Manobo music differs from one group to another. The variance can be observed in the gong ensembles, which may consist of 8 to 10 agong (gongs) as in the ahong of Magpet, or five small hand-held gongs as in the sagagong.
The ahong has 10 small knobbed gongs hung vertically on a frame usually in a triangular formation, with the smallest gong near the apex. The gongs I the set are grouped into the kaantuhan, consisting of the higher-pitched gongs, which carry the melody; the gandingan, which are three or four lower-pitched gongs providing a melodic costinato; and the bandil, the lowest-pitched gong, which sets the tempo. The gaantuhan layer stands as he/she strikes gongs one to six in repeated melodic patterns, sometimes moving away from the gongs as he/she interjects some dance movements. The gandingan player strikes gongs seven, eight, and nine, and occasionally gong six, while the bandil player is limited to gong ten. Both gandingan and bandil players are sited either crossed-legged or on their heels. The ahong is heard during festive occasions and has in its repertoire pieces entitled "Panihuman" (conversation), "Badbad" (thanksgiving), "Tukubong" (reconciliation), and "Malandoy" (clan reunion).
In the municipalities of President Roxas and Sitio Kabalantian in Magpet, north Cotobato, the tagungguan is a gong set consisting of eight knobbed gongs suspended vertically on a frame. When two people perform on the tagungguan, one provides the basic tempo using gong six or eight, while the other plays the melody on the remaining gongs. Dancing at a agricultural rituals and festive occasion is usually accompanied by an ensemble consisting of the tagungguan, a gibba/gimbae (drum) and a pagakpak (a pair of sticks). Some pieces played on the tagungguan are "Managwaynag sinagkaw" (Crying lady), "Abadti" (Thanksgiving), "Panihuman" (Merry making), "Babang ngat" (Dance music), and "Tagungguan/tagunggo" (Playing Tagungguan music).
The Manobo gong ensemble from Kulaman Valley of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, is called sagagong, and consist of five small gongs struck with padded sticks. Each of five performers carries one gong by its short strings as she/he strikes a particular rhythmic pattern. When only four players perform, the second and third gongs are assigned to one person. The sagagong played during festive gatherings, and among its pieces "Deket-deket," "Talipenan," "Tulos," "Funinko," and "Manadiser," the last three being dance pieces.
The saluray/sauray/tugo (bamboo tube zither) is 50 cm long and 12 cm in diameter. Among the Agusanon Manobo, it is also variously called the palung, daunan, and kaiyau-an. It has five to nine strings lifted from the hard skin of the tube itself. In Magpet the sauray toire includes that of the gong ensemble; it also accompany songs like "Lahinat Ko Maandas" (Stand up, Maandas). In Kulaman Valley many pieces of the tugo programmatic, conjuring images that stimulates the sense of sight and sound. Examples of these are "Lambag Dagat" (Waves of the Sea), "Dagi Sigkil" (Tiny bells of anklets), "Kagit Batako" (A man waiting in the water looking for his brother), "Hamelin a tao namatay" (Advice from a dying man), and "Hambog Nonoy" (Nonoy, the braggart).
Kuglong is a two-stringed lute in Magpet and Pres Roxas in Kulaman Valley, it is called faglong. A crocodile- or boat-shaped lute is called kutyapi by the western Bukidnon Manobo, kudlung (small lute), and Binijaan (larger lute) by the Agusanon Manobo. It is usually played in agricultural and wedding rites or during courtship. The perform often sings, dances, and plays the lute at the same time. In Magpet, the kuglong accompanies songs, such as "Iyanad so anak ko" (go to sleep my baby), "Talukaw" (a tree), "Nakad sandita" (a lady regretting fate), "Eslole" (slowly), and "Alimugkat" (goddess of the river). In Kulaman Valley, "Dakal faglong" is a lute piece for dance. The two-stringed lute maybe played solo or in an ensemble combining a saluray and the lantoy, a ring-type bamboo flute, 22 cm long and a diameter of 8mm, with four finger holes. The lantoy is also used as a solo instrument to play tunes of vocal music for the epic Uwahingan or to accompany songs like "Baya-baya," which recounts one's experiences.
