What is Philippine Traditional Arts?

One can easily be misled into thinking that Philippine Traditional Arts refer only to those arts that are also known as “tribal arts”. And why not since the implements crafted by our indigenous groups are indeed, more often than not, considered as traditional arts?

On close scrutiny however, of the phrase itself—Philippine Traditional Arts--, we can infer that these arts, as tradition goes, are practiced by particular communities, used in their everyday life, passed on from generation to generation, and are shaped by their way of life. Based on this inference, there appears to be no discrimination then as to class, region, or tribe. All things in consideration then, this could mean that even those practiced or made by Filipinos in Manila during American colonial period can qualify.

What are these traditional art things exactly? As these reflect the way of life of a community from generation to generation, these arts also mirror the things that these communities use in their everyday living. These include implements for cooking like pots, bowls, baskets, jars. Clothing, textile art, blankets, musical instruments, architecture, wood carvings, jewelries, tatoos, metalworks are also considered traditional arts. However, traditional arts are not only limited to those which are material in nature. The dances, songs, literature, music, and rituals practiced by people living in a particular area and period are also part of the arts defined by tradition, as it is part of their way of life.

In my opinion, these traditional arts can be considered as “endangered species” already for several reasons. One most important is that the preservation of these arts are not really taken cared of by those who should—be it the government or the people themselves. What happens then is that the “ways and the why’s of making” usually sadly dies with the old makers of these arts, like the weavers of Cordillera. The younger people in search of “greener pasture” opt to go to the cities and never learn the art. Probably, it is also because their way of life is also changing (as they want it to), as their exposure to the Western world expands via tourism, television, cable, music videos, radio, etc.

However, these arts are our treasure too-- something that we can tell or hopefully still share with our children in the future. Speaking for myself, I need to understand all the part and parcels of my culture, to fully understand who I am as a Filipino. For this reason, I believe that we have to protect the Philippine Traditional Arts, because we, the world, and the children of the future, need to hear the true story not only of our cultural or political history, but of who we are as a people.