Am-Among Festival, 2011

 The 2011 Am-Among Festival was once again a colorful visual and cultural experience for all who participated in and observed the activities.

Lisa snapped these photos as the street dancers were queing up for the parade.

In years past, these young ladies may have been comparing actual tattoos covering their arms.

The dances and cultural represented aspects of traditional life among the Bontoc people.  All of these presentations were made through the medium of traditional gong music and dancing.  Many depicted the agricultural background of the people here.

The girl on the left is Casey, a friend who used to be part of our SSM program.

Other Igorot historical practices such as courtship were highlighted as well.  But perhaps the most exciting was a presentation of a war dance where two combatants struggled against each other using traditional weapons.  The dancers showed intensity as the gongs played and they alternately danced for position and charged, clashing shields as they leaped through the air.

The festival was a great opportunity for our visiting team to experience the sights and sounds of the culture of Bontoc.  While enjoying the festival, the team distributed water bottles, as we have done in the past, to spectators in an effort to share the love of God with others.

Arielle sharing a drink with a new friend.

Bontoc Am-Among Festival

The rains that accompany the several typhoons we have had have finally given me enough time to make a post on the 2009 Bontoc Am-Among Festival. (Yes, I know it is 3 weeks behind.)

The day began with the parade, or street dancing. High school and college students from the 16 barangays that make up Bontoc danced their way along the parade route wearing traditional outfits: tapis for the ladies and g-strings for the guys. The route ended at the municipal plaza where each group performed a final dance before a well earned rest.

Annalise with a better view than most

After the parade, we enjoyed an hour and half of Ilocano language exposure during the program. Various officials from the barangays gave speeches. We would have passed on this part of the experience, but the day before someone stopped Thomas on the street and told us we needed to be at the program, they had a surprise for us. At the conclusion of the speeches, Bontoc Mayor Odsey presented Lisa (Liza on the certificate - her Filippina name) and me with a certificate of appreciation for the work our family has done in the community. We were surprised.

In grateful appreciation for their outstanding dedicated service to the people of Bontoc, by providing free laboratory services and counseling on healthy lifestyle, and for donating various supplies and materials for the benefit of the people of Bontoc.

Thank you to all who have supported us and made such service and donations possible!

After that part of the program, the cultural competitions began. The groups who had danced in the parade played music and danced at the plaza. Each dance represented some aspect of Igorot culture. Subjects included planting and harvesting rice, courtship and marriage, tribal conflict, and a representation of the spirit god, Lumawig. We enjoyed watching the dancers and learning more about the culture of this place.

Alayna enjoying the cultural dance competition

After lunch, there were the indigenous games. We arrived a little late, but we got to see some of the human tug-o-war. We never figured out the rules of another game that involved a tin can and flip-flops. The last of the games was a team competition involving coordination and rhythmic hopping. Photos are in the video at the top of the page. (A sample of the last game can be seen in an earlier post, click here.)

Lisa with some of the girls from her Values Education class at Bontoc Central School

Here's a mix, tapis and juice packets - a little old, a little new

After the competition was over, we went to the playground at the provincial plaza.

Myjay and Alexie

Adriana and Cassey

The End

Visas, Buses, and Annalise

The many prayers said regarding our long-term missionary visas were answered! We went to Immigration Tuesday, signing in at 9:15 a.m. We encountered absolutely no lines. Our file was immediately pulled and we were escorted to a lawyer's office. He looked through our file. Once again, there were questions regarding Annalise's birth certificate but he seemed satisfied with our answers. He asked to see our passports, asked who was the oldest child and then asked Adriana "How old are you?" Then he looked at me and asked "Who are you?" When I answered that I was the mother there were no more questions. Thomas signed a paper and then the lawyer signed his name. We need to return in 3 months to see if our file has been released.

I felt it very important to take the time and stop to tell the head of the legal department "Salamat po." (Thank you) The girls were already starting down the stairs when she motioned them to come back. Once again I was amazed at how God worked through Annalise. This lady, who had seemed so grouchy before, held Annalise's hand and suddenly transformed into a loving grandmother.

We had asked the lawyer for a phone number that we could call to check if our files were released, but he insisted we must inquire in person. Three months from now puts us right in the Christmas season and we wondered when the government offices would be closed. No one seemed aware of the schedule, but downstairs one of the employees graciously gave us his personal number not wanting us to travel so far to find the offices closed.

Those close to me know I struggle with worrying. God has done a great work in my heart and slowly this burden is lessening. I had such a sweet peace about our hearing. I recognized we were asking for much but just trusted that God would take care of all the details. I prayed a simple prayer of faith and truly left it to Him. At 9:30 a.m. we were outside getting a cab! (9:30 a.m. was when they agreed we could see if a lawyer would be available for our hearing.)

We got on the bus and journeyed the 6 hours to Baguio to renew our tourist visas as they were scheduled to expire November 27. Our plan was to go Wednesday morning to renew the visas then continue to Bontoc. But we found that Wednesday was a holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. The number of Muslims is increasing in the Philippines and there is much said about keeping peace with our Muslim neighbors and so, in respect, all government offices were closed. So our return home was delayed. On Thursday morning we greeted the immigration officials in Baguio that we have gotten to know by name. (Ironically two of them have been waiting for years for their visas to go to the U.S.) Renewing in there is really easy as the office is much smaller than in Manila. We were able to leave in about 20 minutes with our stamped visas in hand. We are quite familiar with the process by now but we did not know there is a special fee if you stay more than 6 months. Renewing our tourist visas for two months this time cost more than our long term missionary visas but hopefully it will be the last time we need to.

"Back into the bus," seems to be a common phrase for our family as once again we were back in the bus on our way to Bontoc. The bus broke down a few times but still the trip took only six and a half hours. We arrived home to the news that Annalise's photo had been in the September 28 edition of the local newspaper, Mountain Province Exponent. Evidently we were not the only ones who noticed this friendship during the Am-Among Festival.

Lisa

The caption reads, "This is a different perspective of Am-Among."

Sunday at the Am-Among Festival

After church, we spent the rest of the day at the Am-Among Festival. Because of the number of pictures we wanted to include, I divided the pictures into 3 posts. I am not going to include a lot of comments, you will get the feel of the day.

Wherever Annalise was, we could hear the request, "Let me hold her."

Volleyball championsip game underway.

Martial Arts at Am-Among Festival

Folk Dancing at Am-Among Festival

The End