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HONORINGUKA.INFO is dedicated to preserving the memory of Ukà of Lange-Lange, the best bamboo zither (togo belotokan) player of the Teduray people living in Mindanao, Philippines. Ukà is a mentefuwaley libun, which means "one-who-became-a-woman," a rough equivalent of the English term "transgender woman."
Ukà's story is based on the field work that American anthropologist Stuart Schlegel did in the 60's in Mindanao, which he recounted in his book Wisdom of a Rainforest: The Spiritual Journey of an Anthropologist.
This virtual shrine contains the only known tape recording of Uká's music, which Schlegel gave to Sass Rogando Sasot, one of the pioneers of the Philippine transgender rights movement. Thanks to Charlese Saballe and her husband Jaako Jaskari, Uká's music has been converted into a digital file.
This site doesn't only honor a valuable part of Philippine heritage but also reclaim the dignity of transgender people destroyed by centuries of colonization.
For any queries, please contact the site administrator: srsasot@gmail.com