Philippine E-Journals

Invoking the Spirits: Sagagong in Teduray Society

Helen S. Tejero

Discipline: Music, Cultural and Ethnic Studies

 

Abstract:

This study investigated the role of the sagagong (gong ensemble) in Teduray Society by examining the context and techniques involved in music making and the musical patterns involved in playing the five gongs in the ensemble. Field work was done in the sitio of Maganoy, South Upi, Bugawas, Dinaig, Kibucay and Nuro Upi of Maguindanao Province and in Sitio Tudog, Kulaman, Kalamansig of Sultan Kudarat Province through a series of field trips in the summer months of 1987- 1991. Key informants were the sagagong musicians, the religious leaders (beleyan), heads of subsistence groups (kafuduwan), a native district supervisor, and a native elementary grades teacher of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).

Participant-observation, focus-group discussion, and interviews with people involved in the musical practices were also done to get a thorough understanding of the role of the sagagong in Teduray society.