Indigenous Kapampangan Script highlights Arts Month Culmination

To celebrate the culmination of Bülan ning Kalalangan (Arts Month), Ágùman Kalalangan Súlat Kapampángan (AGKAS), an organization that practices and promotes the indigent Kapampangan script Kulitan, is holding an art exhibit and calligraphy demonstration featuring the latter, from Feb 22-28, 2021 at The Infinity Amphitheater, Angeles City. 

Themed Katimauan (Freedom / Independence), the event aims to celebrate the artistic prowess of Kulitan, raise awareness, and promote its usage, by extension enriching the Kapampangan language and grammar, which the ancient orthography is rooted.

Works featuring Kulitan writings are contributions from members: John Balatbat, Czarina Buscayno, Màno de la Cruz, Ebbol Rosales, Eliver Sicat, Elliot Sicat, Lucio Sison, Badet Tiotuico, Bruno Tiotuico, Norman Tiotuico, Erwin Torio, and Jing Torno. 

Photos: Norman Tiotuico

In a Facebook post last September 2020, Norman Tiotuico, a Kulitan writer, pointed out the motivations of why Kapampangans should learn it. 

“Ing sangkan bakit manigaral tamung Kulitan iapin itang akilala itang maiap ing amanu tamu, ing pangatau tamu, lalu na ing pangakapampangan, kanita mimulat, lumalam, lumauak ampong mitimaua tamu kamalean kareng dakal a bage” (The reason why we study Kulitan, is for us to realize how beautiful and good our language (Kapampangan) is, to know who we are as a person, especially our being Kapampangan, that way, our knowledge about various things will be opened, deepened, widened, and freed from ignorance) he said. 

A calligraphy demonstration on Feb 28 at 5 PM will give guests and spectators a front seat view of how the script is applied and written. 

You can check these Facebook pages and groups to find out more on the script and its craft: 
https://www.facebook.com/agkaskapampangan
https://www.facebook.com/Kulitan.Kapampangan/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Kulitkulitan