Pundag/flandag/kulandag/paundag/pulala, a bamboo flute has a notch at its blowing end, two to four finger holes, and a thumbhole. The pulandag in the Midsayap area measures 64 cm long and has a diameter of 15mm. The paundag of the Agusan Valley or pulala of the western Bukidnon Manobo is one meter long has four fingerholes and a thumbhole is played while held in a vertical position. Examples of pieces in its repertoire in Midsayap are "Duyoy tomas" (song of a hen), "Malakufak" (A singing bird), "Tingkalong" (Fox), "Daleway" (A girl mourning her father's death), "Duyoy baye" ( A song of a woman about to be married), and "Hongti hai" (remembrance). The flute is played to express one's feeling or to stimulate the sounds of nature.
The kombeng/kubing/kuving meaning (a bamboo jews harp) is made of a thin piece of bentung bamboo, with a small strip that is partially cut in the middle one end is held in the mouth with one hand while a finger of the other hand taps it to make the strip vibrate. The Midsayap Manobo say the kubing "talks" , "tells stories," "makes conversation," or "gives messages" (Pfeiffer 1965:8). The kuving and flute are used for courtship and entertainment.
Other instruments found in Kulaman Valley include the sluloy/suling (54-cm long flute), lutang (three to five suspended logs), taluan/salagaan (log drum), takumba/takumbo (two-stringed parallel zither beaten with a little stick), and deyuzey/duwagey (one-stringed coconut shell fiddle). A flute without finger holes is the lantuban, 60cm X 11mm. Tone is achieved varying the force of one's breath and the size of the flute's end hole with the fingertip.
The slagi is a large gong used to call people to assembly. A regular beat announces an ordinary gathering, but a fast tempo of the slagi signifies an urgent call. Many Manobo songs are also accompanied by rhythmic sounds from the singer's dagipla (armpit), produced by the abrupt movement of the upper arm towards the body. Fotfot, sung at wakes and social gatherings, is accompanied by such sounds.
A recording of Manobo music made by Priscilla Magdamo Abraham in 1957 and 1962 in the Midsayap area consists of 124 samples, out of which 33 are instrumental performances and 91 are vocal. Out of the 91 vocal pieces, only three are accompanied by instrumentation. None of the instrumental music includes drumming. On the other hand, John Garvan (1931) when he was in the Agusan Valley area in 1910, remarked that the gimbae (drum) was used all the time to accompany religious and secular dances. The people were said to be able to recognize and name 20 to 30 different drum tunes, such as the sinakaisakay, "like the movement of a raft or canoe," and kumbakumba to usa, "like the sporting of a deer." The agong, which used to be played together with the drum, has now replaced the drum altogether.
Manobo vocal music consists of ritual songs which are narrative songs, lullabies, and songs of nature at the same time. An important song type is the epic song Owaging/Uwahingen, whose equivalent in the Kulaman Valley is Duyoy Taguden.
Among the Cotabato Manobo, susunan is the generic term for any kind of song including the Uwaging epic. The mandata are love songs; the delinda are occupation songs, war songs, lullabies, planting and harvest songs; the minudar and mauley are funeral songs (Maquiso 1977). The nalit is a type of song that relates life experiences.
Fifty songs recorded in the Midsayap area by Abraham were divided into nine groups based on occasion and purpose, listed and described here as they were in Pfeiffer (1965:10-13). Ritual songs are the following: andal, a ceremonial request for the singer to begin; ay dingding, a wake song; bityara, denediction used in the Langkat; hiya hiya humiya, sung at the Samayaan ceremony; mahudlay, wake song concerning the limukon (omen bird); manganinay, bee hunting song; masundanayen, wake song of women; masulanti, wake song dialogue between mother, daughter, and young man that ends in a riddle; panangansangan, mediums song chanted while in a trance; panlalawag, prehunt ritual song to Lalawag; tamanda, wake song considered dangerous because it attracts witches; tiwa, prehunt ritual song about lizards; and udag-udagu, prehunt song to Mahumanay.
