(Writer’s note: The indigenous people of the Subic Bay Freeport call themselves “Ayta,” instead of the “Aeta” spelling, which they regard as Anglicized.)
SUBIC BAY—While most of Christendom mark the Lenten season with rites that depict the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, members of the Ayta tribe in this free port observe the festival of “Apu Buk-Kot,” their most holy ancestor who, long ago, was said to have experienced apotheosis in a forest right here in what is now the Boton area of this free port.
In this sacred place, where the inroads of industrialization have mercifully left an oasis of thick foliage and deep serenity, Ayta tribesmen from various indigenous groupings in Central Luzon gather to pay their respect to the “holy one” and remember tribal traditions for the sake of their children.
“We do this every Holy Week in remembrance of Apu Buk-Kot, who did not die but simply disappeared here in this place,” said Bonifacio Florentino, former tribal chieftain of the Pastolan Ayta tribe in this free port and member of the festival organizing committee.
Florentino, citing tribal legend, said Apu Buk-Kot turned himself into a spirit and joined his creator in heaven.
Now, Aytas also celebrate his spiritual journey to connect them with their past.
“This is also the time when Apu Buk-Kot makes his presence felt among his people,” Florentino said.
On Tuesday the so-called Apu Buk-Kot Festival began here with about 20 Ayta families from the foothills of Bataan and Olongapo City joining the socio-religious ceremony.
Most of the participants were Ayta children, four years and above, as well as lowlanders, who have married into Ayta clans, as they were the ones who needed to learn about the origin, culture, practices and traditions of the Ayta, Florentino said.
In his opening message, Florentino urged the youngsters and the new tribal members to observe the festival and help perpetuate their rich culture and history when it was already their time to lead the tribe.
“Apu Buk-Kot wants to see members of the Ayta tribes happily getting together and sharing food, as well as observing our rich heritage,” Florentino added.
Following that, Ayta elders taught the young ones indigenous practices like fire-making, and cooking food in bamboo tubes.
In the three-day festival, the tribal initiates also learned how to live in the forest with only a bolo for making shelter and gathering food, said Joy Reyes, cluster head of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in Central Luzon, who helped organize the event.
Elders stressed that the children must learn how to catch shrimps and crabs in the creek with their bare hands, and identify edible root crops and fruits, as well as sources of water, Reyes added.
Moreover, the children were also taught how to pray in the native dialect, and dance the way their fathers and mothers did.
Reyes said on May 2 and 3, the festival will move on to Limay, Bataan, where the Aytas will be trained in planting, nurturing and harvesting various crops. A tribal wedding ceremony will also be held for those who wish to get married during the festival.
“We hope that the coming generations will continue practicing our rich culture and tradition, and pass them on to their children so that the Ayta heritage will continue to exist through the years,” Reyes also said.
In Photo: Ayta elder Bonifacio Florentino teaches boys the right way of splitting bamboo tubes used for steaming rice.
