99. SAMBALI OF CASIBARAG & LA JOTA ISABELA

SAMBALI OF CASIBARAG & LA JOTA ISABELA

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano

05 August 2019

This morning the Isabela Tourism Office (ITO) including the Isabela Museum and Library (IML) hosted the regular Monday convocation. After the flag rites, the ITO-IML workforce made two dance performances and a song number as start off in the celebration of Buwan ng Wika. One of the dance presentations is the La Jota Isabela. In the compilation “SALA, Dances of Isabela Province” researched by Dr. Jane Nolasco Cariaga of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) Alicia, Isabela Campus, La Jota Isabela, also known as La Jota Isabelino, is a folk dance honoring the Province of Isabela and a lively version of the Spanish jota which was apparently danced in balls at elegant mansions. This lowland Christian dance originated in Cauayan, performed originally by the ethnolinguistic group Ibanag and classified as social. Jota is a Spanish term probably derived from the old Spanish sota dance, from sotar to dance, from Latin saltare. The Spanish folk dance in 3/4 time is performed by a man and a woman to intricate castanet and heel rhythms.  

The “SALA” reveals: “In the course of three hundred years, galleons plied the Manila-Acapulco route carrying conquistadors, soldiers, sailors, missionaries, teachers and traders to Philippine shores. With them came governance, socio-political ideas, religion, trade and commerce and the arts changing the Philippine landscape. The introduction of Christianity by the Spaniards did not make the Filipino completely abandon their impulse and style as new ideas were tampered and suited to the Filipinos way of life. With government and church in place, officials tackled social obligations. A long list of changes happened during the Spanish conquest topped by new government, churches and mission schools for the islands. The birthdays of the King and Queen of Spain were celebrated with fabulous fiestas. Smaller events like the arrival of new dignitaries and officials from Spain and the welcoming of the galleons from Mexico called for the kinds of fiestas. In occasions like these, a big ball becomes the centerpiece. Decorated salas and hall of elegant houses opened doors to the elite; illustrados, alta sociodad and who’s who of the town. Guests dressed in their finest gowns and suits acquired from fashion centers of the world; render the occasion with pomp and circumstance. A string symphony strikes tunes to accompany the valse, fandango, paso doble, and polka and other dances. Bailes, as these balls are called, ends when the sun starts to show itself. In the early days of Spanish conquest, it was not unusual to name any place in the Philippines in honor of the Spanish reigning queen, thus the big tract of fertile lands in Cagayan Valley was named Isabella. And her birthdays were equally honored with lavish celebrations that concluded big balls. One speculates that the Jota Isabela must have its beginning in one of these grand occasions.”

The costume of the female is a fairly elaborated hero's data or Maria Clara. Top (baro): white or off-white; flimsy kanyamaso piña, fine abaca, organza or nylon with bookshelves reaching down the cuffs; bodice and sleeves with elaborate embroidery or decorations on the edges; corpiño (chemise) and enagua slip for modesty. Scarf (panuelo): an alampay, made of the same baro material in a triangle thrown over the shoulders stiffened with starch. Skirt (saya): wide-hemmed rich material-silk, brocade, satin or lace; moderate tall; may come in coordinates, two or multi-toned or in any desired color. Accessories: old fashion jewelry and comb necklace in gold or imitation goes. The footwear for females is expensive slippers or leather shoes. For the male, a barong Tagalog of delicate embroidery paired with dark colored pants and black leather shoes.

Yesterday was the first day of the barangay fiesta of the twin barangays of Casibarag Norte and Casibarag Sur in the old pueblo of Cabagan in northern Isabela. The highlights of the annual festivity is the Sambali Tribal War Dance. After coordinating with the local Tourism and Cultural Officer, Ms. Joylyn T. Bulan, we arrived at Barangay Casibarag Sur and paid courtesy to the Punong Barangay, Hon. Glenn V. Aggabao who is also an ex-officio Sangguniang Bayan Member as President of the Liga ng mga Barangay. I witnessed the colorful and epic dance for the first time.

The Dominican missionary Fr. Pedro V. Salgado in his article “Christianization of Isabela” gives us a short description of the tribal war dance. Before the coming of the Spaniards the relationship with the Kalingas was generally through trade. As the Dominican historian Julian Malumbres said to the trade activity of the people of Cabagan with the pagans of mountains: “The people of Cabagan had the monopoly of trade with the pagans of the said zone…” After the conquest of Cabagan by the Spaniards, the relationship degenerated into one of war due to the Spaniards’ avowed goal of conquering the Cordillera as well. This is evident from the Sambali Dance, celebrated every August 4, feast day of Kasibarag, a barrio of Cabagan. The Sambali Dance is like the Moro-Moro dance of the Visayas and Mindanao – a war dance. Just as in the Moro-Moro dance, the Moro is depicted as evil and, because evil gets killed in the war dance, so also in the Sambali Dance the Kalinga depicted as evil and, because evil is defeated and killed by the Christian. To understand why the Sambali dance became the tradition of Cabagan, one has to bear in mind that first, Cabagan borders the Kalinga and Cordillera. Second, one has to remember what has been explained above, that the principle goal of the Spaniards was to conquer the Cordillera, where gold is abundant. On the other hand, the conquest of the Cordillera would be impossible without the decided help and cooperation of the Christian natives who would act as soldiers or carriers of weaponry and supplies. To get this operation, the Christian natives must be convinced of the evil of the Kalingas, hence the Sambali Dance which depicts the Kalingas as evil, as sort of anti-Christ who ought to be erase from the globe. The Sambali Dance is in short a propaganda for war, brainwashing the people that the Kalingas are evil because evil it is but, right to conquer them and get their wealth.

The study of Hansmert Dejan Winter also reveals: “... Here, the Christians are represented by the Ibanag, the non-Christians by Kalingas who opposed the reduction efforts of the Spanish missionaries. (“Kalinga,” in Ibanag vocabulary, means “enemy.”) Like the theatrical production of the Spanish period komedya, the Sambali performers use costumes to identify each side. The Ibanags are in white baag, white being the catechumenical color for baptism, while the Kalingas are in red baag, the color associated with insurrections. As warriors, the performers are armed with spears and shields. To symbolize bravery, they wear headdress decorated with feathers, similar to the Kalinga lawi. The Sambali starts with an Aeta warning the two groups of imminent attack. The warning is ignored by the warring camps. However, they proceed anyway and march to battle. They meet face to face, the battle starts. Similar to the battles between Christians and the Moros in the komedya and the moros y christianos, the ritual culminates in the defeat of the non-Christians at the hands of the Christians. (G.Zafra with notes from E.A. Manuel and R. Obusan.) Since then, Sambali became a showcase every fiesta particularly in the barrio of Casibarag and has spread throughout the other Ibanag municipalities of Isabela such as Santa Maria, Santo Tomas and San Pablo.”  In the old pueblo of Piat, the Sambali Dance is performed every fiesta on July 1 and 2 since 1989. The said festival is a religious and cultural revival to commemorate the Christianization of the Itawis region of Cagayan.

Sambali Dance and La Jota Isabela are two of the numerous dances performed in the province of Isabela. In the book: “SALA Dances of Isabela Province”, there are 21 Dances listed while in the compilation “Traditional Dances of the Yogads of Isabela”, there are 11 dances enumerated. Culture, tradition and history are always the basis in the formulation of dances in a community and Isabela is one the cradles of these rich dances in the country because of the various ethnic groups in the province and its neighbors in Cagayan Valley.