Narrative songs are the andal, introduction to the magic cycle Tulalang; bimbiya, adventures of a folk hero; idangdang, entertainment or didactic narrative; kirenteken, historical legends consisting partly of the songs of the Kirinteken Manobo living near Kamadzil; mandagan, historical tales; Tulalang, epic narrative; Tuwa, story of Tuwa; and Ulahing, epic narrative.
Entertainment songs are the dalwanay, which expresses mother's concern for her soldier son; dampilay advice on marriage and the selection of a husband; inkakak, a man's attempt to escape two nagging wives; mantiay-ay, a song for social gatherings; migkoy, which could be a story about a snake-bitten companion, or humorous song; and tatalok kaw, dance song.
Dalinday (love songs) could be the song of a man pleading with his ladylove to stay; a particular love song about a girl in love with a kudyapi player; or a song remarking that a man should prove his love by journeying to Midsayap and filling out an affidavit. Also categorized as love songs are the kasumba sa rawasan, a farewell song that reminds the beloved to be good; the lawgan, about a girl in love with a man who plays a kudyapi and owns a motor boat; and the mandata, love song.
Children's songs are bakbak, about a frog; binlay pa biya-aw, sung by older children for infants; kuku, a woman's bedtime story about a cat; and nguknguk, a bedtime folktale about grandfather monkey and baby monkey.
Ay Ding, a "lullaby for the dead," is sung only during a wake and when a baylan is present, for it attracts the evil sprits who come looking for a corpse to eat. If there is no baylan to keep the evil spirits away, and there is no dead person for the spirits to pray upon, they, attracted by the song, will not leave until they have caused someones death. The song as it was recorded by Abraham (Pfeiffer 1965) takes 1 min 42 sec to sing. Unlike other ritual songs, which are strictly chanted, Ay Ding ding has a more melodic and regular beat, giving it a songlike character. "Dingding" is an untranslatable word used to evoke pathos in a refrain.
This ritual song is also a narrative. The hunting dogs mentioned in this song are named Pulangi and Mulita, which are also the names of two main rivers in the Midsayap area. Mt Makaranding, a few kilometers away from Libungan, Cotabato, is believed to be the giant pig referred to in this song.
Hiya hiya humiya is sung during the Samayaan ritual, the Manobo New Year celebration, which is held at the start of the swidden clearing. The Manobo year begins on the first day of the planting season and ends on the last day of harvesting. The Samayaan is a ritual in which omens are read in connection with all the stages of the farming cycle: clearing, planting, growing, and harvesting. At about 7AM, when the good spirits are around, a baylan, carrying a white lighting cock, leads the men as they walk seven times around the food offering that has been set on the ground. The baylan chants the prayer lines and the participants respond with the phrase, "hiya hiya humiya," which they sing antiphonally with the baylan. This ritual is followed by a fight between the white cock and another cock that has been selected to assure that it will lose. During the cockfight, omens are sought: for example, if a cock's beak is bitten, this means there will be a good harvest. The defeated cock is cooked and the gods of planting, pigs, forests, and rats are invited to partake of the feast. The gardening tools are brought out and offered for safeguarding so they will not cause the farmers any harm. The next morning, an egg and grains of puffed rice are throw over the swidden site.
Hiya hiya humiya, Hiya hiya humiyaNakasibungal kaw Sugay nakahedal kaw DiwataNagapendi agapendi agapanan na kenaa sa lempaa sukana nakalanganan sa ibpangumawmaw kuHiya hiya humiya, Hiya hiya humiyaKasabeg kaw Diwata na tingala ka dinulangSa Diwata te insenal nga hangad ka sinamalangIsuguy ta intumbangelNa ulalangbay tangbe ka sa Tababasuk hangginan ku taleytayan ku langitSugbukayas kaed buyangan naghigtas kaed SamayaanHiya hiya, hiya hiyaNa yamba baya man ku na si na sialan kehedalbeNa lunlun kasiungal baSa Ibabasuk hangginan sagbusalsagan ni anglawSu Kalayag huyamagen ta igsindang ni nabayawSugtumpale kaed buyangenHiya hiya, hiya hiyaNa alambeg umawen ku su DiwataSi Pudadu a midsanled si apu na midtayedted kuBulikanan sabang isublian na bunlageyHiya hiya humiya, hiya hiya humiyaNa wada keg pakauba na wadag pa uyagisNa Diwataa na inyumun ku densialan inangenAy Suguy na imbayunsun ku nanadNa inundayaw na sialag umaweng ku sugmanakutendeySuguy naganahanday Diwata.
