Watch for Chuwassi, Salidummay's sixth album

New generation of Salidummay

When we started out 21 years ago, our goal was simple: to record the protest songs which we heard, as we joined fact-finding missions, multilateral peace pacts, Macliing Memorials and early celebrations of Cordillera Day in the 1980s. The result was our first album released in 1987, which we named after the chorus line of the indigenous song form.

Since then, we released Dong dong ay in 1992, Elalay in 1995, Diway in 2000, and Ay ay in 2003. Presently, we are working on a sixth album Chuwassi, soon to be released on November at UP Baguio. It is produced by the Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK) with support from Tebtebba Foundation and EED Task Force on Indigenous Peoples (EEDTFIP). 

Chuwassi focuses on the contributions of indigenous peoples in caring for the environment. The album has 12 original compositions, with each highlighting various angles of the Cordillera people's efforts to conserve their mountain ecosystem.

Kullilipan ni Kaigorotan traces back in history the roots of the discplacement of Kaigorotan from his homeland. It translates into song the mime and verse "Ako si Kaigorotan", originally written by Nonilon Queano and directed by Lulu Gimenez in the 1980s, for a cultural production against the government-sponsored Grand Canao. The song blends the traditional melody kullilipan with a nose flute and acoustic guitar.

Bakir tackles the indigenous knowledge and practices involved in caring for forests. It brings forward traditional values such as generosity, reciprocity and concern for community, which play a key role in preserving forests and present a stark contrast to the profit-orientation of modern society. 

Chumma, written in Ifontoc language, highlights the importance of saving our heirloom seeds and genetic resources, which do not require buying chemical inputs, but make use of naturally organic fertilizers and pesticides. The song expounds on the negative impact of high-yielding varieties and genetically modified seeds threatening the food security of the mountain folk.

Lubong Ko tells the story of the indigenous peasants and mineworkers of Mankayan, as they deal with the devastation brought about by the large scale mining operations of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. Welga recounts the victorious strike of the Lepanto Workers Union in 2005, which asserted workers rights to higher wages and better working conditions, and also resulted in a stronger and consolidated union.

Datayo nga Agrigrigat, composed by the ladies of ORNUS (Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Syudad), relates the hardships of indigenous migrants in Baguio city, as they seek greener pastures, resulting from their displacement and marginalization in the Cordillera countryside.

Women of Asia was first sung in 1993, in the first Asian Indigenous Women's Conference. It highlights the role of indigenous women in society, and signaled the birth of the indigenous women's movement in Asia. Remember Your Children is a reprise of the song first recordedin 1993 by then nine-year old twins Karlo and Maria Cleto. It reminds so-called "development" planners to consider future generations when planning dams, mines, and logging operations. It also calls on the Cordillera people to safeguard their heritage.

Hustisya calls for justice for all victims of political killings in the Philippines, and pays tribute to the martyrs and victims of extrajudicial killings, who gave their lives as the highest sacrifice in the movement for national liberation.

Underground relates the growth of a mass movement starting with a few seeds transforming into a powerful force unleashed towards a change in social structure. Entayo shares the experience of joining Cordillera Day, which celebrates the solidarity among peoples fighting for freedom.

Finally, The Gift pays tribute to the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples, nurtured through generations, and passed on from elders to child. Traditional knowledge teaches sustainable and equitable ways of living, supportive and respective of the environment. It contains practical guides for living off the earth, while teaching values for community, simple living, hard work and generosity. Valuable lessons can be learned from traditional knowledge, which is gaining recognition around the world, as a stock of viable ways of living and caring for the planet in these days of global warming and climate change.

All 12 songs are inspired by and grounded on the musical tradition of the Cordillera. They use traditional melodies and rhythms, bamboo flutes, tuned percussion instruments and gongs. But because Salidummay is a contemporary music group, it also employs modern instruments and musical instruments, such as guitar, harmonization, and instrumental accompaniment which are innovations on the traditional and the fruit of creative effort of the group. Like earlier albums, Chuwassi showcases contemporary Cordillera music which expresses the issues that face the Cordillera people today, advocates and asserts cultural integrity and self-determination, in a package that focuses the spotlight on a rich and colorful musical heritage.

The Salidummay has gone far beyond our initial modest goal of recording the indigenous protest songs for posterity. Instead, it has proven to be larger than us individual musicians. It has grown into a musical crusade and battlecry, which involves the youth, children, women, elders, community folk, as we assert our cultural identity and pursue our self-determination.#