Dunâ Intangible Cultural Heritage Gallery of the Center for West Visayan Studies can be found at UP Visayas Museum of Art and Cultural Heritage (UPV MACH).

The word Dunâ means nature, inherent or natural to in Hiligaynon language. The term is used to describe both the land and environment, or dunang manggad to mean natural resources, and dunâ nga kinaiya to describe the natural abilities of a human being.

The natural resources and the environment that nurture human beings engender and support the development of cultural heritage.

Check out: INSIDE the UP Visayas Museum in Iloilo

In recent years, however, cultural heritage is no longer just about tangible monuments and objects that people have built and made but also about the intangibles or living traditions like oral literature, social practices, rituals, knowledge of nature, and skills in the production of traditional crafts—without which there would be no monuments and objects that represent these.

While the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) classifies intangible cultural heritage to cover inherited traditions from the past, intangible cultural heritage also includes contemporary practices in both rural and urban communities.

Intangible cultural heritage is community-based, inclusive, and passed on to several generations. It is acknowledged by the people who practice and maintain it. While it is community-based, similar practices may also be found in and shared by groups outside of an ethnicity or country.

Even before the term became popular, the intangible cultural heritage of the Hiligaynon people (including that of the indigenous groups of the Ati and Bukidnon of Panay) had been studied and documented. Most of these researchers were done by UP anthropologists Felipe Landa-Jocano of Iloilo and Alicia P. Magos of Antique.

Their pioneering work led to the rediscovery and preservation of several epics, or sugidanon. The Bukidnon as a distinct indigenous people of Panay, aside from the Ati, was documented and acknowledged by the community of scholars and by the government. Several customary laws, literary and musical traditions, rituals and practices, and traditional knowledge systems have been identified and mapped.

Also read: The Dionesia Rola Art Collection at Hanas Gallery

In keeping with the concepts of intangible cultural heritage, the dunâ (nature) of the Hiligaynon, the Bukidnon, and the Ati of Panay is evolving spontaneously and developing into its more vibrant, necessary quality.

Harnessing intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development is even more imperative in today’s global village. The need to safeguard intangible cultural heritage is, therefore, crucial to preserving ethnic group identity while embracing cultural diversity and being cognizant of the dynamic nature of culture.

The Visayan Studies Program, now the Center for West Visayan Studies, was established by Dr. Dionesia A. Rola in 1975. The center continues to research non-material data and gather material objects that embody the culture of Panay. Yet much work needs to be done.