Almost 300 representatives from different indigenous ethnic groups all over the country converged in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, on 3 to 5 October for Dayaw 2024: National Indigenous Peoples Festival, whose program included gatherings, performances, outreach initiatives, crafts fair and forum.

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Month, the Dayaw Festival is organized annually by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), through its Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts (SCCTA), for over 10 years now.

“It brings together various IP groups and communities from across the country to showcase their unique and rich traditions, languages, dances, music and arts and crafts,” explained Reden S. Ulo, head of SCCTA and a Tboli.

Pablito C. Gonzales, head of the NCCA National Committee on Central Cultural Communities of SCCTA, said that Dayaw is “a significant event dedicated to honoring and uplifting our indigenous communities.”

Ethnic groups from the islands of Luzon and Palawan represented included the Bugkalot, the Ilocano, the Ibaloi, the Tagalog, the Dumagat Remontado, the Balangao, the Kapampangan, the Pangasinan, the Ga’dang, the Bontok, the Ifugao, the Kankanaey, the Kalinga, the Itneg, the Kalanguya, the Tagbanua, the Jama Mapun, the Pala’wan, the Palawani, and the Molbog.

From the Visayas, the ethnic groups and cultural communities represented included the Ati of Capiz and Guimaras, the Hiligaynon, the Waray, the Ata Bukidnon of Negros Island, the Ati of Antique, the Ati of Aklan, the Boholano Cebuano, and the Panay Bukidnon, while from Mindanao, the ethnic groups and cultural communities represented included the Manobo, the Mamanwa, the Yakan, the Maguindanao, the Meranaw, the Agusanon Manobo, the Talaandig Manobo, the Higaonon Manobo, the Teduray, the Livunganen Arumanen, the Blaan, the Sama, the Sama Banguingui and the Subanen.

The Tboli delegation was the biggest with Lake Sebu being the host. Lake Sebu is part of the traditional home range of the indigenous Tboli. It is also considered a top tourist destination in the province of South Cotabato and southern central Mindanao with its lake, waterfalls and local culture.

Aside from the representatives, Dayaw 2024 was graced by 10 Manliklikha ng Bayan or National Living Treasures — artisans, craftsmen, practitioners and artisans awarded as exemplary by the state — Ilocano dallot practitioner Adelita Romualdo Bagcal; Ilocano gourd hat maker Teofilo Garcia; Higaonon Manobo mat weaver Marife Ravidas Ganahon; Sama dancer Sakinur-Ain Delasas; Mandaya textile weaver Samporonia Pagsac Madanlo; Agusanon Manobo embroiderer Abina Tawide Coguit; Tboli brasscaster Bundos Bansil Fara; Tboli textile weaver Barbara Kibed Ofong; and Tboli chanter Rosie Godwino Sula.

The Dayaw Festival started on 3 October with a parade of participants in their traditional attires and local groups that led to the municipal plaza, where the opening program was held.

The program consisted of the Tboli ritual demsu for thanksgiving and invoking the spirits, messages from NCCA and local officials, traditional performances from the delegations, and the banging of the gong by officials and guests—led by NCCA chairman Victorino Mapa Manalo, NCCA executive director Eriz Zerrudo, SCCTA head Reden Ulo and Lake Sebu vice mayor Liezel T. Isuga—to signal the start of the Dayaw Festival. Demonstrations of four traditional games filled the afternoon.

The first day was capped by the Governor’s Night and Dinner at the barangay gym, hosted by South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr. and filled with cultural performances.

The second day was dedicated to outreach initiatives in which delegates went to different schools and sites in Lake Sebu for performances and interactions. The visited schools included Santa Cruz Mission School in Lem-ehek, Poblacion; Santa Cruz Mission School’s Dekolon Junior High School in Poblacion; Lake Sebu National High School in Poblacion; and Tboli Sbu Senior High School in Lamdalag. Other sites visited were Maria Todi’s Homestay and School of Living Traditions in Poblacion; Gono Ye Bong in Upper Kawig, Poblacion; the store of the Cooperative of Women in Health and Development or COWHED in Tokuful, Poblacion; and Gono Sbung of musician and dancer Linda Weaver in Rosas, Poblacion.

The homes of Manlilikha ng Bayan in the region, which have become Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Centers, also hosted delegates, especially visiting Manlilikha ng Bayan, including the homes of Sula in Lemkwa, Klubi; Ofong in Tablo, Lamdalag; the late Tboli weaver Lang Dulay in Lamdalag; the late Blaan textile weaver Yabing Dulo in Amgu-o, Landan, Polomolok; and Bantilan in Malapatan, Sarangani.

At the barangay gym in the late afternoon, films that show indigenous characters and cultures, including K`na the Dreamweaver by Ida del Mundo and “Black Rainbow” by Zig Dulay, were screened.

The Dayaw Forum was held on the last day of the festival.

“The Dayaw Forum is an important platform focused on the rights, culture, and development of indigenous peoples in the Philippines and beyond. Established to foster dialogue and cooperation among various indigenous groups, the forum serves as a venue for discussing key issues such as land rights, environmental protection, cultural preservation, and social justice,” said Ulo.

All throughout the festival, a mini crafts fair was mounted, offering products made by indigenous communities.

The festival culminated with the Kun Kifu Mayor mo be Kesesotu ne Kebelay Ofol (Solidarity, Recognition and Mayor’s Night) at the barangay gym, where representatives presented their traditional attires in a showcase, K’mo Kehegekes (proper wearing of traditional attire). They night was also filled with cultural performances, messages from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and others, awarding of certificates of participation, and a special recognition to the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

This year, the Dayaw Festival bannered the theme “Katutubong Filipino: Pagtibayin ang Tagumpay 2030” (Indigenous Filipinos: Strengthening the Success by 2030), emphasizing the role of indigenous peoples and cultures in helping shape the future of the nation and of humanity.