Gawad sa Manlilikha

ng Bayan

Group 3- Del Mundo

 INTRODUCTION
• Traditional arts, like the Pre-colonial indigenous arts are also
contemporary. They are living traditions and are produced up to
the present, in modified ways.
• Our national living treasures, more formally known as the
awardees of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) was
formulated or developed by the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts or NCCA.
• The awardees produce art forms that are woven into everyday
life. These demonstrate how pre-colonial traditions persist through
to the present.
 WHAT IS GAMABA?
• Manlilikha ng Bayan (‘’one who creates for the country’’) or National Living
Treasures Award. 16 individuals have received this distinction and
recognition from the time of the establishment of the award in 1992 through
Republic Act No. 7355 until 2016
• The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) bestows the
highest awards for culture and the arts, including the National Artist Award.
The said award and the GAMABA recognize the outstanding work of artists
in the Philippines.
• Award for the Creators of the Country is conferred to a person or group of
artists recognized by the Government of the Philippines for their
contributions to the country's intangible cultural heritage.
 GAMABA
• Highest national award for culture and arts
• Recognizes exceptional artists who are engaged in the
traditional arts.
• The traditional arts are strongly grounded mainly in
culture, spirituality, and religion , and environment. Forms
produced by GAMABA are also functional and accessible
in everyday settings while having a high aesthetic value.
 TRADITIONAL ART
• Traditional art is based on indigenous people’s 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, 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.
• 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 by a group as part of
ritual and as a way of affirming one’s cultural identity
or sense of belonging.
CATEGORIES OF TRADITIONAL
FOLK ART
folk architecture graphic and plastic arts
maritime transport ornament
textile or fiber art
weaving
pottery
carving
performing arts
literature
GAMABA

Awardees
 WEAVING
Manlilikha ng Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Lang Dulay 1998 T’boli/ Lake Sebu, Tinalak Weaving
South Cotabato,
Mindanao, southern
Philippines
Salinta Monon 1998 Tagabanwa Inabal Weaving
Bagobo/ Bansalan,
Davao del Sur,
Southeastern
Mindanao island,
Southern
Philippines
 Manlilikha ng Year of Conferment Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Location
Darhata Sawabi 2004 Tausug/Parang, Sulu, Pis Siyabit Weaving
southern Philippines
Haja Amina Appi 2004 Sama/ Tandubas, Tawi Mat Weaving
Tawi, Southern
Philippines
Magdalena Gamayo 2012 Ilocano/Pinili, Ilocos Inabel Weaving
Norte, northern Luzon
Island, northern
Philippines
 LITERATURE AND PERFORMING
ARTS
Manlilikha ng Year of Conferment Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Location
Ginaw Bilog 1993 Hanunoo Mangyan/ Surat Mangyan and
Mansalay, Oriental ambahan poetry
Mindoro, central
Philippines
Masino Intaray 1993 Palawan/ Brookes Point, Lyrical poems (kulilal,
Palawan island, central basal, and bagit) and
Philippines their accompanying
instruments; epic
chanting and
storytelling
 Manlilikha ng Year of Conferment Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Location
Samaon Sulaiman 1993 Magindanao/Mama sa Playing the kudyapi
Pano, Maguindanao,
Western Mindanao
island, Southern
Philippines
Alonzo Saclag 2000 Kalinga/Lubuagan, Playing kalinga musical
Kalinga, northern Luzon instruments; dance
island, Northern patterns and
Philippines movements asscoaited
with rituals
Federico Caballero 2000 Sulod bukidnon/ Chanting the sugidanon
Calinog, Iloilo, Panay epic of the Panay
Island, Central Bukidnon
Philippines
Uwang Ahadas 2000 Yakan/Lamitan, Basilan Playing Yakan musical
Island, Southern instruments
Philippines
 PLASTIC ARTS
Manlilikha ng Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Eduardo Mutuc 2004 Kapampangan/Apalit, Silver plating of
Pampanga, central religious and secular
Luzon island, Northern art
Philippines
Teofilo Garcia 2012 Ilocano/ San Quintin, Gourd casque making
Abra, Northern Luzon
Island, Northern
Philippines
RECENT GAMABA AWARDEES
 Ambalang Ausalin
• Expertise: Yakan Weaving
• A well-known “magtetenun (weaver)” from Lamitan City, Basilan
• Ambalang Ausalin was selected for being able to master two of
the most intricate categories of Yakan weaving—the “sinalu’an”
and the “seputangan’’.
• Aside from that, the 75-year-old weaver is highly regarded in the
community for weaving and creating traditional attires and
costumes of a royal family in Mindanao.
YAKAN WEAVING
 Yabing Masalon Dulo
• Expertise: Blaan ikat (tie-dye fabric)
• Yabing Masalon Dulo or Fu Yabing, a Blaan ikat
weaver from Mount Matutum, Polomolok, South
Cotabato, is recognized for her commitment to the
safeguarding and promotion of the Blaan mabal
tabih (ikat weaving) tradition.“
• At 14, Fu Yabing created two masterpieces of “tabih”
(handwoven dyed abaka). Both in good condition, her
masterpieces are either displayed at the National
Museum or kept in her possession.
BLAAN IKAT WEAVING
 Estelita Tumandan Bantilan
• Expertise: Blaan mat weaving (Igem Weaving)
• Estelita Tumandan Bantilan, 78, hails from Sarangani,
Bantilan started showing her interest in weaving “igem”
(a Blaan term for mats) when she was six. Since then,
she has been creating exceptional mats using naturally
dyed romblon leaves.
• The Blaan mat (Igem) weavers of Upper Lasang,
Malapatan, Sarangani Province. The blouse design is also
distinctive among Blaans living near the coastal areas.
BLAAN MAT WEAVING
 Issues related to awards
• The Production Process and The Changing Environment
The traditional artists’ 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 peoples from
their ancestral land.
As their home base, it is considered of paramount
importance-this is where resources are gathered and shared,
and where culture is performed.
Factors affecting 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 tourist mobility. Dances
and rituals are staged for an external audience rather than for the
community’s observance of tradition.
• Art forms native to the community tend to diminish in quality.
Removed from their original context, the works are transformed into
mass produced souvenirs in order to meet the demands of the
tourist trade. Neon colors and designs woven from synthetic fibers
have been made available in recent years to create appropriations
of traditional textile designs for commercial purposes.
 2. 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. Deprived of the
bounty of land, indigenous groups are prompted to seek
short-term employment from theses industries in order to
make ends meet in a money economy.
 3. 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, 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 place in contemporary culture.
• In some cases however, the community finds a way to syncretize
their indigenous ways with traditions of Christianity. The Manobo
community of Mt. Apo , for example initiated a ‘’culture regeneration
movement.’’ As Christian converts, they sought the revival of their
traditions by holding clan reunions, employing native wedding rites,
and recalling narratives of their culture through painting.
 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 the Year of Conferment on the table
of GAMABA awardees.
• The award-giving body, through its cultural workers, is
entrusted with an equally significant and difficult
responsibility of being critical, transparent, and judicious
in the processes entailed by the GAMABA, from the
selection, awarding and even beyond.
 Effect of the GAMABA in the
communities
• Since the artists are very much entrenched in their
localities, the award system might create a division
within the communities when one person is elevated to
the status of a national awardee. The attention and the
entry of outsiders may create a disruption that may also
change, not just the social and economic relationships, but
also the people’s attitudes, concepts and definitions of the
art forms and the processes.
 PURPOSE
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.