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Buklog: Thanksgiving Ritual System of the Subanen

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Manage No	PI00003482
Country	Philippines
Year	2018-03
ICH Domain	Social practices, rituals, festive events

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Description	A balyan, a Subanen shaman, performs the daga ritual, anointing participants on the palms with a mixture that includes chicken blood, while chanting a prayer. This ritual binds community members in a spirit of unity, asks for blessings and is part of many Subanen ceremonies including the Buklog, the most elaborate system of rituals of thanksgiving of the Subanen people of Zamboanga Peninsula in southern Philippines.
Photographer	Roel Hoang Manipon
Place	Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur	File Size	6.76MB
Definition	4032x3024	File Format	JPG
Copyright	ICHCAP, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) of the Philippines	-

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EE00000039 Buklog, thanksgiving ritual system of the Subanen
Buklog is an elaborate thanksgiving ritual system of the Subanen, which has several attendant rituals. It is noted for its elevated structure with a highly flexible platform, which serves as a sacred and social space for rituals and the community dance. It is open for all members of the community, and those outside the community are also welcomed in most of its rituals. The Buklog has mythic origins and is mentioned in age-old epics. Until today, it performs both communal and integrative functions. The Subanen’s economic, social, political, cultural and ritual lives intertwine to constitute a single system, motivated by shared tenets of cultural survival —consulting the spirits, working with nature, and sharing with others. The Buklog is planned by the head of a host family, usually a village chief called ‘timuay,’ to appease and express gratitude to the spirits for many reasons such as a bountiful harvest, recovery from sickness or calamity, or acknowledgement of a new leader. The Subanen’s deep sense of spirituality is affirmed in the Buklog, where a representation of Dwata Magbabaya, the supreme god, as Apu Usog (the great ancestor), joins the community. The attendant rituals ensure harmony among members of a family, clan and the community, as well as among the human, natural, and spirit worlds. Harmony is requisite to the success of the Buklog, an indication of a socially cohesive community. The attendant rituals are the ‘sinulampong,’ which signifies the community’s readiness to hold the Buklog and to ask permission from the spirits to gather materials from the forest; the ‘sangat’, to maintain the balance in the spirit world through coin offerings; the ‘panmalwasan,’ where spirits of the departed are invited to the feast; and the ‘gampang’ and ‘gilet,’ to invoke spirits of the water and land. ‘Giloy,’ chants of praise; music; and dance are performed all throughout the ritual system, functioning not only for entertainment, but to embody the aesthetic aspects of Subanen life and to substantiate their spirituality. The community then starts the construction of an elevated wooden structure called the Buklog, where the system derives its name. At the center of the platform, a single pole called ‘petaw’ is installed to hit a hollowed-out log called ‘dulugan.’ While dancing on the flexible platform, the structure resonates with a sound believed to please the spirits and signify the culmination of the festivity. The ‘dulugan’ is the Buklog’s musical icon and serves as aural embodiment of Subanen’s cosmology. The final ritual of the Buklog, called ‘giti-an,’ is done on the platform, where the rules for the celebration are expressed and the spirits start to commune with the people. This is followed by a community dance called ‘gbat’, a moment marked by joy and excitement resulting from the renewal of spiritual and social relationships within the community. All community members, regardless of age, gender, social status, education, and level of mental and physical capability, are encouraged to join the rituals and festivity, which last for several days. Through the Buklog, the Subanen indigenous secret knowledge is respected, preserved and transmitted. The ritual system remains the most compelling cultural marker of the Subanen’s individual and collective identity and the strongest unifying force of the community.

Philippines 2019

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VI00000320 Buklog: Subanen Thanksgiving Ritual
The Buklog is a thanksgiving ritual practiced by the Subanen people in Southern Philippines, and is one of the most spectacular and elaborate rituals in the nation. This video follows the Buklog Thindeg, which is performed together by several communities in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Participants hold sacred an elevated wooden structure called the Buklog, from which the ritual derives its name, while dancing and singing to please the spirits. The Buklog is a powerful ritual to unite the Subanen community, but it faces an uncertain future due to urbanization and modernization.

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Philippines 2018