It was not only food for his music, but nourishment for his soul. That was abundantly clear when he visited an Aeta community.

Aeta girls perform a dance of thanksgiving as Barclay Martin watches and records a woman playing the guitar.

The Aeta culture is reported to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the Philippines.

The community made Barclay feel welcome all day, as children followed him around. “They were so giving,” Barclay said. “Really happy kids.”

Barclay recorded a woman strumming a guitar. “I’m really excited to hear the way they play the guitar,” Barclay said. “It’s kind of a meditation, rhythmic, kind of modal in the way that it flows.”

Girls in sari-like dresses danced in a circle nearby. They told Barclay that the dance was a thanksgiving ritual to celebrate the harvest. A village man offered a lively dance and added vocalizations. Another man also chimed in with exclamations.

Although modernization is making its way into the village, the Aeta community reveres the environment. They have a tradition of farming, living on the earth and with the earth, Barclay said.

At the end of the day, the group of children who had danced and been with Barclay for many hours accompanied him for the 30-minute hike down the hill to leave.

Barclay was grateful for their hospitality, warmth and generosity in sharing their traditions with him – as well as their time and abundant energy.

“This is the kind of group of people,” Barclay reflected, “who will totally restore your faith in humanity.”

A Subanen man performs a welcome ritual while Barclay Martin and Subanen community members watch.

The Subanen people have been part of the cultural fabric of the Philippines for thousands of years.

While making our documentary, the Zamboanga team visited a Subanen community near Zamboanga City so that music director/composer Barclay Martin could learn from their rich, percussive music traditions.

We found a vibrant population — in their colorful clothes and cordial demeanor. We had heard from the local CFCA staff that ceremony and ritual play a big part in their lives. We saw that firsthand.

To welcome Barclay and the team, a small table was placed in the center of a hut, set with a plate of rice and a bowl for incense.

A man sat at the table gently waving the lit stick of incense over the setting, and then he stood and began to dance. Musicians played various indigenous instruments including the agong, a large bell-shaped gong that is hung or held vertically.

Barclay was asked to introduce himself to the group. Then the municipal tribal chieftain stood and began his introduction by stating, “I was born in this place, and I think I will die in this place.”

“Subanen” means “people of the river.” The website subanen.org states: “The original people of Zamboanga were the Subanen of Indonesian origin who came at about 2,000 to 6,000 years ago. They were coastal people who believed in the spirit of their ancestors and the forces of nature.”

Through our research we also learned that Subanens regard the status of men and women as equal. They work together — women also work in the fields; men also cook and care for the children.

In terms of musical traditions, Barclay learned a lot, incorporating the agong in songs for the Zamboanga concert. We also learned about a generous and thoughtful, fair-minded way of life.

We are grateful to the Subanen people for sharing their home, their spirit and their traditions with us.

Abbas and his wife, Jeannie, give Barclay Martin a tour of their home.

This weekend is Labor Day for our friends in the United States. The commemoration was established by labor unions to honor working men and women.

Our film production team is in awe of and strives to pay tribute to the mothers and fathers in Zamboanga who work hard to build a path out of poverty for their families.

While visiting one of the families at home, music director Barclay Martin had the privilege of seeing the work of Abbas, a father dedicated to providing the best home possible for his family.

Turning leftover material into a home

Abbas, father of CFCA sponsored child Shaima and the designer/construction chief of the Zamboanga concert stage, lives in a squatter’s village with his wife, Jeannie, and their eight children. When Barclay visited them, the family gave him a tour of their home.

Abbas was trained in architecture, and described himself as a “Jack-of-all-trades.” On some jobs, he’s hired to design structures; on other jobs he’s hired to help with the construction. The pay he brings home, however, is not much either way, and sometimes, at the end of jobs, the employers don’t pay him at all.

To build his own house, Abbas used his design skills and his ingenuity. When he worked on construction jobs, at the end of the project, he would ask if he could take the building scraps, such as leftover plywood and scaffolding.

‘It’s good to have friends’ — Barclay Martin

After Abbas accumulated a quantity of material, a crew of construction workers who are friends helped him build the structure of the family’s home in about two days. Since Abbas must rely on scrap building materials to complete the construction, the house remains a work in progress.

When Barclay was there, Abbas looked at the roof and said, “The corrugated is incomplete because I just ask [for it] from others.”

Barclay asked, “Does it keep the rain out?”

Abbas said, “Sometimes.”

When Barclay remarked that the electrical work and wall construction were impressive, Abbas returned, “The hardware and wiring are good – but used.”

Despite the second-hand parts, the blueprint and workmanship are solid and skilled. The light streams in from the strategically placed windows, and the floor plan is open and welcoming. Abbas’s oldest daughter smiled as she sat on a bench watching the tour. The two youngest children stayed close to their parents, giggling and mugging for the video camera.

Abbas and Jeannie struggle to have enough food for their family, but with his considerable talent and his commitment to his family’s well-being, Abbas has made a bright and functional place to live from the bits and pieces of construction leftovers his friends and coworkers have given him. His home is a true labor of love.

Xarina plays the Kulingtangan during the Zamboanga concert

Xarina plays the kulingtangan during the Zamboanga concert, January 30, 2008.
As students go back to school in the U.S., juggling activities and class work, Xarina, 18, is in her third year of nursing school. Xarina was one of the CFCA scholar students who learned to play the gong-based kulingtangan and performed in the Zamboanga concert featured in the documentary.

Teenagers will be teenagers

The nursing program is demanding, where days start around  7 a.m. and end about 2 a.m. Her schedule includes hospital duties and late-night studying. But that doesn’t stop Xarina from trying to include music in her routine, like most teens who push the boundaries of their waking hours.

“I still sing for weddings and other special occasions if it fits to my schedule,” Xarina said. She is also president of the nursing choir, which isn’t extremely demanding on her time, but lets her be more involved in music. “I am also really very happy,” she said, “because singing will always be my passion.”

Parents will be parents

On top of the 19-hour days of nursing school, being president of the nursing choir and singing occasionally for special events, Xarina also wanted to use her new-found kulingtangan talent in a university troupe this fall. But her mother and father said “No.”

“My parents did not allow me as they see my schedules and daily routine and the demand as a nursing student,” Xarina said. Like typical parents of teenagers all over the world, Xarina’s mom and dad help guide their daughter. “They again remind me that education should always be the priority.”

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CFCA Director of International Programs Paul Pearce is also the film’s executive producer. He shares a reflection on how the film and Walk2gether, another CFCA initiative, are symbols of love.

Learn more about Walk2gether at Walk2gether.org.

Learn more about CFCA at hopeforafamily.org.

It’s breakfast on the road in Guatemala during day three of the 16-month, 8,000-mile journey through 12 countries in Central and South America, and Veron stops to talk about her reasons for traveling so far to walk 25 miles/40 kilometers a day for 12 weeks. Despite the blisters, joint pain and searing heat, Veron says, “It’s worth it.”

We thank the Kansas City Star and PresentMagazine.com for including the Zamboanga CD on their year-end, best-of lists.

Here are links to each:

Kansas City Star’s “Local music: There was plenty to love in 2009″

PresentMagazine.com’s list included in ‘Back to Rockville’ (aka the KC Star/Ink blog), “List-o-mania: The year in music, in words and photos”

We hope everyone is having a joyous season!

(To download, just click the down arrow to the right of the sound wave)

Following is a video of the Pansak Dance, performed by the Sinag-Tala Dance Troupe of the Filipino Association of Greater Kansas City.