‘Panagway’ and ‘Badbad’ celebrate Panay’s indigenous communities

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Two new books documenting the histories, traditions, and knowledge systems of Panay’s indigenous peoples were launched at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) in Iloilo City on Saturday, Aug. 9.

The books are “Panagway: The Ati in the Narratives and the Archives” and “Badbad: Untangling Archived Knowledges on Panay Bukidnon Life and Culture.”

“Panagway,” written by Frances Anthea Redison, Kyla Agnes Ramirez, and Theodore Ricardo Bautista, explores the history, culture, and experiences of the Ati people of Panay Island.

It examines how the Ati have been historically represented and documented, while also shedding light on their present realities, including efforts to sustain traditions, confront socio-economic challenges, and assert identity amid external pressures and marginalization.

“Badbad,” authored by Prof. Jose Taton Jr. and Josie Jane T. Tambirao, serves as an ethnographic encyclopedia on the Panay Bukidnon.

The book compiles verified facts, traditions, rituals, and narratives from dispersed archives, manuscripts, and media into a single accessible resource.

It also details the Panay Bukidnon’s epic stories such as the Suguidanon or Hinilawod, traditional dance (binanog), music, rituals, embroidery (panubok), and the community’s deep ties to nature and ancestral wisdom.

Martin Genodepa, director of the UPV Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage, said the books aim to enrich discourse on these communities by going beyond existing narratives, encouraging critical thinking, and fostering informed perspectives.

He added that the books are not intended to be definitive but to engage readers and inspire further exploration.

Senator Loren Legarda, who supported the production of the books, emphasized the importance of valuing and protecting cultural heritage through integration in policy and education as she led the launch.

“When we honor indigenous knowledge, we do not simply gain historical insight; we recover wisdom about how to care for the land, how to build community, how to live with balance and dignity,” she said.

“These lifeways, refined across centuries of adaptation, carry the seeds of our collective future if we have the humility to listen,” she added.

Legarda said the books address the scarcity of comprehensive ethnographic works on Panay’s indigenous communities.

“These books are testaments to a people who have long walked these lands, long before our republic bore a name, yet who, for centuries, have been written out, written over, or written thin—exoticized in textbooks, misunderstood in policy, or omitted from the narratives we teach and celebrate,” she said.

Legarda has long supported ethnographic work in Panay and Guimaras in partnership with UP Visayas.

Her previous initiatives include From Seas to the Mountains in 2016, Pagdahu ka Surundon in 2024, and the cultural mapping of Antique, Panay, and Guimaras.