Hiya hiya humiya, hiya hiya humiya
Listen, Sugay, hear Diwata,
Do not jinx, do not hex me
Because seriously I ask over and over.
Hiya hiya humiya.
Heed, Diwata, observe this meat offering, Diwata pillar, look at the food, Isuguy post;
Look at us, Tababasuk, powerful center,
Because the ceremonial cockfight begins the Samayaan.
Hiya hiya, hiya, hiya
What I implore is that all of you Listen, all hear,
Ibabasuk, powerful god, where the sun rises
Because Kalayag, the merciful, is the eastward sun,
Maker the fighting cock our offering.
Hiya hiya, hiya hiya.
Specially call I because Diwata, Grandmother of Pudadu drowned,
Grandmother submerged at the Vicinity of the Bulikanan River fork;
Hiya hiya humiya, hiya hiya humiya.
No exception, none excepted.
Diwata representatives of all the world, Suguy, representing the whole world,
Them call I for sure assistance, Suguy, refuge, Diwata.
Before going on a hunting trip, one must first ask for permission from Lalawag, god of all forest game. Otherwise, the hunter will be killed either by his prey or by his own dogs. If he does succeed with his hunt even without asking for Lalawag's blessing, anyone who eats his catch will instantly die. This song must be sung reverently and, once begun, must be completed. It is sung only in the forest on the eve of the hunt. If the hunter sings it inside the house, Lalawag will cause the house to burn down.
Lalawag ta minuna undit daan na ataw
Na pamanrungaw harub kaw
Pamangumaw ambit kay
Pamahiruhiru kay dut Lalawag ta minuna
Su iyampad anglaw-I
Si Apu Mandalaminun mid-ubpa diya't nalakuban
Iyandin-an ingkayaw't badbaran sa kad ambit dit Lalawag
Na pamanrungaw harub kaw
Guntaani na andaw
Langguyud kayi't basbasan langguy kayi't maharuwag
Wara duma nadsarigan day kakana
Sikaw sa nalimu
Ta sikami mga apu nu nasiulawa kay nikaw Yak
Wara duma nadsarigan day
Kakanu sikaw sa nalimu
Ta sikamin mga apu nu nasinulawa kay nikaw Yak.
English Translation
Lalawag of the beginning and of our ancestors
Come and listen to our prayer
Calling and praying for you
We are calling for your help,
Lalawag of the beginning
Just this day we ask again
Apu Mandalaminun, thou who dwell in the cave
Who raise the magic wand to call the spirit of Lalawag
Come and listen to our prayer
This day we call unto thee
We take untrained dogs with us
As well as the trained dogs
We trust no other but you because
You are the one who loves us
We who are your great great grandchildren Yak
We trust no other but you
Because you are the one who loves us
We who are your great great grandchildren. Yak.
Manganinay is a song addressed to Panayangan, the god of the bee hunt, to pray for a successful hunt. Only bee hunters are allowed to sing it. On the eve or early morning of the hunt, the hunter sings while lying on a hammock outside his house. Singing it inside the house will cause the house to burn down.
Mangnin Manganinay na baug aninaninanSa gayagan ni tagmaing na subal ni mansil-ansilNa mansugulantay gabun na mansugtangbaYanganud sagpaayun kumiglapak na unug kumigyugabakSi Manganin ManganinayNa dimag katagatagaSalagawlaw ta basiaw na digkatalinampudSa hagkul ku balung kiwan su bata buling-bulingAn subpamalang ki tagmaing nad hang kap ki mayabusugSi Manganin Manganinay diyot midsulad.
