Editor’s Note:  Mr. Gurrea, Area Coordinator for Western Mindanao of Kalinawa Art Foundation, a private foundation based in Manila aimed for the preservation and promotion of indigenous visual fine arts in the Philippines, is the Founding President of the Zamboanga del Norte Federation of Visual Artists, Inc.

  

Subanen communities all over ZaNorte province gathered last April 16 to 20, 2007 in Mandih, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte to partake in the biggest ever Buklog Festival.  Considered as the most significant of all Subanen religious rituals, Buklog is a sacred gathering held in a specific community at least once in seven years. In Mandih, the last Buklog celebration was in 1999 at the residence of Datu Agdino B. Andus.

The Buklog is a major conglomeration of several other rituals such as PENGAMU, a thanksgiving rite for fulfilled wishes; SAMAYA, for the recovery of ill health; and PELENTU, a sacred ceremony for the spirits of the dead.  The Buklog is also a culmination of other rituals performed within the year. Among these equally solemn traditions are the PELIS, a ritual commencing agricultural tasks in the field; BAKTI, a beautiful ceremony of bringing home young rice grain and made into Lebek (popularly known as Pinipig), as an anticipation for a bountiful harvest; PESINGKU, the thanksgiving rite for good harvest and where baptism rituals (Kenubata) are occasionally concurred; GAMPANG, a major thanksgiving ritual for good health, harmonious living, peace and order, is also done to prevent the coming of evil as symbolized by encircling a line around a specific area.