Cultureight Travel - Philippine culture adventure eco-tourism http://www.cultureight.com Sustainable tourism, tours and travel in Asia, Philippines, Mindanao Sat, 29 May 2010 03:12:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en Hinilawod http://www.cultureight.com/hinilawod/ http://www.cultureight.com/hinilawod/#comments Sat, 29 May 2010 02:58:43 +0000 tams http://www.cultureight.com/?p=2123 Hinilawod is an epic poem written by the early inhabitants of a place called Sulod in central Panay. It’s like Homer’s Iliad, but longer. It has 28,000 lines, while Iliad only has 15,000. Chanted, the epic poem runs about six hours.

I just learned last night from Dr. F. Landa Jocano and his son, Prof. Felipe Jocano that Hinilawod, is equal to the Greek’s Odyssey, if not better. Though one BIG thing I learned from last night too is to not compare cultures, but to widen one’s mind and accept that each culture is unique and never above the other.

official photo from hinilawod

Hinilawod is not new to us, in fact it was developed by our great ancestors in the Visayas region. It is very important to us now, studying it and going back to it, because this is one of our LITERARY MASTERPIECES! Love Lord of the Rings movies? Hinilawod’s plot and characters beat that. Best thing, it is OURS, 100% Pinoy!

Reading and understanding it too will give us a better perspective of our value system long before we were colonized. This July, this grand epic of our race will be staged in Dumaguete. Here’s the official link to the organizer’s web site. If you would decide to watch, I think the experience comes with a tour around the island of Panay and Dumaguete. So it’s not just arts, but hands-on culture.

]]> http://www.cultureight.com/hinilawod/feed/ Expedition Title: Bottom’s Up in Tawi-Tawi http://www.cultureight.com/expedition-title-bottoms-up-in-tawi-tawi/ http://www.cultureight.com/expedition-title-bottoms-up-in-tawi-tawi/#comments Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:26:46 +0000 tams http://www.cultureight.com/?p=2102 Destinations: Tawi-Tawi

Days: 5

Live among the Sama Dilaut, Jama Mapun and Tausug peoples. Learn the tribal arts and bask in lone beaches. Closer to Sabah, Malaysia than to the mainland, its culture is colorfully rich and beautiful. Live on water as you stay in a traditional water hut, eat as much seafood as you can and soak up the sun in this wondrous journey.

Price: USD 475.00/ EUR 328.00/ PHP 21,850

Expedition Date: Open booking