Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Contemporary in Traditional Art: Gawad Sa Manlilikha NG Bayan (GAMABA)
The Contemporary in Traditional Art: Gawad Sa Manlilikha NG Bayan (GAMABA)
The Contemporary in
Traditional Art: Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan (GAMABA)
What I Know
Pre - test
Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the best answer from among the given choices.
1. A Tinalak weaver who have produced creations which remain faithful to the T’boli
tradition as manifested in the complexity of her design, fineness of workmanship and
quality of finish.
A. Magdalena Gamayo C. Haja Amina
B. . Lang Dulay D. Salinta Monon
2. It is the highest national acknowledgment given to Filipino people who have made
noteworthy commitments to the improvement of Philippine expressions.
A. GAMABA award C. GAMBANA award
B. National Artists Award D. International Artist Award
3. It is an award given to recognize the outstanding work of the artists in the Philippines
to promote a genuine appreciation of traditional craft and art.
A. GAMABA award C. GAMBANA award
B. National Artists Award D. International Artist Award
4. A director for theater and film, has the distinction of being called “The Boy Wonder of
Philippine Movies”
A. Lamberto V. Avellana C. Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka
B. José María V. Zaragoza D. Manuel Conde
5. The “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”
A. Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka C. Cesar Legaspi
B. Fernando C. Amorsolo D. F. Sionil Jose
6. A GAMABA awrdee of Tagabawa Bagobo of Bansalan, who was awarded for fully
demonstrating the creative and expressive aspects of the Bagobo abaca ikat
weaving.
A. Ginaw Bilog C. Salinta Monon
B. Samaon Sulaiman D. Masino Intaray
7. She is known as the Queen of Kundiman.
A. Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama C. Andrea Veneracion
B. Daisy H. Avellana D. Haja Amina Appi
8. Asian president of the United Nations General Assembly who multifaceted career
spanned 50 years of public service as an educator, soldier, university president,
journalist, and diplomat.
A. Amado V. Hernandez C. Carlos P. Romulo
B. Alonzo Saclag D. Fernando Amorsolo
9. A screenwriter, film director and producer, the quintessential Filipino filmmaker whose
life is devoted to the art and commerce of cinema spanning three generations of
filmmakers
A. Eddie Romero C. Ildefonso P. Santos
B. Darhata Sawabi D. Pablo S. Antonio
10. A GAMABA awardee who popularized the the tabungaw hat.
A. Ginaw Bilog C. Salinta Monon
B. Samaon Sulaiman D. Teofilo Garcia
In one form or another art has always been around. It helps mankind in the
improvement of various activities and their products. It has a varied and multiple complex. It
is as wide as an ocean, covers a wide range of activities such as photography, painting,
sculpting, and architecture, etc. But as time rolls by newer forms of art arose, such as music,
theatre, and photography, etc., in which are now a days considered the most beautiful types
of performing arts.
From the preceding lesson we have learned that traditional arts, like the pre - colonial
indigenous arts are also contemporary. They are living traditions and are produced up to the
present, in modified ways.
In this lesson, you will learn about our National living treasures, more formally known
as the awardees of Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA).
Their incomparable dedication to craftsmanship and excellence show how these
Filipinos lives and work. Many cultural practices of indigenous communities were preserved
because of their passion, abilities, and tenacity in passing down their tradition to the
youngsters. It’s one thing to be recognized as a living legend of the arts in the
Philippines, and it’s a whole other thing completely to be acknowledged as an artist who
has kept a rare sort of traditional Filipino creativity and ingenuity alive.
In 1992, the National Commission on Culture and therefore the Arts (NCCA)
began selecting and honoring recipients of the National Living Treasures Award,
also referred to as Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA), through Republic Act No.
7355. It continues to be awarded today and is handed out in the form of a medal.
Photo Credit: https://bit.ly/37Grcwe
The picture above shows the thirteen National Living treasures who have possess
technical and creative skills, creating work with fine artistic quality, and ties to community
and folk-art traditions. More than that, they show a strong character and unfaltering integrity,
leading them to earn the respect and admiration of the people.
