Indigenous Philippine Dances

Famous Indigenous Dances

• Banog-banog depicts hunters protecting chickens from hawks.
• Blit B’laan, from Davao del Sur, is a wooing dance imitating birds during mating season.
• Cañao, from Luzon Cordillera, is a ritual dance symbolizing prosperity.
• Inamong, from Bukidnon, is performed during harvest season, depicting a flirting monkey couple.
• Kadal iwas, from T'boli and Tausug, imitates monkeys picking nits and lice.
• Kinabua, from Northern Mindanao, depicts hawks luring hens and chicks with songs.
• Mamakar, from Bontoc, is a war dance performed during planting season and harvest.
• Man-manok, from Vigan, Ilocos Sur, is based on fowls, with a blanket representing wild cocks attracting hens.
• Mayvanuvanua, from Batanes Island, is a sacrificial rite performed by Mataw fishermen at the start of fishing season, inviting the Dorado fish.
• Ngilin, from Kalinga, is performed during marriage rituals and celebrations, and represents the tranquil relationship between a rooster and a hen.
• Pangalay, from Tausug, is performed at weddings, and emphasizes upper-body agility.
• Sampak, from Mandaya, is a war dance that requires mastery of shield, spear, and sword.
• Saut, from Talaandig, is a ritual dance displaying a male's mastery while fighting, and is a gift to their god.
• Talip, from Ifugao, is a courtship dance performed during weddings, where the male traps the woman with a blanket.

Famous Prayers and Rituals

• Mumbaki refers to the Ifugao person who says prayers during funerals, marriages, and other occasions, directed towards Maknongan.
• Kashawing is a Maranao harvest ceremony for a good harvest.
• Pagtatawas is a divination ritual that diagnoses inflictions by interpreting shapes made by molten wax in water.
• Palina, also known as tu-ob, is a cleansing ritual performed to purify a person of disease, cleanse after visiting a cemetery, and promote smooth childbirth.
• Pangalap involves crawling through the Catilaran cave while chanting prayers to gain supernatural powers.
• Pagdiwata is a traditional ceremony performed by an ethnic group in Palawan during harvests and marriages.

Common Handicraft Materials in the Philippines

• Abaca (Musa textilis) looks like a banana tree, and is long-lasting with different colors.
• Bamboo (Bambusa Spinosa)'s resilience makes it useful in furniture and for baskets and hats.
• Buri (Corypha elata) yields buri, raffia, and till fibers, and is used to make hats, boxes, etc.
• Caragumoy (Pandanus Simplex) is a greenish-grey material used for bags, baskets, caps, and mats.
• Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a commonly used palm.
• Cocomidrib is mainly utilized as a handicraft material in baskets and brooms.
• Coco shells are used for buttons, coin banks, lampshades, pins, and other items.
• Kalas consists of loosened strands of the buri rope, creatively weaved, creating a distinctive, rustic design.
• Leather is made from the skins of animals.
• Pandan-Dagat (Pandanus tectorius) is a screw pine near sandy beaches and coastal scrub.
• Rattan (Calamus Maximus) is a versatile material in manufacturing.
• Seagrass (Rhynchospora corymbosa) grows in salty seas, with broad leaves and triangular stems.

Traditional Craftsmanship in the Philippines

• Jewelry is found in Central and Southern Luzon and Mindanao, which includes brass amulets and accessories.
• Metal Crafts can be found in Batangas and Southern Luzon, with balisong knives being a popular metal craft.
• Pots and Jars in the Ilocos region, with burnay potteries made from Grade A clay in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte.
• Woven Fabrics from Mindanao and Cordilleras of Northern Luzon, use a loom to interlace threads, and malong is a common cloth.
• Wood Carving in Cordillera and Southern Luzon regions, features Ifugao carvings depicting indigenous gods, and kitchenware.