Colors of the Earth: Rodelio “Waway” Saway holds CGM Talk on Talaandig soil painting

In celebration of National Indigenous People’s Month, Casa Gorordo Museum (CGM) will hold an online talk titled “Colors of the Earth: The Talaandig Soil Painters”, a discourse on the Talaandig culture and their soil paintings, on October 30, 2020, 1pm to be streamed on Facebook.

Resource speaker Rodelio Saway, also known as Datu Salakup and Waway, belongs to the Talaandig community in Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. Their tribal chieftain, Datu Vic Saway, is his older brother. Waway Saway began doing art at the age of 24 and became popular for his use of soil as the medium of his works, earning him the title: “The Father of Soil Painting”.

Casa Gorordo Museum’s online talk on the Talaandig culture and their soil paintings titled “Colors of the Earth: The Talaandig Soil Painters” | Contributed Photo

The Talaandig, one of the indigenous groups in Bukidnon, has continued to preserve and promote its indigenous customs, beliefs, and practices amid changing times. Their current population is estimated to be more than 100,000 (found in barangays and municipalities surrounding the mountain of Kitanglad, their ancestral domain).

The Talaandig culture is well-known for their artistry in the performing arts and soil painting, a contemporary form of art expression that uses organic materials found in the environment and different colored soil from hills and riverbanks. Through soil paintings, the self-taught indigenous artists share their rich cultural heritage, deep love for the earth, and their journeys into new worlds of soul and spirit.

CGM Talks is one of the many programs of the Culture and Heritage Unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. that promotes culture and heritage. The talk will be from 1pm to 2pm streamed through the CGM Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/casagorordomuseum and on CDN Digital Facebook page. It will be free for members of the media and the public.