Kikik Burrows

IIIHO

Based on the accounts of the Chinese and early Spanish writers, the Ilonggo-Bisaya lived in permanent settlements with a relatively large population. They were engaged in the production of crops and crafts, and in fishing in the surrounding rivers and seas with their own-constructed wooden boats. They had a system of writing, their own songs, and dances, folk legend, epics, and stories. They wove colorful textile materials from piña, abaca, and cotton, as well as silk that they imported from the Chinese traders. They built sturdy houses made of wood, bamboo, nipa, and cogon. They were also expert silversmiths and coppersmiths and worked on intricate jewelry made of gold and silver. Moreover, early Spanish writers like Colin, Loarca, and Morga attested that the Ilonggos already enjoyed a certain degree of civilization at the time of the Spanish contact. - - - Excerpt from "Establishing Pre-colonial Ilonggo Identity" written by Henry Funtencha, February 2008 - - - Feel free to comment and contribute researches, articles and other information about the pre-Hispanic Iloilo (please provide link for sharing) . Salamat!

Momo Dalisay! :-) Hi friends, this is Tin from Artivism Iloilo core group and I'd like to tell you a bit about Momo Dalisay. He is a gifted songwriter, musician, installation artist, landscape designer, and storyteller from Brgy. Lawigan, San Joaquin. Momo advocates ecological healing as part of social healing and sustainable self-care. It was he who inspired me to pursue my love for community arts even more and to embrace the virtues of humility and hospitality in using my creative imagination for a more diverse and inclusive audience. He is the creator of Bakya mo Neneng and Istambay. Moreover, if you go to Balay Kaliwat in San Joaquin (his home and continuous building project), you're going to step into his aspiration for an intimate relationship with the natural world. Bonus: he is childlike, cool and fashionable, and funny! The Ilonggo arts community loves him for his openness and maabyanon spirit. I am really curious about your favorite advocacy-driven artist from the region or from other cultures. Please share about them here + helpful links to their work. Thank you!