La MaMa Experimental Theater Club and Kinding Sindaw
Present a New Exhibition
In Honor of the Ancestors:
Indigenous Living Traditions from the Philippines in Diaspora
Final Week!
January 19 - 26, 2024 at La MaMa Galleria
Closing Ceremony Honoring Corky Lee
Friday, January 26, 2024 at 6pm
La MaMa Experimental Theater Club and Kinding Sindaw present a new exhibition, In Honor of the Ancestors: Indigenous Living Traditions from the Philippines in Diaspora, open now through Friday, January 26, 2024 from 1pm - 7pm, at La MaMa Galleria, 47 Great Jones Street, NYC, 10012. Attendance is available with a suggested donation of $5-$20.
Through the debut of twenty-five unpublished photographs by the late Asian-American activist Corky Lee in conversation with sacred heirlooms and newly commissioned documentary films, the story of Kinding Sindaw emerges by celebrating the lives of the community’s hereditary and creative forebears from both Mindanao and downtown New York. Artists whose work appears in the exhibition: Corky Lee, Bai Labi Hadji Amina, Sultan Mamintal Dirampaten, June Maeda, Sultan Mohammad Giwan Mastura, Mendung Sabal, and Ellen Stewart.
Drawing on techniques from Theater of the Oppressed, visitors are invited to take off their shoes and participate in an immersive installation conceived as a community space for live performance and ceremony, lectures, discussions, and workshops: including beginners' classes led by master kulintang gong musicians, introductory exercises to pangalay movement healing, and betel-nut rituals, offering immersive transformational wellness and healing experiences.
The exhibition presents Kinding Sindaw’s archives to the public for the first time in the three decades since its founding. Back home, traditions passed down by the ancestors weave inseparably through everyday life as dance, martial arts, chanting, and extemporaneous poetry. To preserve this aliveness, Kinding Sindaw unleashes its archives through the lens of salsilah, which to the Muslims of Mindanao can refer both to a clan’s 'genealogy' as well as the recited litany of its names. From the Arabic for 'chain' or 'connection', salsilah expands understandings of archival practice by encompassing the oral, performative, and ritual dimensions of provenance and collective memory.
Closing Ceremony Honoring Corky Lee
Friday, January 26, 2024 at 6pm
In collaboration with Asian American Arts Alliance, In Honor of the Ancestors will hold its closing night ceremony on Friday, January 26, 2024, starting a 6pm, honoring the life of Corky Lee (1947 - 2021) and his impact on Kinding Sindaw and the Asian American community at large. The evening will feature performances and speeches in honor of Corky and a light reception. Attendees must RSVP directly to emily@kindingsindaw.org.
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Full Event Calendar
Thursday 1/11: Opening Ceremony | 6–8PM
Saturday 1/13: Importance of Preserving Living Tradition Panel | 3–4:30PM
This panel will invite visitors to discover not only the beauty of indigenous living traditions, but also the need to protect them. How do ancestral oral traditions weave inseparably through everyday life? What models can be offered in resisting the commodification of intangible cultural heritage? A genuine exploration into the challenges and victories of keeping our living traditions alive in NYC across communities.
Honoring Ellen Stewart | 5–6PM
Celebrate the life and contributions of Ellen Stewart, La Mama Founder and a Kinding Sindaw creative ancestor. The evening will feature performances and speeches that honor Ellen Stewart and her contributions to Kinding Sindaw.
Sunday 1/14: Performance | 2PM
What does Kinding Sindaw mean to you Panel | 3–4:30PM
This panel will invite the newest generation of Kinding Sindaw company members to reflect on the impact Kinding Sindaw has made on their path. Hear directly from Kinding Sindaw Company Artists as they share personal stories, their relationship to the indigenous culture of the Southern Philippines, the role folk art plays in their everyday life and their hopes for Kinding Sindaw’s future.
Culture and Activism in the Asian Diaspora Panel | 5–6:30PM
Sponsor: National Federation of Filipino American Associations
Resilience is a part of us. Why? In response to injustice, what motivates you to mobilize, strategize and offer pathways forward? How is activism connected to culture? How is activism connected to artistry? In this panel, we will discuss critical insights on defending human rights, exploring the political dimensions of culture and fostering dialogue on the transformative power of culture and art in activism.
The Healing Power of Sound with Sara | 7–8PM
Thursday 1/18: Importance of Unlocking Cultural Healing Wisdom Panel | 6–7:30PM
This panel prioritizes the power of mental health, enacting the transformative power of denying a colonial mentality. Join us for a multi-disciplinary dialogue that delves into the intersection of heritage, health, and traditional arts, fostering pathways to heal the traumas of colonization and displacement not only of Filipinos, but all allied, immigrant, refugee, and Indigenous communities in diaspora.
The Healing Power of Sound with Sara | 8–9PM
Saturday 1/20: Children and Family: Intro to Mindanao Living Tradition | 1–2PM
An introductory dance and history class led by tradition bearer, Potri Ranka Manis, for children of any age and their families.
The Philippine Unwritten History of Mindanao Panel | 2:30–4PM
Sponsor: United Federation of Fil-Am Educators
This panel will discuss the role of Filipino educators in the diaspora and this role's relationship to visibility and awareness of indigenous living traditions of Mindanao. How is this connected to the present state of The Philippines? Join us in learning from and with the panelists as we unravel the history of Mindanao that is shared in Filipino educational spaces in both the Philippines and the US.
Sunday 1/21: Workshop title: Intro to Baybayin | 1:30–4:30PM
Explore the ancient, pre-colonial writing script of the Filipino people in an introductory class with Citadel Cruz. Ms Citadel will guide us through the basics of Baybayin and its significance in the preservation of indigenous culture. By the end of the class, participants will be able to read and write in Baybayin using simple words. Amount of students: max 20 people
Friday 1/26: Closing Ceremony and Honoring of Corky Lee | 6–8PM
In Honor of the Ancestors will hold its closing night ceremony on Friday, January 26, 2024, starting a 6pm, honoring the life of Corky Lee (1947 - 2021) and his impact on Kinding Sindaw and the Asian American community at large. The evening will feature performances and speeches in honor of Corky and a light reception. Attendees must RSVP directly to emily@kindingsindaw.org.