THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (GAMABA)
LYKA D. SAMSON
ARIAN JOY V. LIM
KATE ANGEL L. BONETE
CHRITIAN DAVE M.
AGNAS
WINDY JOY E. DEPLA
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
The distinction between modern and
contemporary art is a historical, cultural,
and stylistic one. From the example of
Teofilo Garcia, we reiterate that Philippine
traditional art, though based on long-
standing, established practices, has always
be contemporary in a sense that it is art
that is being made now, and is persists as
part of a continuing performance of
tradition. Although traditional artists do not
consider their work as a contemporary art
from, its similarities to contemporary art
practices can be discerned.
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
The National Living Treasures Award
(Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) was
institutionalized in 1992 through Republic
Act No. 7355. The National Commission for
culture and arts (NCCA), which is the
highest policy-making and coordinating
body of the Philippines for culture and the
arts, was tasked with the implementation.
The said award and the GAMABA recognize
the outstanding work of artists in the
Philippines.
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
What Is GAMABA?
FORM Manlilikha ng Year of Conferment Expertise
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Bayan
Weaving Lang Dulay 1998 Tinalak weaving
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Weaving Salinta 1998 Inabal
Monton weaving
Weaving Darhata Sawabi 2004 Pis siyabit
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
(d. 2005) weaving
Weaving Haja Amina Api 2004 Mat weaving
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
(d. 2013)
Weaving Magdalena 2012 Inabel weaving
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Gamayo
Literature and Ginaw Bilog 1993 Surat Mangyari and
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Performing Arts (d. 2003) ambahan poetry
(LPA)
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
LPA Masino Intaray 1993 Lyrical poems (kulilal, basal, and bagit) and
playing their accompanying instruments; epic
chanting and story telling
LPA Samaon Sulaiman 1993 Playing the kudyapi
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
(d. 2011)
LPA Alonzo Saclag 2000 Playing Kalinga musical instruments; dance patterns
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
and movements associated with rituals
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Plastic Art Form Eduardo Mutuc 2014 Silver plating of religious
and secular art
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Plastic Art Form Teofilo Garcia 2012 Gourd cosque
making
THE CONTEMPORARY IN TRADITIONAL ART
Some of the Issues Related to Awards
The Production Process and the Changing
Environment
The traditional artist’ mode of production
continues to be affected with the dynamics of
change. Environmental degradation ushered in
by calamities, modernization, and capitalistic
endeavors displace the indigenous people from
their ancestral land. As their home base, it is
considered of paramount importance—this is
where resources are gathered and shared, and
where cultures performed. The following
factors affect the traditional artist’s
production process:
1. 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 tourists mobility. Dances and
rituals are staged for an external
audience rather that for the
community’s observance of tradition.
The works are transformed into mass
produced souvenirs in order to meet
the demands of the tourist trade.
2. Mining and infrastructure projects
– the construction of dams and the
establishment of oil and mining
companies, dwellings and severely
damaged the environment. Deprived
of the bounty of land, indigenous
groups are prompted to seek short-
term employment from these
industries in order to meet in a
money economy.
3. Militarization – the security
and tensions brought about by
militarized zones arrest the
people’s ability to create art. It
prevents people from having
communal gatherings, where
exchanges and passing of
knowledge can take place.
4. Christianization – the
influence of Christianity and the
conversion of the natives to a
foreign religion have caused
members of the community to
forsake their indigenous rituals
and traditions. At worse, people
are led to believe that the latter
are primitive and therefore their
practice has no pace in
contemporary culture.
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 of Year of Conferment of the
table of GAMABA Awardees shows.
Effect of the GAMABA in the Communities
Since the artists are very much entrenched
in their localities, the awards system might
create a division within the communities
when one person is elevated to the status
of the national awardees. The attention and
the entry of outsiders may create a
description that may also change, not just
the social and economic relationships, but
also the people’s attitudes, concepts and
definition of the art forms and the
processes.
