History of Kaamulan Festival  1999 – Date of Kaamulan was moved from September

Kaamulan Festival is an ethnic cultural festival held to the second half of February up to March 10, the
 Late 1960s-Early 1970s – Several efforts were made Foundation Day celebration of the Province of
annually in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon in the Philippines from
by different individuals in the province to organize a Bukidnon
the second half of February to March 10, the anniversary date
celebration to honor the contribution of the
of the foundation of Bukidnon as a province in 1917. It is held indigenous peoples of Bukidnon to the culture of  2002 – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo graced the
to celebrate the culture and tradition of the seven ethnic tribal Bukidnon. Some organize celebrations in Barangay celebration, where several native women dressed on
groups—Bukidnon, Higaonon, Talaandig, Manobo, Matigsalug, Kalasungay in Malaybalay. her in an ethnic costume. First Kaamulan Off-Road
Tigwahanon and Umayamnon—that originally inhabit the Challenge and First Kaamulan Invitational Shoot Fest
 May 15, 1974 – Kaamulan was conceptualized by the were added to the activities of the festival. Bansagen,
province. It is the only authentic ethnic festival in the
Vice Mayor of the then municipality of Malaybalay, an exhibit of Bukidnon contemporary art done by a
Philippines.
Mr. Edilberto Mamawag who invited some indigenous group of Bukidnon-based artists, was done for the first
Kaamulan comes from Bukidnon tribespeople during the celebration of the time.
the Binukid word “amul” meaning to gather. Kaamulan is town fiesta in honor of Malaybalay’s Patron Saint San
Isidro Labrador. Mamawag thought that few dance  2006 – The First National Folklore Conference was
gathering for a purpose—a datuship ritual, a wedding held in consonance with the celebration of the
steps by the natives at Plaza Rizal would enliven the
ceremony, a thanksgiving festival during harvest time, a peace Kaamulan Festival. An indigenous song writing clinic
fiesta-goers.
pact, or all of these together. for students and the general public was held. The
 September 16, 1977 – Kaamulan was adopted as the champion for the street dancing competition is the
Kaamulan started as a festival on May 15, 1974, during regional festival of Northern Mindanao through a municipality of Malitbog.
the fiesta celebration of the then municipality of Malaybalay. A Regional Development Council resolution
town official thought of inviting some indigenous people to  2007 – Marks the 30th year celebration by the
 November 25–27, 1977 – The first organized province of the Kaamulan Festival from its formal date
town and made them perform a few dance steps at Plaza Rizal
Kaamulan Festival was held in the province of of establishment (1977). Theme of the celebration is
to enliven the fiesta celebration. The celebration however
Bukidnon and sponsored by the provincial “Spiritual Awakening”. Also marks the 90th
proved very popular and together with national coverage the government. Marks the formal establishment of the Foundation Day celebration of the province of
Kaamulan festival has become the regional festival of Northern festival in the province. Bukidnon. The municipality of Kibawe won the street
Mindanao, as declared by the Regional Development Council
 1978-1998 – Kaamulan was held every first Friday of dancing competition, followed by Talakag and
of Region 10 on September 16, 1977. Kaamulan was formerly Malaybalay City. Kitaotao won the Float Competition,
held in the first week of September but in 1996, it was September
followed by Kadingilan and Kibawe.
transferred to the present date to synchronize it with the
foundation celebration of the province until in 2014 it was
moved to the month of August in light of the 100th Founding
Anniversary of Bukidnon. The festival was cited for having a
great potential to be included in the UNESCO Intangible
Cultural Heritage Lists.
The Seven Tribes Of Bukidnon
The typical Indigenous People of this Province are broadly identified into two ethnical
origins namely: the Bukidnon and the Manobo. The Bukideño have distinct physical
characteristics whom may be describe as with slight build bodies, slanting eyelets,
relatively high noses with lips that ranges from medium and brown to light skin color.
They speakbinukid, which is distinctive with up and down tone unlike other dialects.
While the Manobo is a Negrito mixture and resembles to have small bodies, dark skin,
curly hair with broad to flat noses. Socially, the so-called Bukidnon live in the relative
flatlands of the Bukidnon plateau and have already adopted Christian ways and
utilized modern technology while the Manobos live in the mountains and do not want
to mingle with the Christians and other people. It is believed that Bukidnon have a
more advanced stage of development and who have developed their own culture and
traditions.[citation needed]
The Bukidnon tribes were classified as lowlands and socially acculturated Christians
adopting modern technology through educational enhancement. These are the
following:
The lowlanders. Acculturated Bukidnons who have adapted Christian ways
and utilized modern technology living in the lowlands among Christians.
