Slide 1

The Dying Art Form of Ambahan

Presented by Angela Espinosa
Slide 2
What is Ambahan?
-It is poetry in a prehispanic language that is chanted melodically
-written in Surat Mangyan on Bamboo
- poems are about friendship, love, life, nature and many more
- meanings of the poems are very deep and symbolic
-prehispanic spoken word from the Mangyan tribe specifically the Hanunuo Tribe
Slide 3

Slide 4
Why is it a dying art form?
-Less and less mangyan folk are practicing this art form
-Most elders who are Ambahan poets are passing away
-due to the development of Occidental Mindoro the new generation of Mangyans
mainly speak Tagalog
-lack of support from the government

Slide 5
What has been done to address this issue:
-

Bilog a well known Ambahan poet would teach elementary children near his
area writing and chanting Ambahan
Bilog also built a Training center in Bait Mansalay to for the younger
generation to learn more about Ambahan
NCCA have supported this center in order to preserve this art form

Slide: 6
What else could be done:
-In order to keep an art form alive you have to keep the people making it alive
-Government should support tribes in general without disrupting their current ways
of life
-Share this art form to people who would be interested

-preserve the poetry that has been made in physical and digital archives