2. What is the GAMABA?
• Traditional art is based on indigenous peoples’cultures that are largely
honed by oral tradition. A distinct feature of the GAMABA is its
emphasis on the intangible and communal aspects of art production,
which as pointed out in Lesson 1, are closely aligned with the process-
based and collaborative inclination of some contemporary art
practices. Traditional art finds deep affinities with nature, place,
society, ritual and spirituality, and everyday life. In traditional
integrative art, forms and expressions do not normally end up as
objects distanced from everyday living. The site of dissemination and
knowledge transfer is neither in the formal spaces of a museum nor a
theater.
3. What is the GAMABA?
• The process of creation is usually shared among members
of the community, and appeals to broader aspects of life.
Things produced such as textiles, hats, baskets, or
utensils are commonplace, usually found and used in
people’s homes. Songs and dances are performed as a
group as part of ritual and as a way of affirming one’s
cultural identity or sense of belonging
4. What is the GAMABA?
• Teofilo Garcia has been named Manlilikha ng
Bayan (“one who creates for the country”) or
National Living Treasure. Twelve individuals have
received this distinction from the time of the
establishments of the award in1992 through
Republic Act No. 7355 until 2012. The National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
bestows the highest awards for culture and the
arts.
5.
6.
7.
8. Who are the GAMABA awardees?
Form Manlilikha ng
Bayan
Year of
Conferment
Ethnicity/
Location
Experties
Weaving Lang Dulay 1998
T’boli / lake
Sebu, South,
Cotabato,
Mindanao,
Southern,
Philippines
t’nalak
weaving
9. Who are the GAMABA awardees?
Salinta
Monon
1998
Tagabawa
Bagobo /
Bansalan,
Davao del Sur,
southeastern
Mindanao
island,
southern
Philippines
inabal weaving
10. Who are the GAMABA awardees?
Darhata
Sawabi
(d. 2005)
2004
Tausug / Parang,
Sulu, southern
Philippines
pis siyabit weaving
Haja Amina
Appi
(d. 2013)
2004
Sama /
Tandubas, Tawi-
Tawi, southern
Philippines
mat weaving
Magdalena
Gamayo
2012
Ilocano / Pinili,
Ilocos Norte, northern
Luzon
island, northern
Philippines
inabel weaving
11. Literature and
Performing
Arts
Samaon
Sulaiman (d.
2011)
1993
Maguindanao/
Mama sa Pano,
Maguindanao,
Western
Mindanao island,
sounthern
Philippines
Playing the
kudyapi
Alonzo Saclag 2000
Kalinga /
Lubuagan,
Kalinga, northern
Luzon
Island, northern
Philippines
playing Kalinga
musical
instruments;
dance patterns
and movements
associated with
rituals
12. Who are the GAMABA awardees?
Federico
Caballero
2000
Sulod Bukidnon
/ Calinog,
Iloilo, Panay
Island, central
Philippines
chanting the
sugidanon epic
of the Panay
Bukidnon
Uwang
Ahadas
2000
Yakan / Lamitan,
Basilan island,
southern
Philippines
playing Yakan
musical
instruments
13. Who are the GAMABA awardees?
Plastic
Arts
Eduardo
Mutuc
2004
Kapampangan
/ Apalit,
Pampanga,
central Luzon
island,
northern
Philippines
silver plating
of
religious and
secular art
Teofilo
Garcia
2012
Ilocano / San
Quintin, Abra,
northern Luzon
island,
northern
Philippines
gourd casque
making
14. The following factors affect the traditional
artist’s production process:
• Tourism – Land areas are converted into sites for tourist
consumption. Ecological domains become more susceptible to
damage with the combined forces of natural disasters and tourist
mobility
• Mining and Infrastructure projects – The construction of dams and
the establishment of oil and mining companies evict people from
their dwellings and severely damage the environment.
15. The following factors affect the traditional
artist’s production process:
• Militarization – The insecurity and tensions brought about by
militarized zones arrest the people’s ability to create art. It
prevents people from having communal gatherings.
• Christianization – The influence of Christianity and the conversion
of the natives to foreign religion have caused members for the
community to forsake their indigenous rituals and traditions.
16. Difficulties in the Selection Process
• The archipelagic orientation of the Philippines makes some
locations challenging to reach by land, air, or sea. Places that pose
security risks, particularly militarized zones prevent the sustained
entry of researchers and possibly diminish reception outside of the
locality. This is partly why the awarding does not follow a regular
pattern, as the column on Year of Conferment on the table of
GAMABA awardees shows.
• The award-giving body, through its cultural workers, is entrusted
with an equally signifi cant and diffi cult responsibility of being
critical, transparent, and judicious in the processes entailed by
the GAMABA, from the selection, awarding, and even beyond.
17. GAMABA
• The GAMABA recognizes exceptional artists who are engaged in the
traditional arts. With the latter, we refer to forms which are produced or
performed within the context of the community. The traditional arts are
strongly grounded in culture, spirituality and religion, and also the
environment. Thus, forms produced by the GAMABA, while having a high
aesthetic value, are also functional and accessible in everyday settings.
The changing times continue to pose major challenges to the
environment and the traditional artist’s production process. As culture
bearers, the role of the GAMABA is to pass on their artistic knowledge to
the community, to inspire them, and to ensure that aspects of their
cultural identity continue to thrive.