I am hoping and praying to find honey by following the bees flying to their hive,
The bees fly in swarms like the cloud,
Clustering like clouds passing between the trees,
So I watch between the gaps;
I am hoping and praying,
Difficult it is to guess
Where there are bees in hollow trees,
Since there is a racket because of the children in lawaan trees,
Trying to look for beehives built on the branches,
I am hoping and praying,
Oh, that there are hives on the bent tree.
On the eve of hunting trip for monkeys, fish or lizards, the men sing the ritual song tiwa.
Tiwa ke plaas TiwaNa ankey anggam buntura TiwaSagkarapit te idsila TiwaNamahantul na bubungan TiwaAy su isaludansay ku pad TiwaSu kana adpakahauma ka amay kun la sikan TiwaAnkey pad inamen nu TiwaTa amay nu kun la siken TiwaTa nakuwaa't ambilut TiwaNakuwaan ta tupil Tiwa
Tiwa lizard Tiwa
What uncle mountain Tiwa
There I the eat Tiwa
High hill Tiwa
Because I meditate still Tiwa
As to what happened Tiwa
Setting sun Tiwa
Because if father has not arrived Tiwa
Why do you still expect Tiwa
Your father if he Tiwa
Was caught in the trap Tiwa
Caught in the trap Tiwa
A ritual song addressed to Mahumanay, the god who owns the forest and the deer in it, is the Udag-udagu.
Udag-udagu Palalahuy si natiUdag-udagu Kana da pakaluba te parampas te barubuUdag-udagu Mikiya si natinggawUdag-udagu Migkahi si unlaping pandai ka natiyaUdag-udagu Mikiya si natinggawUdag-udagu Kana kad insa ina Udag-udagu Panalad at amay koUdag-udagu.
Udag-udagu Run running faun
Udag-udagu Not visible above barubu
Udag-udago Nickered faun
Udag-udagu Said stag,"where go you, faun?"
Udag-udago Nickered faun,
Udag-udagu "Do not inquire, mother,
I go searching for father." Udag-udagu.
The various dances among the Manobo entertain, educate, and propitiate the gods. Among the Agusanon are the sinundo/singangga, dance ritual to ward off epidemic busau; pangaliyag, courtship dance; pangasawa, marriage ritual; kinugsik-kugsik, squirrel dance. Those witnessed and described by Garvan (1931) in 1910 are the bathing dance, honey gathering dance, hair plucking dance, sexual dance, and dagger or sword dance.
The Agusanon and Umayamnon saet, Cotabato saut, and Western Bukidnon kedsaut is a war dance of one or two warriors, each holding either a war bolo or a spear with a bell attached to it, and a shield. In the kedsaut, the two dancers begin from opposite sides of the dance area, brandishing their shields and shaking their spears. First, they dance sideways, then they imitate a hawk in flight before they finally engage in mock combat, each hitting the other's shield with his spear and crashing shield against shield, "navel to navel" (Plenda 1989:139). Rhythmic music is provided by the bells attached to their spears.
An Arumanen Manobo verson of the war dance is the mangmangayan, with two bagani each brandishing a sundang (bolo) and a kampilan (sword). Every once in a while, in the course of the dance, they adjust their tangkulo (headgear). The Pulangi Manobo's version of the mangmangayan ends with a peace pact and a celebration dance which the women join. The datu/bai, acting as arbiter, places a kerchief on the ground and all the warriors place their weapons on it to signify peace and end of the hostilities.
Other Arumanen Manobo dances are the paningara (bee hunt), pegako (courtship dance), and pendaraka (woman's response to the courtship). The kinudlat ng sayao demonstrates the performer's ability to touch his shoulders with his toes. The penarangas-tangas and manmanaol are both hawk dances, which a bagani and a woman perform. In the manmanaol, the hawk catches its prey, represented by a kerchief on the floor.
The binanog (hawk dance) mimics a hawk sweeping down on its prey. The Cotabato Manobo version has a female dancer using a kerchief, which she drops and then picks up while using her hands and arms to imitate the hawk. The steps are simple hop-steps and slide-steps. She wears earrings that reach down to the shoulders and anklets. The beat is a slow 1-2-3-4. Among the Pulangi Manobo, the binanog is a component of the courtship dance. Two other Manobo dances imitating bird movements are the kakayamatan and the bubudsil (hornbill). These dances may be accompanied by gongs or zithers.
