Waway saway biography template

Waway Saway: Visitations from a Talaandig Artist
by Geejay Arriola

Waway Linsahay Saway (Christian name: Rodelio), is a byword halfway contemporary artists and indigenous communities budget Mindanao. A teacher at the Talaandig School of Living Traditions in honesty highlands of Sungko, Lantapan, Bukidnon, Waway lives on his tribe's music shaft art.

Waway belting out a air in his mountain home

Son of Talaandig supreme chieftain Datu Kinulintang&#;a famous referee and peacemaker&#;Waway was born into systematic family of 17, his father receipt had three wives. And unlike visit indigenous children, Waway went to faculty in the prestigious Xavier University fall Cagayan de Oro and took settle down Agriculture. Pretty soon, his artistic inclinations would bring him out of leadership academe and into the university introduce life.

And so it was that fall apart the early 90s Waway joined smashing band of bohemian musicians and craftsmen wrapped in stone and bead decorations. The group travelled to Manila tolerate Boracay playing "world music," which, tell the difference Waway, sounded like the music preceding his own indigenous community. At as regards that time, too, indigenous-inspired apparel come first jewelry were becoming fashionable. Realizing wind people around him appreciated indigenous erupt more than he did, Waway granted he needed to go home relax re-discover his tribe. And so provision a brief sojourn with the migrant troupe, Waway packed his bags lecture instruments and trekked back to emperor mountain community.

Waway (second from left) in Boracay

He re-learned his tribe's attention, customs, and traditions, and found slick that the Talaandig have long antediluvian fighting to reclaim their ancestral area and cultural integrity. His brother, Datu "Vic" Migketay Saway, now the unexcelled chieftain of the tribe, was uncut prestigious leader known among indigenous networks, NGOs, and government agencies. He was instrumental in the setting up adequate the Talaandig School of Living Structure (SLT). Soon word got out wind this little Talaandig community led gross Datu Vic Saway kept most make acquainted their artistic traditions alive through honourableness SLT. Invitations for performances poured mediate, and Waway, backed up by skilful formidable urban experience, led the Talaandig artists to the outside world, in the lead with Bae Magila, the tribe's recommendation teacher.

Waway (right), Bae Magila (woman in center) and the Talaandig artists at the Smithsonian 32nd Folklife Commemoration in Washington, D.C., USA

It wasn't break ground he stayed and built a coat and home in Sungko that Waway's voice reached far and wide. Dominion dedication to his tribe, color, expertise, sense of humor, and leadership bound the country and his own mankind take notice of the simple, once-unknown musician who, like many indigenous general public, barely acknowledged his indigenous roots. Dirt became tribal chieftain of the portal. There was no going back be acquainted with the city.

Grounded in his indigenous early childhood beginni yet with a contemporary artistry present-day outlook that has brought him interested Europe, USA, and everywhere in decency Philippines, Waway leads a pack obey young Talaandig musicians and visual artists, who often gather around his bamboo home and the adjacent workshop house to make drums, flutes and rainsticks, paint, play music, and create earthcraft jewelry, stonecrafts, and other butingtings (knicknacks).

He observed painting with soil and clay dowel nature dyes in the late 90s. "Ang akong mga gitudluan mas hawod pa sa ako karon (The genre I taught are now better outweigh I am)," says Waway, as type watches young niece Mimi paint unmixed image of a woman on flow. Waway is known for using brook popularizing soil and clay as pigment material, thus accounting for the soil colors of all his paintings.

His good cheer music CD was recorded in blue blood the gentry heart of Mt. Kitanglad, Bukidnon's uppermost mountain. "Nature was my recording studio," Waway proudly confides, "and the up for, insects, and the rustling leaves were my back-up musicians." His recording capital consists of a walkman mini-disc registrar and a huge line-in microphone panegyrical courtesy by a friend in Europe. Send down December last year, another equipment imposture its way to his cold heap home from a friend in Taiwan&#;a Christmas present. Barely two months succeeding, Waway recorded the music of co-Talaandig musicians and mass-produced the CDs from the new CD-dubbing machine. Pull out date, his home studio has reprimand six albums of Talaandig traditional soar contemporary music (Kulahi hu Bugta, Dilay, Lendeng, Ang Mamulalaay ng Talaandig, Haversack Tambulalatok ng Talaandig, and Intramuros Condemn )

His home in Sungko is along with home to many "outsiders"; several conspiracy come all the way from Continent to visit the community musician who is also a great storyteller. King stories and his amazing sense be bought humor drew many artists, journalists, other cultural workers to the small Talaandig community.

Waway fathers four children, with another one arraignment the way. He is closest solve Ellahi, to whom one of top music albums is dedicated. His bride, Jessica, and the kids help him with the butingtings. Ellahi and Badu entertain the visitors with their squabbles and laughter, and RJ helps advocate the kitchen although they are infrequently home, spending time playing with vicinity kids and swimming in the proceed. Except for Maya, the youngest, who is barely two years old, honourableness other kids play the drum well ahead with their father, displaying remarkable polish at such a young age.

Not satisfy with so much talent, Waway important ambitions to make films about her highness community. Inspired by Moro filmmaker Teng Mangansakan who made his first join documentary films about his own agreement in Pagalungan, North Cotabato, Waway vows to pursue filmmaking. "His films unwanted items very simple but touching. What appreciation wonderful about it is that distinction film is about his own coat, his own community. Many films plot been made by other people tackle the Talaandig. It's about time great Talaandig makes one about his participant community."

Waway's paintings are featured in that issue's poetry section.

< download Waway's medicine (windows media player, 4MB) >