What was

the highest
award you
received so
far?
UNIT FIVE
The Contemporary
in Tradition Art:
Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan
 What is the National Living
Treasure Award?
• Known as the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan
(GAMABA) in the vernacular, this award recognizes
Filipino artists that have shown excellence in their
mastery of medium and technique, craftsmanship and
promotion of indigenous beliefs in their practice of
traditional and ethnic art forms in the Philippines such
as pottery, weaving, carving, etc.
 Compare and Contrast
• National Artist Award • National Living
Treasure Award
Awarded by the NCCA Awarded by the NCCA
Excellence Excellence
Mastery of medium and Mastery of medium and
technique technique
Impeccable Impeccable
craftsmanship craftsmanship
Promotes universal Promotes indigenous
beliefs/ethnic culture
values
 How does tradition become
Contemporary?
• Teofilo Garcia, a 2012 awardee of
GAMABA is a farmer
• Upo or gourd to DURABLE HATS
• Upo or tabungaw in Ilokano is hallowed
out, polished and varnished and its color is
yellow sheen.
• Rattan or uway are woven to
line the hat
• Fern or nito are placed on the
mouth of the hat for decoration
• His artistic rendering of a functional object,
dedication to craft and commitment to the
community makes him the bearer of
culture.
• The process of making the tabungaw hat
involves the interface of local knowledge
and art
 12 Individuals who
received the award in 1992
under the Republic Act No.
7355 until 2012
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Location Expertise
Bayan Conferment

Weaving Lang Dulay 1998 T’boli / Lake Sebu, Tinalak

South Cotabato, weaving
Mindanao, Southern
Philippines

Weaving Salita Monon 1998 Tagabawa, Bagobo/ Inabel

Bansalan, Davao del weaving
Sur, southeastern
Mindanao island,
southern Philippines
Tinalak Weaving
Inabel Weaving
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Location Expertise
Bayan Conferment

Weaving Darhata 2004 Tausug/Parang, Pis siyabit

Sabawi Sulu, southern weaving
Philippines
Weaving Haja Amina 2004 Sama/ Tandubas, Mat weaving
Tawi-tawi, southern
Philippines

Weaving Magdalena 2012 Ilocano/ Pinili, Inabel

Gamayo Ilocos Norte, weaving
northern Luzon
island, northern
Philippines
Pis siyabit weaving
Mat Weaving
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Literature and Ginaw Bilog 1993 Hanunoo Surat Mangyan
Performance Art Mangyan/ and ambahan
Mansalay, poetry
Oriental Mindoro,
Central
Philippines
Literature and Masino Intaray 1993 Palawan/ Lyrical poems
Performance Art Brooke's point, (kulilal, basal ang
Palawan island, bagit) & playing
Central their
Philippines accompanying
instruments; epic
chanting and story
telling
Surat Mangyan and ambahan
poetry
Surat Mangyan and ambahan
poetry
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Literature and Sumaon 1993 Maguindanao/ Playing the
Performance Art Sulaiman Mama sa Pano, kudyapi
Maguindanao,
western
Mindanao island,
southern
Philippines
Literature and Alonzo Saclag 2000 Kalinga / Playing kalinga
Performance Art Labuang, Kalinga musical
northern Luzon instruments;
island, northern dance patterns
Philippines and movements
associated with
rituals
Playing Kudyapi
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Literature and Federico 2000 Sulod Chanting the
Performance Caballero Bukidnon/ sugidanon
Art Calinog, Iloilo, epic of the
Panay island, Panay
Central Bukidnon
Philippines
Literature and Uwang 2000 Yakan / Playing Yakan
Performance Ahadas Lamitan, musical
Art Basilan island, instruments
southern
Philippines
Playing Yakan Kulintang
Form Manlilikha sa Year of Ethnicity/ Expertise
Bayan Conferment Location
Plastic Art Eduardo 2004 Kapangpangan/ Silver plating
Mutuc Apalit, of religious
Pamganga, and secular art
central Luzon
island, northern
Philippines

Plastic Art Teofilo Garcia 2012 Ilocano / San Gourd casque

Quintin Abra, making
northern Luzon
island, northern
Philippines
Silver plating of religious and
secular art
Teofilo Garcia
Garcia was a 2012 awardee
from San Quintin, Abra who
invented the “tabungaw hat”.
Tabungaw in Ilocano refers to
the upo vegetable that this
farmer carved into a hat after
drying, hallowing, polishing,
and varnishing.
Lang Dulay
Dulay was a 1998 winner from Lake
Sebu, South Cotabato. Since the time
she was 12 until her death in 2015 at
the age of 91, she had been weaving
the designs she saw in her dreams as
a member of the T’boli tribe, a group
of indigenous people who have come
to be known as the “dream weavers
tribe” for their centuries old tinalak
weaving.
 How does Contemporary become
traditional?
• Traditional art is based on
indigenous people’s culture that are
largely honored by oral tradition.
• Traditional art finds deed affinities
with nature, place, society ritual and
spiritual and everyday life.
 The Production
Process and the
Changing Environment
 Tourism
• Dances and rituals are staged for an external
audience rather for community’s observance
tradition.
• Removed from their original context, the works
are transferred into mass produced souvenirs in
order to meet the demands of the Tourist Trade.
• Art forms native to the community tend to
diminish in quality.
 Mining and Infrastructure
Projects
• Constructing of dams and establishments
evicts people from their dwellings and can
damage the environment.
• Indigenous group are prompted to seek short
term employment from these industries to
make money for a living.
 Militarization
• Militarized zones arrest the
peoples’ ability to create art
• It prevents people from having
communal gathering where
exchanges and passing of
knowledge takes place.
 Christianization
• The convention of natives to a foreign religion
causing the members to forsake their
indigenous ritual and traditions
• Christians converts and sought the revival of
their traditions by holding clan reunions,
employing native wedding rites and recalling
narrative of their culture through painting.