You might also like to take a look at gp2xPd since it builds PDa without
the gui libraries. There's a description of how I did that in the file
src/gp2x.readme which is available in a patched version of PDa. So
download PDa 0.6 from Güenter's site, then apply the patch from here:
< http://mccormick.cx/projects/gp2xPd/files/gp2x-PDa.patch> and then
read the file src/gp2x.readme and have a look at the gp2x section in the
makefiles. You should be able to use something very similar for gumstix.

So great that you are porting to gumstix - let us know how it runs.

so following your directions chris, patching the Makefile along with compiling using:

CC=/bin/arm-linux-uclibcgnueabi-gcc make

i ended up with the following pda port for the gumstix:

http://bekstation.bek.no/immigrante/pd_gumstix

it seems to run with the following flags:

pd -nogui -noadc -nomidi -verbose
sys_audioapi 2
Pd version 0.37.4
compiled 23:12:25 Apr 23 2007
opened 0 MIDI input device(s) and 0 MIDI output device(s).
input channels = 0, output channels = 2
opened /dev/dsp for writing only

error: OSS: SNDCTL_DSP_CHANNELS failed /dev/dsp
opened audio output on /dev/dsp; got 0 channels

but unfortunaltely oss or alsa seem to be broken by now, when i try via alsa i get this:

aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: UCB1400 [UCB1400], device 0: PXA2xx-PCM []
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

so it looks like a sound device is up, but as far as i can tell the compiled pda is not alsa enabled...