Filipino News 168

ISSUE 168 | EVENTS | www.filipinoheroes.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.filipinonews.nz | 09 BUHAY
www.filipinoheroes.nz : Over a 120 Filipino Kiwi Heroes have been recognised over the years by Filipino News NZ.
NZ
Kalinga smashes
world record for
gong players and
‘banga’ dancers
AUCKLAND
– On February
15 of this year
the resounding
clanging of
thousands of
brass gongs in
the land locked
province of
Kalinga, in the
heart of the
Cordilleran
Mountain region in
Northern Luzon, heralded
two Guinness Book of
World Records for the
Philippines.
During its 28th founding
anniversary celebrations
the region made history
when it was listed as having
the largest male gong
ensemble and the largest
number of female banga or
pot dancers at a grand
spectacle at the Kalinga
S p o r t s
Complex.
Dubbed as a
'Call of a
Thousand
Gongs, Dance of
a Thousand
Pots', a total of
3,440 men
played gongs,
while 4,681 women
danced with pots
called 'banga' balanced
on their
heads.
The indigenous
people of Kalinga,
which is one of six
provinces of the Cordilleran
region, are well represented
in New Zealand.
“The women living here
are employed as nurses or
office staff and some of the
men are builders, dairy
farmers and landscapers,”
says Conie Sokkong, an
elder of the community.
“We have our own community
organization with
more than 300 members in
the North Island and lots
more in the South Island.”
On the 8th of April the
By Ricky Matthew
group congregated for the
2nd Kalinga Day celebration
in Henderson, Auckland.
“Kalinga Day is celebrated
in early February
when villagers join together
to feast and show their
culture and traditions,”
says Conie. “But in New
Zealand we hold the event
in April as we don’t have
enough lead time to organize
it.
“When the Kalinga
brass gongs are beaten it is
an invitation to everybody
to celebrate with us. We
love to wear our traditional
costumes and present
our music and dance at
weddings and festivals.
“We always wear our
costumes when we dance
or present to visitors. The
typical Kalinga clothing
for men is called the
‘bahag’ (loincloth) while
women usually wear the
‘kain’, or a colourful garment
that covers from the
waist down,” shares Conie.
“The cloth for the cotton
garments is hand woven.
“We have original
‘bunge’ heirloom beads
from Kalinga. They can be
worn on the head or as a
necklace called ‘ong-ong’
or as a long
necklace -
‘apogee’.
“These are
passed on
from our
grandparents.
Kalinga Day celebration in
Henderson (above left) and
Conie Sokkong, elder (above).
They give them to us as
treasures.”
The Kalinga Organization
of New Zealand has
been nominated to receive
the Filipino-Kiwi Hero
Award for Community
Group of the Year 2023.
More details at: www.
filipinoheroes.nz.