“…this is Benguet, Rose of the Northern Mountains, May God keep her safe and forever free…”
One of the gateways into the Cordilleran Mountains is through Benguet, the native homeland of the Bagos, Ibalois, Ikaraos, Kalanguyas and Kankana-eys.
The first things most people would think of when they’d hear the word “Benguet” are probably the fascinating vegetable terraces and the colorful carpets of cut flowers. But, hey, there are more!
Along with its rich, colorful myriad cultures and practices, Benguet has its own music that has many distinctive rhythms and sounds and of course"instruments.
Like all other Cordilleran provinces, Benguet musical instruments play an important role in the social relationship amongst its people. They are inherent part of the people’s social affairs. A wedding ceremony or a cañao cannot continue without the playing of the musical instrument.
When played, they follow very definite patterns that seemingly conserve and reinforce beliefs, customs, attitudes and values emphasizing mainly on the rhythm rather than melody. Myriads of distinctive rhythms exist since there are different tribes in Benguet.
Sad to say, a lot of “I-Benguets” have little knowledge about these. Let this writer share a bit of the knowledge he acquired from the folks of Benguet out of his curiosities about his being an “I-Benguet”.
The basic instruments that are played during festivities or celebrations are the gongs or gangsa, the drums and the pair of iron bars.
There are basically two types of gangsa, the kal’sa and the pinsak. Both are made of brass or bronze and are beaten with two wooden sticks called pitog. The kal’sa has a high tone while the pinsak has a lower and coarser tone. The gongs are suspended by a cord held to a piece of wood or bone. In the olden days when headhunting was practiced, the gangsas were suspended by cord held to the slain enemy’s dried jaw bone. The gong players usually dance around with the dancers or the “dadin mantaytayaw”.
As important as the gongs are the drums. The drums usually come in pairs. The main instrument is the famous solibao while the other is the kimbal which is slightly bigger than the solibao. The drums are elongated and are skillfully carved hollow out of a tree trunk using chisel and hammer. One end is tightly covered with deerskin or horse hide while the other narrower opening is open.
The distinction between the two is that the kimbal is played by striking the skin with the palm while the solibao with the fingers of both hands. If fire is nearby, the drum players would often “heat” the skin part. It is believed to tighten the skin and thus would produce better sound.
The third basic instrument also comes in pair. It is a pair of iron rods called palas or tiktik. The player creates sounds by striking it together in a specific rhythm. In the olden days, the native folks used the hand spade or the “su-an” for digging potatoes and camotes as the instrument.
With these instruments, a festivity can surely be merry thus strengthening and ensuring social relationship. But playing these instruments are not as easy as hearing and watching them being played. There are several rhythms according to each tribe. The players should always keep the instrument’s rhythm while dancing. A single failure in the instrument’s rhythm would spoil the play.
There is also a proper sequence in playing the said instruments. The first to start is the solibao followed by the tiktik and the kimbal. In some cases, the solibao and the tiktik would start together. Following would be the kimbal, then the pinsak followed immediately by the kal’sa. The quality of the music depends on how the kal’sa is regulated thus it is considered the controlling piece of all the instruments.
Other than the three, Benguet also has instruments that are for entertainment.
The most popular is the pak’kung or piwpiw. It is made by cutting loose a triangle at one end of a dried bamboo three to four centimeters in diameter. It is about two feet in length and the center is scraped horizontally to about two thirds of its length. The distance between the upper and lower sides of the scraped area is about an inch.
On the handle, a small hole is carved to produce sound. The player strikes the slit against his palm thereby producing notes. The note may depend on the bamboo’s thickness or the way the musician plays it.
Originally, it is the womenfolk who generally play this instrument while on their way to the kaingin or oma. Accompanied by songs, it is believed that playing the pak’kung will drive away the evil spirits and serve as entertainment as they traverse the winding ways to their fields.
Another known instrument is the nose flute or ku’le’seng. It is made out of dried small bamboo tube which is two to three centimeters in diameter. Three holes are carved across the surface. The air from the nostrils is directed against a sharp edge as the fingers on the finger holes produce a clarinet-like melody. It is also one of the hardest instruments to play. When played by a good flautist, it is one of the mellowest instruments of Benguet.
There are many other Benguet instrument like the pal’keng, ko’deng and kal’sheng or kam’bi’tong to name some.
The various musical instruments testify to Benguet’s unique and colorful musical heritage, something an I-Benguet must truly be proud of.
Sad to admit, only few I-Benguets know of these. As the 21st century comes, the younger generations are already forgetting their own cultures and traditions. Nowadays, rock ‘n roll, OPM and country sounds are more likely to be known by the young people. They would often regard Benguet music as “corny”. Does it mean Benguet culture, YOUR culture is “corny” too? Nonsense!
It is now the time for “true” I-Benguets to stand proud to preserve their musical heritage despite the rapid change in their environment. It is also the time for the “other” I-Benguets to learn about their culture or forever be ignorant about their roots. It is us, the younger generation, who holds the key to keep our rich, unique heritage from the fangs of oblivion.
...coMmeNt baCk...tnX...!
