Basilan marks 40th year with Tumahik

MANILA, Philippines - Despite all the distressing news coming out of Mindanao, a re-visit to Basilan is actually a peaceful experience that allows tourists to recharge and be rejuvenated. Basilan is not only known for beautiful beaches, but also home to a rich and ancient culture.

Recently, the province marked its 40th anniversary, highlighting the second Tumahik Festival. It is one of the most popular indigenous cultural practices of the Yakans. “Although the Tumahik dance is commonly known as a war dance, it is also a symbol of the groom’s responsibility to protect his bride and their family. The performance exemplifies our responsibility not just to our families, but to our communities and society,” noted Princess Sitti Djalia  Hataman, Anak-Mindanao representative.

Eleven contingents participated in the competition. Each contestant donned Yakan finery and carried the Budjak (spear) and Taming (shield). Budjak is the Yakan weapon in case of provocation and attack. The Basilan government and Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao-Department of Tourism headed by Assistant Secretary Tess Sakkalahul, organizers of the event, decided to highlight Tumahik because it is an opportunity for Yakan male performers to practice their mental and physical skills, while demonstrating their ability to defend and protect their wives and families. The performances were accompanied by the traditional gong, kulintang, gabbang and kulaing percussion instruments.

The festival testifies the Yakan tribal communities’ cultural identity.

“The Tumahik Festival turned out to be not just a showcase of the Tumahik war dance, but of the diverse culture of the Yakans as the dances incorporated movements, depicting wedding rituals, weaving, traditional conflict mediation, fishing and farming, as well as driving away bad spirits. Rousing the curiosity of visitors were musical instruments rarely seen in public festivities: The Ghazali, made up of four layers of long bamboo poles of different sizes; and the Tuntungan, which has a plank of wood hanging over a stand decorated with rice cakes, hanging over the wood are two clay jars, big and small, which vibrate as one end of the wood is rhythmically pounded by a long pole, while the other end is drummed by two shorter sticks. According to elders, the Ghazali is played during planting, with the belief that music or singing encourages the seeds to grow faster and yield more, while the Tuntungan is played as a celebration during harvest and pounding of rice grains,” added Hataman.

A Yakan Oratorical and Poetry Competition also highlighted the province’s 40th year, where native Yakans performed traditional narratives they call Lunsey, Kata-Kata and Sa-il. These are extemporaneous speaking with different melodies and rhythms. Many pieces centered on religion and faith, family, leadership, unity among the people and other anecdotes on life. The oldest contestant was 80 years old while the youngest was seven, a manifestation of how alive the Yakan tradition is.

Present during the opening ceremony were ARMM Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, Vice Gov. Keemhar Jay Sakkalahul, Secretary Lu Antonino, ARMM-DOT Sec. Tess Maguindrata and Basilan mayors. —Ayunan G. Gunting