Kaamulan Festival : Unity of Tribes
Kaamulan Festival all began in 1974. It was the fiesta of Malaybalay, May 15, in honor of San Isidro Labrador. The town’s vice mayor then, Edilberto Mamawag, thought of inviting some indigenous Bukidnon tribespeople to town. Mamawag thought a few dance steps by the natives at Plaza Rizal would enliven the fiesta-goers.
That simple idea caught fire. A former reporter for the Manila Times, Mamawag had at that time a guest Manila reporter who later wrote about it for a national magazine. That signaled the start of Kaamulan’s fame. One year led to another. On Sept. 16, 1977, the Regional Development Council adopted Kaamulan as the regional festival of northern Mindanao.
The name Kaamulan is Binukid for “social gathering.” There are eight indigenous groups in Bukidnon: the Matigsalug, Umayamnon, Ilianon, Pulangihon, Talaandig, Tigwa Manobo, Western Bukidnon Manobo and the Higaunon who are also found in the hinterlands of Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte. Comparative linguistic studies have shown that their languages, along with other Manobo languages of Mindanao, are daughter languages of an earlier parent language called Proto Manobo, the speakers of which were believed to have migrated to southern Mindanao many centuries ago.
Unlike other festivals, Kaamulan is not all street theater pageantry, although that is only one of its many facets. If other festivals have to stage-direct schoolchildren and make them appear as natives, in Kaamulan it is the real indigenous peoples who attract the crowds. And which is probably why the authentic rituals are what spice up the Kaamulan pageantry.
There is the pangampo (general worship), the tagulambong ho datu (a political ritual marking one’s formal ascendancy to the datuship), the panumanod (spiriting ceremony), the panlisig (edging away of evil spirits), another ceremony called pamalas and a native horse fight called kagsaba ho kabayo. source : seasite
The Kaamulan festival looks very interesting. Their outfits are also very colorful and authentic.
what did you do to make her really smile like that? the cameraman must be handsome. by the way she is pretty with a beautiful smile.
great photos
Kaamulan is indeed a colorful festival.
How & where can I get costumes like that? we’ll have a presentation of different festivals & we picked kaamulan.
hope you could help. thanks& regards!
yes… this is so very interesting… i want to see this festival soon… this is so helpful to me…. to make my project about festivals in philippines… thank you!!!!
how do pansilig ritual done???and what tribe have this ritual??i was just curious of it..i have’nt been there to watch but just get curious with the ritual…thanks!!!
kaamulan is unique among all festival in philippines,it is gathering
of all tribes with indigenous outfit.
certainly.. KAAMULAN festival is a very distinctive festivity compared to any other festivals in the country..
hehe with its diverse ethnicity, its just so astonishing that the unity among the people of Bukidnon is unmistakably reigning.. Long live the people of Bukidnon!!! Happy Kaamulan 2008!!! 
i’ll be home soon!!! 
Thanks for featuring our very own Kaamulan Festival! =) I hope your numerous readers will come and visit us for Kaamulan Festival 2008!
Bukidnon Online
http://www.bukidnononline.com
This is trully pure kind of festival.It include the history of seven tribes.The history of Bukidnon from the first survivor of great flood the cleancing of the earth datu entampil or apo entampil of higiaonon.
so proud to be taga bukid!
Hi!
wow! kaamulan fiestal is so very dramatic, and i’am so enjoyed with some people there.
i hope next year i will be there….
HAPPY FIESTA KAAMULAN
spencer
taga bukid jud!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HI,
I am proud to be one of the descendants of the FOUNDER OF KAAMULAN, PEPITA CATERIAL ONGKIATCO, the regional director of PANAMIN(Presidential Assistance on National Minorities)during her time.It’s a great experience when you got meet the tribes and know their culture.
wow!!! i really love kaamulan festival!!!
every year, i really go to malaybalay city
and witness the exciting kaamulan festival!!!
wow kaamulan, its my second time to be there, doing my field research,,, thank you very much bukidnon pipol for giving us info about ur festivity and tribes…..i really enjoy… but hope for the 3rd time sana hospitable naman ung ibang pipol nyo cause minsan binastos kami…even though my cp was stole by somebody im great to be there…..thank you for all
hey!!!!.. to all people i would like you to invite to come and visit bukidnon kaamulan fiestival to watch and see rituals and cerenonial of the seven tribes of bukidnon!!!!..,to all taga bukidnon hehehe!!ill be there soon!!!tanx!!