TAWI-TAWI 2008
flying over uninhabited islands..
so many of them, textured jungle…
from up here in the clouds.. skies…
the water looks solid
The sacred rock juts mysterious into the mist.. raising.. sublime dark green jungle growth covers what they say is a rock in the shaped of a fierce boar, deadly up-turned tusks, tough wire-like hair…. a wild pig of a rock in a muslim country? must be pre-islamic…. That ferocious baboy damo must have bristled with fierceness and attacked with power and speed…
Others tell of a cautionary tale of unbridled wildness of youth … when, no one really remembers, except it was a long long time ago…an unmarried pregnant girl caught by the jin spirits… turned her into this rock…
Ahh..sacred rock of Bongao harbors Hussein Mohaman, his sweet voice tinge with aching loneliness, an emotionally moving nameless ache that ‘lumbai’ inserts itself and takes space within… it’s no wonder he is known as Pilita;
school teacher Ta’allao Manandao, soulful chanter of ancient epic, singer of contemporary songs, and gabbang musician extraordinaire;
Ta'allao front right standing
Mark, MSU instructor, Tausug choreographer trained and danced with Ligaya Amilbangsa–who developed dance form/technique she calls, pangalay–is passing on her technique to all students at MSU…
…in the busy market and Bongao’s town center, many women wore pajama ensemble pastel with small print .. yes considered dressy casual, the pajama terno was the favorite fashion choice …. panggi, cream-colored blocks of cooked or raw mashed cassava root ….must be a staple…i wondered how they prepare it….
it’s a sleepy town, not that different from any small fishing village in rural Visayas, except for the houses on stilts built further out onto the waters– otherwise the island is a picture of tropical bliss…calm, peaceful, deep blue waters, swaying coconut trees and friendly people…