The awardees yield art forms that are entwined into daily life. These proves how pre -
colonial traditions continue through to the present.
How does tradition become contemporary, and the contemporary traditional?
(retrieved from Contemporary Art from the Regions textbook (2016 pp.57)
1
Traditional art is based on indigenous people’s cultures that are largely honed by oral
tradition. It finds deep affinities with nature, place, society, ritual, and spirituality and
everyday life. In traditional integrative art, forms and expressions do not normally end up as
objects distanced from everyday living. The site of dissemination and knowledge transfer is
neither in the formal spaces of a museum nor a theater. The process of creation is usually
shared among members of the community, and appeals to broader aspects of life.(extracted
from Contemporary Art from the Regions textbook , Flaudette May Datulin et.al pp. 58 )
Thus, it emphasis on the intangible and communal aspects of art production that are closely
aligned with the process based and collaborative inclination of some contemporary art
practices.
The worker of a farmer named Teofilo Garcia of San Quintin in the Province of Abra,
2012 GAMABA awardee who have discovered and popularized the durable tabungaw hat
out of enlarged upo or gourd. He hollowed out the upo / tabungaw, varnished and polished it
to make it more durable and unique yellow sheen.
He used different mediums such as varnish to strengthens organic material, strips of
rattan (uway) to line the hat, fern (nito) is placed on the mouth of the hat as decoration. He
intended to transform the harvest into durable hats to protect the people who are exposed
for long hours under the heat of the sun, especially the farmers. Until now, he shared his
knowledge and skills of making the Tabungaw hat at San Quintin National High School and
inspires the youth to value tradition and to ensure its preservation.
Base from the given example of the work of Teofilo Garcia, we reiterate that
Philippine traditional art, though based on long - standing , established practices, has
always been contemporary in a sense that it is art that is being made now, and that it
persists as part of continuing performance of tradition ( (extracted from Contemporary Art from the
Regions textbook , Flaudette May Datulin et.al pp. 57 ) .
For you to assess your level of understanding about the traditional arts and GAMABA
awardees ., you are going to hunt the word or group of words related to it by coloring it
using your crayons or colored pen .You can trace the word/s horizontal, vertical, diagonal,
backwards or another way to form a words. Write your answer in a sheet of paper.
2
T R A D I T I O N A L A R T L G
P A P O S U C E A S D F K V P A
E L B T H Q O A K E N S P L O M
1.
L A A U S L N A T U R E E A L A
T S H S N N T R R F Y J O C I B
L T A G E G E H O B A O P I T A
A C Z S H T A E L T E K L S I Y
R A A D U A Y W E A V I N G C N
L A N G D U L A Y K G R O U N D
T T R A Y R A R O P M E T N O C
T E O F I L O G A R C I A O U H
N D I S A S T E R L H A Z A E D
R T E O F I L O G A R C I A O T
Traditional 6. Teofilo Garcia
2. Art 7. Lang Dulay
3. Gamaba 8. Ground
4. Politic 9. Nature
5. Weaving 10. Disaster
What Is It
What is GAMABA?
The word GAMABA stands for GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (National Living
Treasures). It is an award given to recognize the outstanding work of the artists in the
Philippines. The given award was established in 1992 through Republic Act No. 7355 until
2012. There were thirteen finest folk artists of the land who have received this distinction for
their dedication in creating the craft, using skills, and indigenous methods and materials.
Artists who received the recognition for preserving the traditional art of the Philippines which
kept the art alive even in the contemporary period (Sandagan & Sayseng 2016).
Who are the GAMABA awardees? What are their qualifications?
