UNTIL now, I can’t understand the uproar of the people of Aklan over the infographic that the National
Museum of the Philippines – Iloilo posted on Wednesday when it merely shared how the word “sádsad” is presented in the 1934 Kaufmann dictionary and how it is linked to the celebration of the Dinagyang in
Iloilo City. The goal of the infographic should not be viewed from that single post but rather from the context of why a series of Hiligaynon terminologies and their respective definitions in Kaufmann has been posted since Monday. If you visit the NMP Iloilo Facebook page, you will see the first infographic posted on Monday, which was “dinágyang” as presented in Kaufmann, and the second on Tuesday, which was “kasadiáhan.” These were By Nereo Cajilig Lujan followed by the third post which, for unknown reasons,
triggered the uproar in Aklan. The fourth infographic was on the word “panáad” as, again, presented in Kaufmann. For the uninitiated, the Kaufmann cited above is the Kapulungan Binisaya-Ininglis (Visayan-English Dictionary) by Rev. Fr. John Kaufmann, published by La Editorial of Iloilo in 1934. Kaufmann was a Mill Hill missionary who, after arriving in Panay in 1926, served as parish priest of Sibalom, San Pedro, and Patnongon, all in Antique, and in Igbaras, Iloilo until his death in 1942. He wrote his 10,000-word Visayan-English Dictionary while serving as the parish priest of San Pedro in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. He also translated the New Testament into Hiligaynon and wrote a Hiligaynon grammar book.
NMP-Iloilo’s infographic series were based on Kaufmann’s work, and the intent was to familiarize Facebook users with Hiligaynon terminologies they may encounter as the city celebrates the Dinagyang.
The accompanying text on the infographic for “sádsad” was a contextualization of the post, which ended with an invitation to the street dancing, and there never was any line that could be interpreted
as mis-contextualizing or misrepresenting “sádsad” in relation to Aklanon culture and identity, nor a claim that “sádsad” is solely an Iloilo tradition. The National Museum of the Philippines is not just a repository of collections relative to our artistic and cultural heritage and natural history, but it is also a research
and educational institution that disseminates its fi ndings through exhibitions, publications, and educational, training, outreach, and other public programs. Sharing Hiligaynon terminologies, citing an
authoritative source like Kaufmann, is in fulfillment of its mandate as an educational institution. Should the mayor of Kalibo wish “to emphasize the cultural significance and contextual meaning of “Sádsad” within the Aklanon community,” he can do that freely, in the same manner that the people of Iloilo can also freely celebrate the Dinagyang with our own version of the “sádsad.”
