Talk:Singkil

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[edit] Singkil is Hindu?

Singkil is from Hindu tradition?? I'm not so sure about that... what I do know is that Singkil narrates the story of a princess (the one bearing fans) and her lady-in-waiting (holding an umbrella) in haste during an earthquake created by jealous fairies. The crossed bamboos recall the movement of rocks, and the princess retains her composure throughout the earthquake. I have never heard of the story of Singkil as an interpretation of the Ramayana. From where was this taken, and what sources did that author use?

I know the story of Singkil from story books, grade school textbooks, and televised stories as a child. As much as I love the Ramayana, I can honestly say that nowhere besides Wikipedia have I encountered a Singkil story that says anything about Rama, Sita, or Ravana. The story of the Ramayana doesn't even fit the Singkil-- the article itself states that. That it was modified to agree with monotheistic Islamic ideology is an unfounded presumption, and was not even explained to any level in the article.

Further, if it is indeed a reenactment of a scene in the Ramayana, there should be aspects in the dance that are distinctly Hindu. The word 'Singkil' was not even shown in the article to have anything to do with a Hindu term.

Can anybody do some research on Indian arts and tell whether there are Hindu folkdances that reenact scenes from the Ramayana, and if any of these are sufficiently similar to Singkil? It would make sense that if Singkil or an idea of it was brought to Southern Philippines by the Hindus, the Hindus already had a "proto-Singkil" dance before it. Doctorqui 23:11, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Maguindanao or Maranao?

The article states that Singkil is "a famous Philippine dance of the Maguindanao people, but was popularized by the nearby Maranao peoples..." but says in the Background section that it is a Maranao interpretation of the Ramayana.

If the Background says it was a Maranao interpretation, wouldn't the dance have come from the Maranao people, because they were the ones who did the interpretation in the first place? Following that line of argument, without the interpretation, there would have been no Singkil. Where does 'Maguindanao' factor into all of this?Doctorqui 01:05, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

Hello Doctorqui. PhilipDM here, the initiator of the article and I understand your logic. The last time I checked this article was basically when I made it so I haven't been monitoring all the changes here and there. If you check the last original revision I placed, i never mentioned this dance was an interpretation of the Maranao. This was brought up by User 161.73.32.14... we don't know what source User 161.73.32.14 used... but that user left it as a "Maguindanao and Maranao interp"... then after a few revision someone else removed the Maguindanao for unknown reasons and so now we are left with the contradictory sentence to my introduction.

As far as the limited information I have concerning this talking with Maguindanao artist themselves, they understand that it was their dance. It was borrowed by the Maranao and they exploited much more... so that's why more people will identify the dance with the Maranao than the Maguindanao. I cannot say much about the claim written by User 161.73.32.14. I have no clue where it came from. - PhilipDM (talk) 13:30, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

Also, for the sources concerning what I contributed to this article... I will list them for you.

Goquingco, Leonor Orosa. The Dances of the Emerald Isles. 1980. Quezon City: Ben-Lar, 1980.

Sani, Minerva S. "Singkil: Princess Dance." Mindanao Art and Culture. Ed. Maranao Women. Marawi City: Mindanao State University, 1979. 108-110.

de los Santos, Edna C.. The Maranao Woman, Mindanao Art and Culture. 2. Marawi City: Mindanao State University, 1979.

Others are from my website and soon to-be-published book that I received from Master Kulintang artist from Maguindanao.

However, anything added later to items I brought up ... i have no clue what sources they are referring to. - PhilipDM (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 13:41, 24 November 2007 (UTC)