Talaandig Day 2010 and Tribal Wedding

Went to the mountains to witness one of my besties from work get married to a datu. It's been a while since a datu got married in their tribe so it was a very special day for the Talaandigs.  Their wedding day also coincided with the day of the tribe so the atmosphere was really festive.

(Note for researchers who want to copy the pictures:  Please respect the Talaandig Tribe and use their pictures prudently.  They have their own rules about these things that I would not want to intrude on.)

Entrance marker to the Talaandig Ancestral Land.

Crowd was waiting...

I love that most of the tribe were wearing their beautiful dresses.

Program in the morning.

1001 Artworks Exhibit at noon before the wedding. 

Total number of artworks they got was 2000-plus since the nanays in the tribe also flexed their creative muscles. Media used on the canvasses are paint made from clay soil from their land and oil.

 Wood  and clay sculptures

A wall post in the tribal hall depicting the tribal members. 

There are more posts like this in the tribal hall. I think these are made of clay as well.

Painting of Talaandig warrior.

 Painting of Talaandig couple dancing

Another beautiful painting.  There are lots more.

By now, you may have noticed that the Talaandig tribe take their art and culture seriously. I was surprised at how each native REALLY looked at each artwork for a long time before moving on to the next. 

Wedding of Datu Anilaw and Lorie 

My friend Lorie works in an NGO advocating for Indigenous People's Rights.  Anilaw visited their office one day and the rest is literally history.

Start of the wedding. Groom waited at another house. 

They had their own pre-wedding rituals there. 

Then they marched on to the main hall where the bride and the tribe were waiting.

 Groom's march.

  Negotiation of the Dowry.

Money for dowry. Each family member contributes a coin. 

The bride's party also gave coins... Interestingly enough, the total from both parties randomly tied at the same amount (traditionally the groom's party's money should be greater... something indicative about equal standing there, I guess...) 10 chickens were also sacrificed but no one took pictures of that. And the chicken blood was brushed over the money.

 Blessing of the couple.  

Commitment of both families (in this case, the whole tribe) to support them and their family.

 First meal together, courtesy of the sacrificed chikons.

 Ladies of the tribe danced in the hall to seal the deal.

 First dance. I cried at this part. heehee.

 Everybody dance. 

Dances were usually inspired by the animals found in Mt. Kitanlad. I learned of the bird dance and monkey dance. I was with the bride so no dancing for me. I'm so kj.

 Tribal Disco after. 

Music courtesy of local resident artist-musician-poet Waway. Their music that night had reggae and rock beats.  The concert rocked on 'til 4am.

Mt. Kitanlad

We chanced upon several ladies in native dress. This lady is the daughter of a datu.

 Intricate beading on the dresses. 

I think they embellish their own dresses and headdresses.

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