Coming from the Subanen, an indigenous group in the southern Philippines, the Buklog is a thanksgiving ritual system.  The “Timuay”, who could be the head of a host family or usually a village chief, plans a ritual to express gratitude to the spirits. 

The rituals are to ensure harmony among the family, clan and community, as well as with the human, narturak adn spiritual worlds.

The rituals include asking the spirits for permission to get material from the forest, present coin offering, and inviting the spirits of the dead to feast.

After participants dance on the “Buklog”, which is an elevated wooden structure. The Buklog is a sacred and social space that resonates with a sound that is believed to please the spirits. A community dance marks the renewal of the spiritual and social realtionships with in the community.

Buklog is now considered highly vulnerable due to several different social, political, and economic threats.

 

(“Buklog, Thanksgiving Ritual System of the Subanen – UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage,” n.d.)