Long before the Spanish friars built the stone church that still towers over the Loboc River, the riverside settlements of Bohol were alive with the rhythms of daily life. The people fished, planted rice, and raised families, but they also watched the world around them with keen, observant eyes. Among their most fascinating neighbors was a small, restless bird called the Kiriwkiw —the Philippine Pied Fantail ( Rhipidura nigritorquis ), known for its jerky, never-still movements and its habit of fanning its tail as it hunted for insects.
Rather than ban the dance, the clever locals adapted. They performed the Kiriwkiw during the town fiesta in honor of San Pedro (St. Peter), tying the bird’s “free-spirited hunt” to the idea of the soul searching for righteousness. The dance survived, but its original, pre-colonial meaning remained intact—a mimicry of nature, a laugh at life’s unpredictability. Today, the Kiriwkiw is a treasured part of Bohol’s folk dance repertoire. It is performed during the Sandugo Festival (which commemorates the blood compact between Sikatuna and Legazpi) and in local school programs. The costume has evolved: women now wear colorful balintawak dresses with wide, fan-like sleeves to exaggerate the “tail” movement, while men wear simple barong and red trousers. The music is played with a rondalla —bandurrias, guitars, and drums—though the original kalutang beat remains central. kiriwkiw folk dance history
But the dance needed a purpose. At the time, the people of Loboc were preparing for the harvest festival—a thanksgiving to the spirits of the river and the rice fields. The village elder, a woman named Lola Sabel, recalled the washerwomen’s game. “Why not dance the Kiriwkiw ?” she proposed. “It honors the clever bird that eats the pests from our crops. And its zigzag path reminds us that life is never a straight line—it moves forward, then back, then side to side.” Long before the Spanish friars built the stone