Philippines - 1. Henry Luce III Library and Archives, 2. Central Philippine University
The Hinilawod Recordings collection contains the Hinilawod, or the epics of Panay, recorded in audio format using a magnetic tape recorder by anthropologist Dr Felipe Landa Jocano and Panay Bukidnon epic chanters “Ulang Udig” from Lambunao, Iloilo and Narcisa “Hugan-an” Lingaya of Tapaz, Capiz, from 1956 to 1957. It preserved 15 epics (two were published) that were narrated/chanted in archaic Karay-a, one of the languages of Panay. The epics reflected the worldview of an indigenous people’s group that lived far from town centres, and was protected from lowlanders’ intrusion by their rugged terrain and environment. The recordings are the earliest known extensive documentation of the epics, which inspired wider interest in the studies of Panay oral literature. It preserved the living voices of the chanters, the very important sound of culture or performance that is the heart of an oral literature and which is absent in manuscripts of tales with origins in oral traditions. This is a sample of an indigenous oral literature with apparent precolonial provenance, thus, a rich resource for the understanding of the indigenous Bisayan culture and the shared and threatened oral tradition of the Asia Pacific region. Its inscription to the MOWCAP Regional Register will help in its immediate conservation, including transcription and translation of the remaining epics to prevent dissociation.
2024