MunaTo Festival Celebrates the Cultural Heritage and Diversity

SARANGANI BAY FESTIVAL

Photo from: http://saranganitoday.blogspot.com/2014/12/street-dancers-welcome-munato-festival.html

MunaTo Festival is coined from two Blaan words that means “First People”. The anthropomorphic jars found in the caves of Maitum (Ayub, Pinol, and Sagel), give clues to Mindanao’s early history and of the Philippines as a whole. The carbon dated anthropomorphic jars depicts that Maitum was the home of early civilization dating back to the Metal age. The original jars are currently in the National Museum for safekeeping and exhibition. Based on the historical time line of the early history of the Philippines, after the Tabon Cave in Palawan, the next earliest pottery is found in Pinol Cave in Maitum. Thus the claim that in Mindanao, the First People or “Munah To”, possibly are from Maitum, Sarangani Province.

Sarangani province is young province with a very long and rich history.

MunaTo Festival is a festival that was conceptualized in 2002. The idea was to create a cultural festival that would celebrate the vibrant diversity of Sarangani Province… It has been celebrated yearly bringing the 7 municipalities of Sarangani together and featuring the best in each town. Read More: https://www.soxph.com/2016/11/munato-festival-sarangani.html

Photo from: https://www.mindanews.com/photo-of-the-day/2010/11/2nd-prize/

One of the most unique traits of Sarangani has to be the fact that it is one of the youngest provinces in the country, yet at the same time, one of the oldest. Youngest because it is just 26 years old, which created as an independent province in 1992 from South Cotabato’s coastal municipalities. Oldest because it is host to the more than 2,000 year-old anthropomorphic man and burial jars unearthed in the remote Pinol and Ayub Caves in Maitum town. Now on display at the National Museum, it is described as an “exceptional archaeological assemblage and unparalleled in Southeast Asia”.

This Old World charm took center stage once more as the province recently marked its 26^th founding day and the 16^th MunaTo Festival to celebrate its rich cultural heritage and diversity. Themed “Kulay Munato”, the festivity is derived from the indigenous Blaan phrase Muna Toh or “first people” which showcased the culture, nature, and adventure attributes of the Sarangani, which serve as its tourist come-on. Read More: https://www.choosephilippines.com/do/history-and-culture/6291/munato-festival-a-return-to-saranganis-roots

Photo from: http://saranganitoday.blogspot.com/2013/03/munato-festival-opens-with-tri-people_2.html

MunaTo Festival is a celebration honoring the first people and leaders of Sarangani. MunaTo was derived from the native vernacular meaning “unang tao” or “first people”, the early inhabitants of Sarangani who passed on a rich cultural heritage. MunaTo also refers to the makers of the 2000-year old anthropomorphic burial jars discovered in Maitum that are now in the National Museum. As a tribute to the pioneering leaders of the province, MunaTo is a celebration of their efforts to spur development in Sarangani which is sustained up to this day. Read More: http://saranganitoday.blogspot.com/2011/12/munato-festival-2011-street-dancing.html

Photo from: https://edgedavao.net/suburbia/2016/12/01/kadayawan-winners-dance-at-munato/attachment/sarangani-photo/