Music of

Palawan

CONCEPT MAP
Nature
Interaction among
groups
Language

Sociohistori
cal
Contex
t

Socio-historical
Context
Lalawigan ng Palawan, is anisland
provinceof thePhilippines located in
the Region 4. Its capital isPuerto
PrincesaCity, and it is the largest
province in the country in terms of
total area of jurisdiction.

Geography of Palawan
Palawan is composed of the long and
narrowPalawan Island, plus a number of
other smaller islands surrounding the
main island. TheCalamianes Group

of Islandsto the Northeast

consists of

Geography of Palawan
Durangan Island almost touches
the westernmost part of
Palawan Island, whileBalabac
Islandis located off the
southern tip, separated
fromBorneoby theBalabac
Strait.

Geography of Palawan
In addition, Palawan covers
theCuyo Islandsin theSulu Sea.
The disputed Spratly Islands,
located a few hundred kilometers
to the west, are considered part
of Palawan by the Philippines,
and is locally called the Kalayaan
Group of Islands.

Peoples of Palawan
Palawan, the largest province in
thePhilippines, is home to
severalindigenousethnolinguistic
groups:
1.
- which means "mountain people" inCuyonon
Batak

is a group of indigenous Filipino people that

resides in the northeast portion of Palawan.
They live in the rugged interiors of
northeastern Palawan. Living close to nature,
they are a peaceful and shy people. These
people believe in nature spirits, with whom

Peoples of Palawan
2. Palaweos
- Native-born lowland dwellers
- They are religious, disciplined and have a
highly developed community spirit
- Language : Cuyonon &
Agutaynen

3. Palawano

- also known as Pala'wan, is one of the unique

indigenous peoples of Palawan. They are part
of the large Manobo-based linguistic groups
of southern Philippines. They traditionally
hunt
using soars
and bamboo
blowguns.
- TheTaaw't
Batomeans
"people
of the
rock". They are not actually a separate
language or ethnic group, but rather a

Peoples of Palawan
4.
Tagbanw
- or "people of the world," are found in
acentral and northern Palawan. They practice
shifting cultivation of upland rice, which is
considered a divine gift, and are known for
their rice wine ritual called pagdiwata.
Central Tagbanwas are found in the western
and eastern coastal areas of central
Palawan. They are concentrated in the
municipalities of Aborlan, Quezon, and
Puerto Princesa.

CONCEPT MAP
Nature
Interaction among
groups
Language

Sociohistori
cal
Contex
t
Issues

Cultural Preservation
Sustainable EcoTourism

Issues
The struggle to savePalawan(known as
the Philippines Last Frontier) is not only
about saving trees and rare species. It is
also about nourishing the Filipino cultural
heritage, so powerfully represented by those
indigenous communities that - after escaping
Spanish and American colonization (while
resisting the new mining imperialism now) continue to represent the 'living roots' from
which all Filipinos originate. Therefore,
environmental plundering by mining
companies is not only a crime against nature
but it is also a crime against culture, a sort

CONCEPT MAP
Nature
Interaction among
groups
Language

Sociohistori
cal
Contex
t
Issues

Cultural Preservation
Sustainable EcoTourism

Kulial
Epics
Instruments

Musica
l
Forms

Musical Forms

Vocal
Music:
1. Bagit,
2. Kulial (Songs),
3. Tultul (Epic chant),
4. Ulit (Shamanic chant)

Musical Forms

Compositio
n songs, Kulial songs, Epics (i.e.
Bird
Kudaman)
The Kudaman epic starts with a long
narrated prelude in a tale pattern (50
typewritten pages) before the six to seven
nights can develop. The nights repeat the
span of seven years that frames the ritual of
commemoration of the Master of Rice,
Tmwy t Ampuq t Pary.

Musical Forms
Instrumental Music:
aruding (Jews
harp),

babarak (ring flute),

Musical Forms
Instrumental Music:
suling (banded flute),

basal (gong),

Musical Forms
Instrumental Music:
kusyapiq (lute),

pagang (bamboo zither)

CONCEPT MAP

Musical Context
The subtle threads between Mankind
and Nature involve all our senses and
more particularly our auditive
sensitivity. Capturing tonalities,
rhythms, and melodies, we can like a
bird fly down from the celestial vault to
the Earth, dwelling-place of Highlanderislanders known as the Palawan who live
in the southern part of the island by the
same name. This aural voyage will take
us to the realm of words, poetry, and

Music in Ritual
Ulit (Shamanic
The shaman sings the difficult experience of
chant)
the voyage of his double, kuruduwa, by a
specific chant, the lumbaga, whose melody is in
all points assimilable to any epic melodic line.
And it is precisely the ordeals that the soul of
the shaman overcomes in the course of his
voyagethe encounters with the Evil Doers,
Lnggam or Sqitan, the discussions, the
bargaining engaged in with the Invisible Beings
that constitute the shamanic chant.

Music in Ritual
Tultul (Epic chant),

to sing tultul is to be possessed by a Tw

Tultultuln. These Epic Heroes are a type of
humanity who live in the median space and intercede
between people on this earth and mpuq. They are a
Benevolent Humanity protecting the Real Men. The
act of chanting thus doubles with the embodiment, in
the very person of the bard, of these heroic and semidivine Beings. One can interpret this relationship as an
act of possession in which the bard becomes a
medium.

Epics are always chanted at night, ending at

daybreak; it is forbidden to sing when the sun
shines and during the day. This prohibition links the

Music in Ritual
In the Central West highlands, is the Palawan
Island. One of the tribes in Palawan are the
TAGBANUAS. The Tagbanuas has retained their
ancient culture. The Calamianes Group of
Islands who elaborate funeral celebrations. Five
days after interment, the relatives goes to the
homes of the deceased to perform funeral rites.
Then the participants chant the Batac, a
lengthy song recounting the significant
adventures of a mythical person named
DUMARACOL. Thesinging goes on for three
successive nights for evening till dawn.

Comparative Glossary of
Mindoro and Palawan Music.