Friday, April 11, 2008 Acofo: Images, sounds, feelings and shadows at Lang-ay By Julio Acofo Seeing With New Eyes
WE WATCHED the Lang-ay parade from the top floor of our building across the Bontoc market as close to a thousand people-parade snaked its way through its almost two-kilometer route.
The parade opened the cultural show of the Lang-ay Festival. Northwest from our view point was the towering P82 million Bontoc Commercial Center. As I viewed the Bontoc Commercial Center, I felt something strange.
The Bontoc Commercial Center started to cast a powerful shadow of doubt on the festive atmosphere of the Lang-ay in me.
The Bontoc Commercial Center for some time grabbed news space in some local papers. It was constructed from a loan by the provincial government of Mountain Province from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
As a student of life, I am pretty much informed of the many loans by local governments in the country. It was part of fiscal management under the big word- "Development Management".
Loans by LGUs in the country are interesting studies in the field of leadership and managing local development.
And before the unwanted feelings and thoughts got the better of me, I reminded myself, "Hey I am here to enjoy the parade." So back to the parade. To the trained ear, how the beat of the gongs by at least eight municipalities vary, is easy to spot.
Variations of the sounds made by the gongs from the various groups, strike not only the ears but also the heart. Yes, Virginia, the heart does hear.
"Faken sound nan tsengem, manong" (Listen not to the sound of the gongs, manong)," Vincent whispered. What then do I listen to? But Vincent was actually telling me to listen to the inner reverberations of the gongs inside me. Yes, the heart in the IP in me (and you) can resonate the sound of the gongs.
It is these inner echoes (of the sounds of the physical gongs) which reverberate in the IP heart which stimulate the feelings of deep respect and a strong sense of connection with the "pattong"(gong beat).
Vincent, my young teacher in life who was with me all day of the Lang-ay cultural show is from the village of Chakalan, one of the oldest ili of Bontoc Central. Chakalan performs the whole year all the rituals and practices related to the ili and the agricultural cycle.
Vincent can readily spot a misstep, an (allowable) innovation or just a forgivable attempt to weave new steps into the traditional moves of the native dances.
All for entertainment, that's what we were here for anyway to watch the parade.
But also on the more physical level, Vincent coached me to listen to the differences in the sounds produced by different gongs. Vincent said gongs made of iron, clank.
The sounds produced "clatter" in the ears. They don't produce a booming sound -- a whole boom which echoes in the ears and through the heart. Old gongs which have witnessed so many rituals and festivities of the ilis boom and thunder.
Inside the sensitive hearer the boom roars. They also hum. Ask me how and why? I don't know. But as Vincent related gongs used with tradition have stories. They are part of local histories and are attached to local legends.
"They have origin. They have ato(s)". "Traditional gongs are made of bronze with gold," Vincent explained.
So I concluded the required metallic mix of bronze with gold is part of the traditional local metallurgy of communities with traditions where gold remains were woven into their consciousness not just as metal, but sound as well. A sound that can echo from within.
Vincent and I ended watched the 20 cultural presentations at the Eyeb open gymnasium. There are two categories for the cultural presentation -- the children's category and the mixed-group (adult and children).
