MORIONES AT THE ASEAN CORNER

The National Commission for Culture & the Arts was venue for The Asean Corner where the Moriones Mask of Marinduque was prominently displayed. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is actively promoting effective cooperation in the field of culture, with the aim of enhancing mutual understanding andsolidarity among the peoples of Southeast Asia. In this endeavor the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information agreed to have an ASEAN Corner in each of the member states.

This exhibition is the Philippine counterpart. The project promotes various aspects of culture emanating from the many artistic traditions of each country. Various artifacts were exhibited from the following countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

We, Marinduquenos should be happy with the singular recognition of our Moriones folk tradition. We may expect further interest on the Moriones to be generated with the NCCA's choice of this traditional mask as part of the exhibit. The mask displayed at the said exhibit is made of dita wood, walis tambo, latex paint and body hairs of a goat (for the eyelashes). It received the Most Original Award in the 2006 Moriones Festival Competition in Gasan (in photo with this blogger).