Baguio Gong Festival 2017: A Celebration Of Cordilleran Culture

On Oct. 8, the powerful and resounding sound of gongs filled the air once again, as the 5th Baguio Gong Festival held its Gong Walk from the Post Office to Ibaloi Park. The Gong Festival is a celebration of the rich culture of the Cordilleras, as well as that of Indigenous Peoples’ Month (every October.)

Now on its fifth year, the festival brings together indigenous cultural groups in the city to share and showcase cultural presentations that revolve around the use of the gong in Cordilleran culture.

Pilipinas Popcorn got an exclusive interview with the organization behind the festival, Indigenous People’s Education for Arts, Culture and Empowerment, Inc. or IPEACE. Here are excerpts of our interview with Raffy Kapuno of IPEACE.

5th Baguio Gong Festival: Preserving Indigenous Culture

Raffy Kapuno tells the story behind the origins of the festival. The very first one was actually organized around the promotion of an indigenous film about Kalinga called Kanana Kanu by Jocelyn Banasan-Kapuno. The film touches on looking back at one’s cultural roots as a way of finding one’s true identity. This was in 2012.

Since then, they thought of organizing a yearly event that would celebrate and promote IP culture and arts, which gave birth to the gong festival. Every year, cultural groups from within the city would perform dances representative of their particular group (e.g. Ibaloi, Ifugao, Kankanaey, etc.), to the beat and sound of brass gongs.

Gong As Symbol Of Unity

When asked about what the gong symbolizes, Mr. Kapuno cited that it is not only a universal instrument among the IP groups in the Cordilleras, but that it is also found in groups in the northern Philippines. The gong plays a central role in the community’s celebrations and events and because it is made of metal, it is something that is passed on from one generation to another.

Aside from the musical and dance festival, other activities are also lined up to commemorate IP month. From Oct. 12 to 14, films about IP culture will be shown for free at the Ili-Likha Artist’s Village along Assumption Road. Among the films to be shown are Balikbayan, Kanana Kanu, Walang Rape sa Bontoc, Agbabalitok and many others.

To understand other aspects of indigenous culture, a body art/tattoo artist from Ifugao will be doing a Tapping Tattoo Demonstration on Oct. 14. Culinary artists will also be given a chance to show off their skills in cooking with an indigenous twist in an Indigenous Culinary Contest, also on Oct. 14. This will be hosted at Ili-Likha Artist’s Village as well. The 4th Pamana Art Exhibit at the Albergo Hotel will also run from Oct. 1 to 30 as part of the festival.

For more information and updates, visit the Baguio Gong Festival Facebook page.