Gasibud Dai'a: Reaction Paper

Zamora, Prezel Anne M. Arts 1-17

September 18, 2018

Throughout history, many have tried to define art but none of them have been successful yet.
They may not have established the meaning of the word ‘art’ exactly but their definitions have raised
significance points too. Two of these notable people who tried to define art were Robin Collingwod and
John Dewey. Collingwod describes art as the poetic expression of emotion while Dewey sees art as a part
of human experiences. These two theories of art can be observed in the culture of Panay Bukidnon.

A documentary entitlted Gasibud Dai’a exhibited the Panay Bukidnon's rich culture. Panay
Bukidnon is the name for the tumandok or indigenous people of Panay Island. Most of their practices and
way of living relates to the word sibud. Sibud, like art, is ambiguous and can have several meanings. This
can refer to a set of rules or habit, synchronization, and/or play of sounds and words.

For the Panay Bukidnon, sibud is a set of rules or kinaandan they follow in farming and fishing
which are essential part of their lives. Some might classify fishing and farming as ordinary jobs but for
Dewey this is an instance of art. He believes that esthetic can come from everyday experiences if we
recognize ourselves as living creatures whereby we discover our interactions and contrubutions to the
environment.

Sibud also signfies synchronization. The coordination of their chants, to the rhythm of their
traditional instruments like tulali, to the movements of the dancer's body and accessories like pudong is
shown when they perform their Binanog dance or Pinanyo dance. The synchronization can be an instance
of art in terms of Collingwod's definition of art. He mentioned in his book that art is primarily a work of
expression from the artist and secondarily to anyone who understands it. In the Panay Bukidnon's Pinanyo
dance, the male and female dancers express their feelings to one another. However, the audiences who
can understand the meaning of their movements also relates to the feelings and emotions expressed by
the dancers.

At the same time, sibud also refers to the play of sounds of the performers and the play of words
by the audience through tata or vocal calls. This is an instance of art based on Collingwod's theory. Taken
from his book the Principles of Art, he stated that every utterance and every gesture that each one of us
makes is a work of art.

In summary, Dewey's and Collingwod's theories are indeed applicable in the life of the Panay
Bukidon. Their art and culture is a part of their everyday experiences and a way of expressing their
emotions. Just like sibud, a flow like the cycle of life, art is also continuous, and undeniably a part of their
lives.