MANKAYAN, Benguet – The Mankayan Municipal Government formally unveiled and presented to the public the Biggest Gong that was manufactured in the locality to serve as one of the main attractions for residents and visitors alike.
The unveiling of the Biggest Gong which has a diameter of 7 feet and weighs 175 kilos was done simultaneous with the celebration of the town’s founding anniversary recently.
Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong said that the Biggest Gong, bigger than the one manufactured in the municipality and sold to the municipal government of Rizal, Kalinga, will be displayed in the municipal hall to serve as the town’s identity as the source of quality gongs.
“We are grateful to the family of Mario Onio who spent time in manufacturing the Biggest Gong that will serve as the municipality’s identity and an added attraction for our residents and our visitors, especially those wanting to experience different areas to visit inside the province,” Ayong stressed.
Earlier, the previous administration identified the gong as the town’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) that paved the way for the put up of a gong manufacturing facility in barangay Bedbed that will be operated and managed by the group of senior citizens through the assistance from the Cordillera office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-CAR).
Based on the history of the gong written by Ambrocio M. Guanso, in the olden times, before people go to their farms and hinting grounds, settlers of Mankayan play a musical instrument by beating their wooden instrument called ‘tal-lac’ which is being played in common grounds of the village to appease bad spirits that cause misfortunes on their economic livelihood.
The set of indigenous instruments is made up of ‘an-nadong’ or ‘anitap’ tree which produces the best sound when beaten and played.
In 500 BC to 900 AD, gongs were already produced and used in China, Burma, Indonesia, Java and Aman and it was during the Ming dynasty in 1480 to 1550 that there was a mass production of gongs in China and Java. The best gongs were molded in Java which contained 75 percent copper and brass, 20 percent tin and 5 percent nickel which the natives called ‘bodbod.’ These were the kinds of gongs confiscated by a Chinese pirate named Lim Ah Hong from the people of Java.
Sometime in 1574, Lim Ah Hong was supposed to dock in Manila but were driven by the Spanish forces so they fled north and reached as far as Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. These were the first wave of Chinese merchants who came to Mankayan and brought with them gongs, jars, China wares and other goods that they traded with gold and copper to the natives of the town.
When the natives went down to the lowlands to barter their goods at Tiagan, San Emilio, Ilocos Sur, they met Chinese merchants trading gongs. It was told that when the gongs were first introduced by the Chinese to the natives of Mankayan, people were so impressed on the kind of melody by the gongs when beaten. They were amused to know the name of the instrument so that they asked the Chinese trader and got the answer ‘gong.’
The natives who asked for the name of the instrument nodded and turned to his companions and told them ‘gongsa kano sa, gongsa kano sa,’ meaning “that’s a gong, that’s a gong”.
The natives also noticed that gongs molded in Java have a better sound quality than that of gongs molded in China so that natives bartered their gold with gongs and went back home
As they arrived in the village, people gathered and asked what was the name of the new instrument. They answered that’s a gong, that’s a gong. From that time on, the people termed it ‘ gangsa up to the present.
With the introduction of gongs from Chinese merchants, it became the preferred choice of instrument and they began replacing their indigenous ‘tal-lac’ to Chinese gongs.
The natives of Mankayan adopted the playing of gongs in their customs and traditions because it brings about good fortune, ensure good health and happiness. It is also being played to drive away ghost s and evil spirits causing misfortunes in the community. For the sick and weak people, it is a belief that by touching the gong, it will restore good health and they obtain more strength.
Before the Spanish tutelage in the area, copper was being molded by the natives of Mankayan for cooking pots, pies, chain lace and other accessories. Gongs also became in demand so the people begun making gongs out of the copper they produce, thereby making Mankayan a gong producing municipality up to the present.
After the Second World War, the people of Mankayan have discovered that gongs molded out of bomb shells and bullet capsules create a sound similar to that of the early gongs traded by Chinese merchants. At this modern age, and even with the advancement of technology, how the people of Mankayan produce gongs has changed a little since the time of their ancestors.
By Hent
