Dabakan
/dəˈbɑːkən/noun
A Philippine goblet-shaped, single-headed drum used especially in kulintang ensembles.
Did you know?The dabakan is traditionally played with two slender sticks and serves as a rhythmic foundation for kulintang music, whose performances can carry ceremonial and social significance.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Philippines
Austronesian
dabakan
“A regional name for a single-headed Philippine drum; the exact deeper origin of the term is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
Maguindanao/Maranao
dabakan
“A goblet-shaped drum used within southern Philippine gong-and-drum ensembles.”
19th Century
Spanish Philippine sources
dabacán
“A locally named drum documented in descriptions of Philippine musical instruments.”
20th Century
English
dabakan
“An ethnomusicological term for the Philippine goblet drum, especially one used in kulintang ensembles.”
Modern English
English
dabakan
“A Philippine single-headed drum played with sticks, commonly associated with Maguindanao and related musical traditions.”