Angkatpesa

Angkatpesa is a term that refers to the Indigenous Slokasian practice of drinking communal rice, millet, or sweet wine. The practice varies by ethnic group; however, Ankatpesa is a Slokasian word that encompasses these traditions.

Production

Angkatpesa wine was traditionally sourced from a singular chosen farm. Typically passed down through generations, the farm would produce as much wine as a single batch of the chosen crop. Millet was the most popular choice among most indigenous groups, and the process of production began by collecting the millet in a large storehouse. Community elders would then wash the millet before steaming it in large clay pots. Yeast was then added, and the mixture was stirred. It was stored away until Angkatpesa was called.

A private Ankatpesa production building used by Upper Valley Pimyan Clan

In modern times, standard beer production practices have been adopted through commercial sellers. However, per the 2014 Indigenous Cultural Products and Beverage Act, those who sell in large commercial volumes may not label said products as Angkatpesa wine as a way of respecting the traditional and ceremonial art and supporting local indigenous business. Sellers such as Sunrise Spirits call the product “Celebration Wine” and have become principal sellers of the product at supermarkets and Sun-Mart.

Ceremony

Although the practice varies by tribe, Angkatpesa is generally celebrated from mid-September to December as a way of using harvested crops and produce, and celebrating the local community. Traditional tribal costumes are worn, such as sayang encit for men and kaying encit for women. Ceremonies open with the opening of the first bottle of angkatpesa, and depending on the tribal group, they are blessed or honored in various ways. Among primarily Catholic tribal groups, a mass may be held prior and the actual consumption of Angkatpesa is limited to a single small cup per person of age. Muslim groups in Kaijan often use non-alcoholic substances such as sugarcane juice. Once the first drink is taken, the ceremony begins; dances may be held. Men and women are often paired up as traditional music is played. This is often called “The Opening Song” and is performed by community bands, typically with a slow and rhythmic style.

Dances may continue, although most tribes have competitions held as the main course of Angkatpesa is brought out. Fare ranges by location, but generally a portion of meat or fish is served with fresh fruit, cucumber, and rice. Drinking of the actual Angkatpesa wine may also continue, with some tribes charging a small fee as a form of community fundraising. In urban areas, inter-tribal Ankatpesa’s are often held as fundraisers for the continued operation of community centers, funding of a cause, or the general well-being of elderly community members.

History

Angkatpesa has existed in some form since at least the year 578, when documents from the Kamranjarian court described “a great festival in the hills of far interior with much drink and food to be had”. This view of the ceremony as being “of the hills” would occur for several centuries, with large animist kingdoms of the day viewing the consumption as reserved for high ceremony. The Pindai State would continue this view, although they allowed it to occur in outlying tribute states. In the words of one tax collector in the year 1235, “Let them drink their wine, let them worship the false spirits, let them consume their harvested products. As long as tribute is paid and the land remains in peace, let them continue”.

By the 1400s, regional trade had allowed rice and millet wine cultivation practices to spread across the region. Distributors in the Pindai State began to be founded, selling the wines for commercial functions and private consumption by wealthy Minjian traders. Additionally, sellers existed in Ambonar prior to alcohol being labeled as of “Ra-Gunna” by Revivalist thinkers of the empire. Meanwhile, the practice of Angkatpesa continued among tribal groups, although often the spiritual elements became reduced as Catholic, Islamic, and Minjian scholars viewed these elements as pagan.

In the 1600s, the unlicensed distribution of alcoholic substances was banned in the San Fernando Dominion largely out of fear that tribal gatherings would incite rebellion against the colonial authority. This largely stemmed from several revolts by the Pimyan ethnic group, although modern scholars have linked these revolts to pressures on indigenous farms by Mestizo and Costeño settler families. The term Angkatgai, from the Pimyan language, began to be used to describe the harvest festival, as the focus shifted to food and dance rather than consumption of spirits to comply with the new policy.

Modern History

By the Republic period, with the emergence of the Slokasian identity, opinions about the Ankatpesa ceremony had changed. Public drinking provisions from the colonial period were dropped, which allowed for more bars and pubs in major cities as a whole, as well as the return of unlicensed non-commercial alcohol production. In the 1920s, as indigenous culture began to be recognized as a cultural asset, Ankatpesa was described by a 1924 tourism pamphlet for the Sierra Blancos Mountains as: “A great tradition of celebrating the harvest, an attendance at an Angkatpesa is a glimpse into the mystique of the mountain people”. This pamphlet was reflective of the era’s fascination with indigenous culture by urban Blancos, Mestizos, and Ren, and the increased trend of second homes for wealthy families.

In the 1950s, Juan Costa's National Reformist policy called for “cultural nationalism”; scholars of the National Reform Party condemned Angkatpesa as a “pagan practice,” pointing to specific ceremonies in Puerto Varas involving slaughtering cattle as reflective of the practice. Localized liquor production became heavily regulated, as each was required to join a Cooperative Agreement Board or CAB. CAB’s existed for every industry and were controlled by National Reform Partyloyalists who cracked down on indigenous brewers, even those with commercial licensing. Beer brands such as National and Rolling Waters began to be promoted as “prime examples of private and state cooperation in labor” and recommended as a drink of choice for the “Reformist Man”. Despite the end of Juan Costa’s control of Slokais in 1967, National and Rolling Waters remained popular, releasing Ankatpesa brands of their own in the 70s as a response to the return of the ceremony. Rolling Waters specifically targeted indigenous consumers with brand partnerships with vendors in indigenous communities, and sponsorship of indigenous actors such as Roberto Kamilyan. It would only be during the so-called “Green and Blue Wave” of the 1990s when interest in indigenous issues, culture, and identity would return to the Ankatpesa ceremony's traditional roots. The Inter-Tribal Ankatpesa of 1998, for example, would bring 100,000 people to the fairgrounds of Sana-Pah in South San Fernando Province. As the number of indigenous-identifying people grew during the 2000s, more and more communities held contemporary Ankatpesa days, with some areas even settling on specific days such as Victoria-Tedaya on October 25th.