events/experiencing-the-bonok-bonok-festival-of-surigaocity/ http://www.surigaotoday.com/2008/09/bonok-bonok-festival-means-in-fighting.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surigao_City http://www.wowsurigao.com/about-surigao/surigao-del-norte http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/arts-and-culture/festivals/