DAVAO CITY (PIA) - A documentary of Davao City’s 11 ethno-linguistic groups will premiere online as part of the 36th Kadayawan sa Davao virtual celebration.

Tribu Kadayawan will feature the different facets of culture like traditions, beliefs, ancestral homeland, music, dance, livelihood, cuisine of the 11 ethno-linguistic groups.

The 11 groups are the Ata, Klata, Tagabawa, Ovu Manuvu, Matigsalog comprising the lumad peoples, then the Moro groups consisting of the Tausug, Sama, Iranun, Maguindanaoan, Maranao and the Kagan peoples.

Tribu Kadayawan's production and creatives team consisting of PReVents Productions and Lou Works Studios trekked the hinterlands of Davao City to document the communities. Their efforts were realized in partnership with the respective Deputy Mayors and tribal leaders.

Lou Daniel, production head of Lou Works Studios said they were able to go to Paquibato, Marilog, Marahan and Calinan.

“This is a one-of-a kind production na nagawa namin, sa documentary gusto naming ipakita ang yaman ng kultura ng Davao City, (in the documentary we want to show how rich the culture of Davao City is),” Daniel said.

Generose Tecson, City Tourism Operations Office chief said that the documentary materials could be used to educate Dabawenyos about the culture of the 11 groups and is a way of preserving these age-old traditions.

The City Government has been utilizing the Kadayawan Festival to present Davao City’s diverse culture. In 2017 it built the Kadayawan Tribal Village in Magsaysay Park which consists of the 11 houses representing the 11 ethnic groups. And there are plans of relocating the village in a much larger city property in the highland barangay of Eden.

“Since di muna makapunta ang tao sa Kadayawan tribal village, thru the video we will show to them Davao City’s rich cultural heritage,” Tecson said.

Popular online content creator Douglas Kyle Jennerman, popularly known as Kulas in his Becoming Filipino video blogs will host the show. He will be joined by two Dabawenyo chefs, hotel executive chef Alex Destriza and restaurateur Darence Patrick Co who will be partaking of the various indigenous cuisines in the segment Mangaon Ta (Let’s Eat).

Tribu Kadayawan will be shown on two parts. The first part on August 21, 3:00 p.m. will feature the five Lumad groups while the August 22, 10 a.m. will present the six Moro communities in Davao City.

Online Celebration

Originally planned as a hybrid festival referring to a mix of online and face-to-face activities, the looming COVID-19 surge due to the Delta variant has forced the City Government to make Kadayawan fully online.

Aside from Tribu Kadayawan, the city with the help of event organizers and video production companies has  brought several well-known Kadayawan events in the virtual platform.

Among these activities which will be seen during the celebration from August 20-22 include:

Sayaw Kadayawan- Showcases the dances of the 11 ethnic groups.

Tunog Kadayawan- An online concert featuring the biggest names of the City’s music industry. (August 20, 8:00 pm)

Habi Kadayawan- A fashion presentation that presents the works of Davao City’s talented designers which is inspired 11 tribes of the city. (Aug. 21, 8:00 p.m.)

Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan- Recreates  the frenetic merrymaking of the street-dancing competition which is one of the festival’s main attractions. (Aug. 22 5:00 p.m.)

In her message Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has enjoined the public to catch these presentations during the upcoming festival.

“Akong gi-awhag ang tanan na maki-sadya sa pagsaulog sa ika 36th Kadayawan sa Dabaw pinaagi lamang sa atong mga cellphones ug computer kay pandemya pa. Aduna tay gi-andam na kalingawan online para kaninyong tanan, i-like ug follow ang official Facebook page na Kadayawan sa Davao (I am inviting everybody to join us in the celebration of the 36th Kadayawan sa Dabaw thru our cellphones and computer since it is still pandemic. We have prepared online  entertainment for all. Just like and follow our official Facebook page Kadayawan sa Davao), “ Mayor Duterte-Carpio said in her message. (PIA RG Alama)