The GAMABA awardees are the people who have adopts a program that will ensure the
transfer of their skills to others. They undertake measures to promote a genuine appreciation
of traditional craft and art and instill pride among our people about the skill of the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA). Filipinos conferred as the forefront of the practice,
preservation, and promotion of the nation’s traditional folk arts.
(https://aboutphilippines.org/files/Gamaba-Awardees.pdf)
To become a GAMABA awardees is same as joining a contest there are mechanics
and guidelines to follow.
1. Must be an inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community
anywhere in the Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs,
beliefs, rituals and traditions and/or has syncretized whatever external
elements that have influenced it.
2. Must have engaged in a folk-art tradition that has been in existence and
documented for at least fifty (50) years.
3. Must have consistently performed or produced over a significant period,
works of superior and distinctive quality.
4. He/she/group must possess a mastery of tools and materials needed by
the art and must have an established reputation in the art as master and
Yakan musical instruments are not the easiest or most affordable to maintain, but Uwang
Ahadas of Lamitan, Basilan made it his life’s work to master them. From an early age, he and
his siblings were encouraged to play these instruments, and he developed a passion for
them, training himself by observing older members of the community . At age 20, he
broke tradition by reaching excellence in playing the kwintangan, an instrument
typically played by a woman. The instrument, made up of logs arranged beneath a
tree near a rice field, is used to call for abundant grains and rice growth. He is also
dedicated to sharing his knowledge to younger folk; his teaching style is hands-on
and supportive, giving his students his full attention. He was awarded in 2000.
( https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-national-living-
treasures.html
.Gamayo’s skill and instinct are none more apparent than they are in her ability to replicate
designs she’s only seen once. Her binakol, or woven cloth, continues to draw praise and awe
for its above-average thread count and uniform weave. To keep Ilocos’ abel weaving tradition
alive, she teaches her practice to her cousin’s daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. She was
awarded in 2012.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-national-living-treasures.html
Eduardo Mutuc, metalsmith, and artist
Musician Samaon Sulaiman was a master of the kutyapi, a two-stringed lute that
requires highly technical skill to play. The Maganoy, Maguindanao native learned from his
uncle, Pinagunay, at age 13, developing and learning different forms and styles of playing the
instrument.
The sound is melodic and rhythmic, its effect meditative and captivating. He was also
proficient in playing instruments such as the kulintang, agong (a suspended gong with a wide
rim), gandingan (a gong with a narrow rim), and tambul. Sulaiman’s fascination for his craft
led him to become an influential teacher. He was awarded in 1993 and died in 2011.
(https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-artists-national-living-treasures.html ).
Her favorite pattern, despite or because of its difficulty, was the Binuwaya (crocodile),
and she continued weaving until her death in 2009. For her, not only was it a source of
income, it was a source of pride as well. She and her younger sister were the only Bagobo
weavers left in their community, and she dreamt of having a structure built for teaching new
would-be weavers. She was awarded in 1998. (https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/2017/10/10/indigenous-
artists-national-living-treasures.html)
What’s More
instruments
(kwintangan,
gabbang, agung,
kwintangan
kayu, tuntungan)
weaving
Teaching elders
to read and
write.
and Ambahan
poetry
music arts.
Mastered local
musical
instruments,
patterns
associated with
rituals
1. What is the essence of GAMABA? Do you think having two national credits for human
expressions emphasize the gap between independent articulations and regular,
network-based ceremonies and works of art?
3. Contemporary art is an art of today, as a senior high school student do you consider
yourself a contemporary artist or a traditional one? How and why?
What I Can Do
Choose one GAMABA artist and create a poster to promote it. It can be on A3 size
can digitally make the poster with computer. Explain your concept and share to your friends
or family.
Additional Activity
After doing the activities:
I noticed
The significance and effects of Gamaba in
community.
A question I have is
What are the qualifications of Gamaba
awardees?
I am not sure
I am sure with all of my learnings.
I realized
That we are very lucky and blessed that
we have this amazing and talented artists
that shows the art of the Philippines.