Makabayan Z
A look back at the life and works of Uwang Ahadas
Uwang Ahadas a world renowned Yakan musician who received a Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan for his musical skills in indigenous instruments. Here he demonstrates his skills while teaching the young Yakan. He plays the gabbang, a bamboo xylophone, and the kwintangan kayu, a type of percussion instrument made of logs.
ICHCAP ( International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region) safeguards cultural legacies through video recordings and other forms of digital recording. Uwang Ahadas was considered an intangible heritage of our country by ICHCAP and had him interviewed for his contribution to Yakan and Philippine heritage.
In the Island of Basilan, an indigenous group of people called the Yakan survives and thrives all the while keeping their rich and vibrant culture alive. Uwang Ahadas, a near-blind man with musical prowess, lives in the small island of Basilan. The community where Uwang lives threats his visual impairment to be some sort of punishment placed upon him by nature spirits. As the world around him darkens music became the light to his dim and blurred world. Uwang’s interest in his people’s instruments started at a young age, his parents supported and encouraged him to learn the gabbang and the kwintangan kayu both of which are the Yakan’s instruments to serenade nature.
Here we can see Uwang Ahadas holding his student’s hand gently to demonstrate how to properly use the gabbang to produce beautiful music.
Much like the agung and the kulintang, the gabbang or the bamboo xylophone. The gabbang is a significant musical tool of the Yakan’s as they use them to serenade the crops so that they be abundant.
Uwang Ahadas is seen here playing the kulinatang, or the gongs-in-a-row, by using a mixture of slow and fast paced beats, this caused a pleasant harmonic sound to be produced by the kulintang. Even though being nearly blind Uwang is a able to skillfully play the instrument with ease.
Members:
Hannah Jane Tiongson
Clarisse Alicdan
Latrell Amandy
Allan Garcia
John Eliseo Nicolas
Resources:
National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (2019, September 3). GAMABA: Uwang Ahadas. Retrieved from https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-uwang-ahadas/
New Releases. (2006, June 18). Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://pcoo.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/News%20Releases/2006/jun18.htm?TSPD_101_R0=97057795f47860e44f03af51848652cbiQH000000000000000002899031ffff000000000000000000000000000062893043002dc923bd082a1376ffab200070ad59e08eae48bf65825d8aea20fbcfa4fed03f03c295f17ca1cedaf0899d9908d44605100a28001ee67bf5bff12acb1e380c42aa92e618705ffadc6a0d95c6175523a6a9867b42471ff9158e86b3b2
LAMITAN, BASILAN: Meeting Uwang Ahadas, a “National Living Treasure Awardee.” (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinoyadventurista.com/2015/06/lamitan-basilan-meeting-uwang-ahadas.html