A vigorous courtship dance is the pig-agawan, which involves two women vying for the attention of one man. A bai and a datu try to settle the dispute between the two women. A slow walking dance exclusively for females of marriageable age is the takumbo, which signifies their availability for marriage. It is named after the musical instrument that accompanies their movements. Another woman's dance, also called takumbo, is performed by one woman who simultaneously dances and plucks the takumbo. She rests the takumbo on her waist while she holds it in her left hand.
In Kidapawan, Cotabato, girls dance around the mortar to the beat of their pestles as they pound rice. During harvest celebrations, the Tigwahanon have an occupational dance called inamong, in which men and women execute monkeylike steps as they step on rice stalks to separate the chaff from the grain. The bakbak is a children's comical dance; they hop and make noises by slapping their bodies while maintaining a squatting position throughout.
The agpanikop (fish hunt dance) of the Manobo of Matalam, north Cotabato, portrays a boy, torch and spear in hand, looking for edible frogs. A second boy joins him in the hunt after the initial mutual wariness is dispelled. The second boy is wounded and writhes in pain, the first boy fetches the womenfolk and the baylan. The dance turns into a healing dance ritual and the boy, fully recovered, joins the women and baylan in a thanksgiving dance.
The pangayam is a reenactment of a hunter in pursuit of a wild boar. He carries his lance and bolo and is accompanied by his dog, represented by a bottle to which a strip of red cloth is tied.
In the Umayamnon inanak-anak/bata-bata, a girl mimes a woman's chores. She pretends to take care of a baby, putting it to sleep, trying to stop its carrying, feeding it with milk. She goes to the fields to dig for camote, then washes and makes herself beautiful before a stream.
The Tigwahanon bangkakaw is a festival dance celebrating a war victory or a bountiful catch of fish from the river. The centerpiece is the bangkakaw (log), which the women beat with the ando (pestles) and the men, with lampus (rods) while doing some stunts over and under it. They provide the accompaniment for the dancing fisherfolk, who carry their catch in their bubo (fish traps) and liag (large basket with a headsling).
A thanksgiving ritual in Magpet, North Cotabato, is the binadbad, which begins with the men facing heavenwards as they address the gods. Atop (coconut palms) are suspended at the center of the dance area. Then women join the dance, their attention on the atop, which they gather one by one. They then vary their formations, each holding an atop. Another woman joins them, gathers all the atop from them, and returns these to the center.
Among the western Bukidnon Manobo, the dance of the healing ritual is the legudas. Women holding hands form a circle around the baylan, who chants to the busaw, requesting it to return to the deity that has sent it to cause the illness. The men then stand between the women in the circle. The women wear the saya (wraparound skirt), sinu-laman (embroidered blouse), embroidered belt, and tikes (knee band) with the seriyew (pewter bells). The rhythmic music is provided by the seriyew.
The haklaran, which has been observed among the Agusanon, Tigwahanon, and Umayamnon, is a healing ritual performed by a male and female baylan. A prelude to this is the ritual dressing of the male baylan in woman's skirt, usually a malong, for it is improper for a man to perform the haklaran in a man's attire. This dance is performed around the sankaw, an altar bearing the sacrificial offering of a pig's head.
The suyad-buya is the healing ritual dance in Magpet, North Cotabato. It dramatizes the process by which the baylan heals a sick boy as his mother and a group of young women watch. The women prepare the paraphernalia by bringing in a table on which they set four coconut shells containing burning incense. They also carry red ribbons meant to drive the evil spirits away. As they dance in the background, the baylan enters, dances around the patient and waves a white chicken overhead. The shaman takes the chicken to the table, cuts its neck, and smears the patient's forehead with its blood. The boy regains his health and dances joyfully with the women and his mother. * R.C. Lucero, with notes from H. Tejero, F Prudente, R. Obusan, C. Hila, E. Maranan, and E.A. Manuel
From the Articles Published by Lydia Mary De Leon
