Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Asian Center-Based UP Artists Discuss Avian Spirits, Sama-Bajau Song-Dance in Borneo Conference

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Category: News @ UP Asian Center

Drs. MCM Santamaria and Reuben Ramas Cañete, faculty of the Asian Center, participated in the 12th International Borneo Research Council Conference held from 5 to 7 August at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Dr. Santamaria, UP Artist and Professor of Asian and Philippine Studies, discussed a Southeast Asian song-dance in his paper, “Sangbaian Pangigilan: Probing the Contemporary Sama-Bajau Pagsangbay Song as a Source of Knowledge about Aesthetics, Kinaesthetics, and Identity.” He provided background information on the song as part of Sama-Bajau culture and showed how selected sangbaian pangigalan songs embody aesthetic, poetic, kinetic, visual and verbal concepts in Sama-Bajau culture. Dr. Santamaria’s paper was part of a panel, “Intangible Cultural Heritage,” which was chaired by Dr. Jacqueline Pugh-Kitingan. 

Reuben Ramas Cañete, Associate Professor at the Asian Center and also a UP Artist, offered “A Preliminary Study of Avian ‘Spirit’ Iconography Among the Dayak and Other Peoples of Southeast Asia.” The paper looks at the kenyalang sculptures of the Sarawak State residents in Malaysia and shows how they parallel the sarimanok of the Maranaos in Southern Mindanao. As such, the paper illustrates a ‘common cultural link’ between Borneo and Mindanao, in which avian spirits were disseminated across maritime Southeast Asia.

The conference, whose theme was "Diversity and Dynamism in Borneo" was organized by Kadazandusun Chair and the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Heritage, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Drs. MCM Santamaria and Reuben Ramas Cañete handle graduate-level courses in Asian and in Philippines Studies, covering the arts and cultural traditions of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. The Asian Center offers masters degrees in Asian Studies covering four areas of specialization: Northeast Asian Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, South Asian Studies, and West Asian Studies. The Center also offers an M.A. and a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies.

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