Talaandig. People from Talakag who choose to call themselves as such when Panamin
took custody of them since September 18, 1975. the women of this tribe are expert
embroiderers and patchwork makers. They are semi-sedentary in moods of living.
Manobo. These people are natives of the municipalities
of Pangantucan, Kalilangan and Kadingilan. Manobo in Kadingilan is mixed
with muslim blood. These speak a quaint archaic language of their own which cannot
be understood by the lowland Bukidnon and other ethnic groups in the province.
Others lived in the municipalities of Don
arlos, Kitaotao, Kibawe, Quezon and Damulog.
Umayamnon. Highly nomadic Bukidnon Manobo with fine skills in beadwork and
brass jewelry. These people live along the watershed of Umayam River. They are
reserved and quiet, fair skinned with prominent checkbones and wear beaded turban
without hair.
Matigsalug. People of Salug River specifically in Kalangangan, San Fernando, Bukidnon
and some in Simod.
Tigwahonon. People along the watershed of Tigwa River and in the Tigwa-salug
Valley. They are loud spoken people and the traders among the hinterland ethnic
groups.
Higaonon. Are situated in the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Misamis
Oriental and Bukidnon. Planting of Rice, corn and vegetables are their means of living.
Bukidnon. The lowlanders. Acculturated Bukidnons who have adapted Christian ways
and utilized modern technology living in the lowlands among Christians.
Bukidnon (/buːˈkɪdnɒn/; officially the Province of
Bukidnon, Cebuano: Lalawigan sa Bukidnon) is a landlocked province in the
Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is the city
of Malaybalay. The province borders, clockwise starting from the
Colon National High School
north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao
del Sur, and Lanao del Norte. According to the 2015 census, the province is
Colon, Maasim, Sarangani Province
inhabited by 1,415,226 residents. It is the third largest province in the country INTEGRATED SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
in terms of total area of jurisdiction behind Palawan and Isabela respectively.
The name "Bukidnon" means "highlander" or "mountain dweller".
Occupying a wide plateau in the north central part of the island
ofMindanao, the province is considered to be the food basket of the
region, being the major producer of rice and corn. Products from
plantations in the province also
include pineapples, bananas and sugarcane. Situated within Bukidnon
is Mount Dulang-dulang, the 2nd highest mountain in the country, with
an elevation of 2,938 metres (9,639 ft) located in Kitanglad Mountain
Kaamulan Festival
Range. Mount Kitanglad (2,899m.), Mount Kalatungan (2,860m.),
Mount Maagnaw (2,742m.), Mount Lumuluyaw (2,612m.) and Mount
Tuminungan (2,400m.), the 4th, 5th, 8th, 17th and 30th highest
mountains in the country respectively, are also found in the province.
The Bukidnon people of the southern Philippines speak the Binukid
dialect within the Manobo Language Family. "Bukidnon" is a Bisayan
word for "people of the mountains," first used by Bisayan-speaking
settlers of Mindanao's north coast, on whom its negative connotation
for non-Hispanicized (i.e., "non-civilized") mountain people was not
lost. The Spanish, who had referred to all upland peoples simply
as monteses, adopted it in the late nineteenth century to distinguish
Binukid speakers from the Manobo living directly to their south. The
nonindigenous origin of the term has occasioned some controversy in
recent years, with Bukidnon influenced by PANAMIN, the Philippine
government agency formerly in charge of tribal peoples, adopting the
name "Higaonnan" (derived from the Binukid gaon for "away from the
water") as an alternative. This, however, has not caught on with most
Binukid speakers who, grown used to "Bukidnon," steadfastly continue
to call themselves by this name. Bukidnon today is the name of a
Philippine province measuring 8,294 square kilometers landlocked in
north-central Mindanao. The Bukidnon people for the most part live
north of the eighth parallel on the grassland plateau 300-900 meters in
elevation that is dominated by Kitanglad Mountain, the second-highest
(after Mt. Apo) Philippine peak at 2,938 meters. Rivers rush from
Kitanglad and other mountains, cutting precipitous gorges through the
adtuyon clay soil. The Cagayan and Tagoloan river systems empty into
Macajalar Bay to the north; the Pulangi, which originates in northeast
Bukidnon, sweeps south into Cotabato where it becomes the Rio
Grande of Mindanao.