“We see GUMIL Filipinas’ choice, which doubles as an obligation. deserving our salute”
WE TAKE our hat off to GUMIL Filipinas, the association of Ilokano writers at home and overseas, for organizing GUMIL Dan-ay 2 on March 30, a fitting curtain raiser to April as Literature Month for the Ilokanos, who constitute 8.0 percent of the Philippine population.
This makes them the third largest ethnolinguistic group in multilingual and multiethnic Philippines (population 117 million), after the Tagalog and the Bisayan group, followed by more than 160 other languages.
The writers association, headed by 46-year-old Cagayan-born poet Ariel S. Tabag, will flaunt during the four-hour spectacle starting at 1 pm in Laoag City the different categories of Ilokano poetry from known poets from the different chapters of the association founded on Oct. 19, 1968 which held its first convention in Baguio City with then Sison, Pangasinan Mayor Arturo M. Padua as its founding president.
The event, transmitted live via the internet, also aims to honor Pedro Bucaneg (March 1592-c. 1630), considered the “Father of Ilokano literature.”
Blind since birth, Bucaneg, born 196 years before the birth of Francisco Baltazar (April 2, 1788-Feb 20, 1862), is believed to have authored parts of the Ilokano epic Biag ni Lam-ang (“The Life of Lam-ang”), a heroic poem regarded to have originated in pre-colonial times which tells the story of Lam-ang’s life from avenging his father’s murder, to being eaten by the water monster Berkakan, to being reborn and living happily ever after with his love, Ines Kannoyan.
It will also memorialize Leona Florentino (April 19, 1849-Oct 4, 1884), a Filipino woman poet, dramatist, satirist, and playwright who wrote and poetically in Ilocano, her mother tongue, and Spanish, the lingua franca of her era.
Both Bucaneg and Florentino are from the province of Ilocos, split into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur on Feb. 2, 1818, following a Spanish Royal Decree aimed at gaining political control and addressing the region’s growing population
The Dan-ay – acronym for Poetry and Others – extravaganza will feature dallang (chant or lullaby), dallot (a song and dance performance similar to ‘kinnantaran’ in some parts of the region), daniw (poetry), Bukanegan (a literary genre better known as a verbal joust), as well as tapat or harana (serenade).
As we doff our hat to the present leadership, we also take the space to appreciate the contributions and efforts of other stanchions of Ilokano literature, directly linked to culture since they both align with each other.
Culture embraces the beliefs and values of society, in this case the Filipino northerner, and literature itself conveys them in different literary shapes.
With the second Dan-ay, Ilokano writers and those interested in the northerners’ culture will have a glimpse of Ilokano literature, properly a powerful tool that reflects the humanity of the region which has significantly influenced the Ilokanos for generations.
Their literature has dramatically influenced their society through divergent forms like poetry, fiction, prose and drama which encourage innovative thinking.
Through their literature – and GUMIL Filipinas has published several anthologies since its foundation which have reinforced public libraries in northern Philippines – the Ilokanos have conveyed crisply their cultural ideas, values and beliefs and gave them the tool to tell other people about their experiences and their narratives.
It has given them the power to promote social change as well as helped them preserve their oral and written culture and tradition.
Linguists and other experts have often said the essence of literature lies in its ability to use language creatively to explore human experiences, emotions, and ideas, offering a window into different cultures, perspectives, and realities, and ultimately, reflecting and shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world.
What GUMIL Filipinas is doing, through Dan-ay and its continuing seminars and webinars, is beyond doubt safeguarding and preserving the Ilokano cultural heritage for future generations.
The group has embraced technology and celebrated traditional practices – as will be done at month’s end – by celebrating long-established practices while standing up to and meeting the challenges of the digital age.
We see GUMIL Filipinas’ choice, which doubles as an obligation. deserving our salute.