Asst. Prof. Jose R. Taton Jr. presented a paper titled “Danuk-Danukay Agong: Locating The Limug (Voice) of Agong Instruments in Western Visayan Cultural Communities” at the Center for West Visayan Studies (CWVS) on October 23, 2023. The lecture is in commemoration of the Indigenous Peoples Month celebration.
In his lecture, he highlighted the status and future of Panay Bukidnon agong as a socio-cultural object embedded with musical histories and narratives. He was joined by Panay Bukidnon elder, Teresita Caballero-Castor, who shared key insights on performances related to the agong. The talk expounds the idea of “limug”, literally translated as voice and a central facet of gong music practice and tradition, which is integral in the community’s linguistic repertoire and sound aesthetics. “The agong’s limug,” as Taton asserts, “faces threats, issues, and challenges including material destruction, trading in informal markets, and heritage privatization. These contexts contribute to the absence of gong materials in communities leading to a waning, if not cessation, of tradition.”
The talk ends with a challenge on how to engage research on materials and objects of tradition particularly in the vitality, viability, and sustainability of music traditions. This talk a product of his recently concluded research project under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and an ongoing research work funded by the UPV Regular In-house Research Program of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension.
The lecture was organized by the Center for West Visayan Studies headed by its Director Prof. Anthea Redison and was attended by university students, faculty, staff and guests.
