Kalinga and Field Research-3
The Kalinga and Field Research
- Identify the main stylistic features of Kalinga music.
- Identify the main connections between Kalinga music, culture and environment.
- Identify the reasons why Beni Sokking took up the craft of instrument making and how he learned it.
When I received an invitation from the Anthropology Department at the University of the Philippines in Manila to talk about ethnomusicology, I jumped at the opportunity. This would be my second visit to the Philippines and another chance to explore further the Philippines, a grouping of islands containing numerous ethnic groups and a variety of traditional music.
After my lecture, three members of the Department approached me and asked if I wanted to visit a traditional Kalinga musical instrument maker living in the highlands of northern Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Eager to explore some new music, I naturally agreed. Up to that point no one had yet mentioned that the term "Kalinga" means warrior and the last taking of a head by the Kalinga occurred as recently as the 1970s.
Field Research among the Kalinga
Field research is the main tool that anthropologists and ethnomusicologists use to bridge the gap between two very different cultural perspectives; that of western science and those of non western cultures that may not be literate or science oriented. In order to understand other cultures, researchers spend time living among the group that they are working with, learning the language, learning their customs, and basically trying to see the world through their eyes. It's not a perfect science, but it's the best method we have.
I had the privilege of spending a short time with Beni Sokkong, a Kalinga musical instrument maker living in the Philippines. An indigenous tribal group living in a rain forest environment, the Kalinga once relied heavily on bamboo for building homes, making tools and designing musical instruments. In recent times, the need for increased farming has threatened the survival of certain species of bamboo, some of which can only be harvested today with a special government permit.
Read about some of my experiences with the Kalinga and watch my video documentary, The Bamboo Muse, Musical Instruments of the Kalinga.
Open the first link below and read more about Dr. Such's research with the Kalinga. Then click on the You Tube link to watch his video production on the Beni Sokkong and the Kalinga. After watching the video, take the quiz.
1. Link Links to an external site. to more about Dr. Such's research.
2. Watch the video.
