Kultura sa Hilaga

Baguio is a place rich in culture and tradition. Even though the city have adjusted to globalization having incorporated modern buildings, its roots have been protected. One such example is the Tam-awan village where their hundred year old native artifacts and architectures like the "Bulol" and nipa hut are all located here.

Camaraderie was very evident when we went up the "mountain." The path was steep and muddy, posing a challenge to everyone. 

Determined to reach the top where a view of the Red Sea awaits, the group marched up the mountain, making sure each and everyone made it safely to the top. 

It was too foggy to see the sea. :(

Even the kids of Ms. Liz were up for the challenge. 

Each group was even kind enough to take the pictures of the other group so that everyone in the group will be in the shot.

Despite being one of the top tourist destinations in the country, Baguio still remains to be clean and picturesque. It is not a surprise that tourists keep on coming back to Baguio with its warm, generous and kind people. Some of these are Ate Zang, the guy from BenCab Museum, the taxi drivers, and the owner of Inn Rocio.

Because we are blessed to have a very kind professor, we were given time to go around Baguio City during our first night there. We walked around Session Road and planned on having a great time, maybe party and drink. Being unfamiliar with the place and where to go for a good time, we decided to ask people on the street for directions as to where we can party. What was nice about Baguio was that people there are very approachable and easy to talk with. A lady by the name of Zang volunteered to show us to one of the famous hang outs in Baguio. Despite being total strangers, she was kind enough to do that for us. We asked how far the place she was talking about was and she said that it was just near and can be reached in 3 minutes, even just by foot. To our surprise, 20 minutes passed by and we were still walking. Talking to her, we found out that she is more used to conversing in English compared to Filipino. 

With ate Zang at Gilligan's

This is a characteristic of a Filipino, the willingness to help at almost anytime, any place and to anyone. Another concrete example for this is the guy from the BenCab Museum who got in the pond without any hesitation just to get our classmate’s cellphone.

Likewise, the owner of Inn Rocio showed us his being hospitable through generosity. He let our class stay in a big room and leave our things there without having to pay. 

Similarly, the taxi drivers showed us kindness. Though it was obvious that we were not so familiar with the places, they do not drive around the city just to have a bigger profit. Just tell them where to go and they would most of the time, know where to go. Have no small bill? No worries. Taxi drivers here are more than ready and willing to give you change. Even the malls make sure that its patrons are protected if ever there are abusive taxi drivers. Before getting on the taxi, there is someone to give you a slip where the plate number of the taxi is indicated and contact numbers where you can report any unwanted incident.

Moreover, we, Filipinos can relate to the people around us and can easily form friendships with each other. This was what happened in our class wherein those who we were not close and have not talked to during the whole term became friends during our stay in Baguio. It was just 2 days but our class seemed to be tightly knit already. 

Instant buddies- Alj and Marco

Another example is Alj, the son of our professor and one of the members of our group, Marco. In less than a day, Alj became close to Marco and seemed to have bonded quite well.

 It is also noticeable that the kids of our professor was more used to speaking English compared to Filipino just like Zang. 

They seemed to be highly influenced by the West. There were times that Alj would just call his mom by her first name which is Liz. He also has the concept of April Fool's Day which is not really practiced here in the Philippines.

When we hear the word Baguio, one of the things that usually comes to our mind is the Ukay Ukay, where one can buy second-hand clothes, shoes, accessories and a lot more at very low prices. Yes, the items are already used yet they look like they are not. Most of the items sold here are imported. In Manila, buying at Ukay Ukay sometimes gives negative impressions to an individual but in Baguio, it is just a typical activity.

Filipinos love to shop. We also love to ask for discounts. Baguio is not an exception. Haggling is also done here.

 That's why even in Ukay Ukay where things are sold at lower prices, Filipinos sometimes still ask for much lower prices. We, ourselves, were guilty of haggling. Since we, Filipinos, know the concept of pasalubong, we bought tons for our loved ones. This is where our haggling ability came out. If Cebu are known for its dried mangoes for pasalubong, and danggit for Davao, Baguio also has lots to offer. Some of these are the ube from Good Shepherd, the lengua, choco flakes, peanut brittle, "sundot-kulangot", and of course, strawberries.

Aside from the packed strawberries and processed strawberry products we bought, like the strawberry jam, kisses, ice cream, polvoron, we also got to experience how it is like to pick strawberries. Seeing the huge strawberry fields was amazing; picking the strawberries was even better. No mud nor fog could stop us from getting our strawberries. 

We wore all smiles especially when we got to see a "perfect" strawberry so to speak. 

Yey! "Perfect" strawberry! :)

Being out there on the field was fun for us because we never experienced that before and it is something new to us and we only did it for about 30 minutes. However, come to think of it, the people from Baguio do this for a living. They strive hard for their agriculture and they thrive due to it. Picking strawberries in that huge field is no joke and they also plant other vegetables there. With that experience, we got to appreciate what they do even more.

During our tour in Baguio, we were also able to see some of the unique characteristics of Filipinos like being resilient, resourceful and creative. Just like in Metro Manila, there are slum-like structures seen in the area. However, unlike the slums in Metro Manila where the houses are very close to and are on top of each other, the houses here are along the side of the mountain. They make use of the space they have. We are good at adjusting to what life throws at us and we make the most of what we have. The very limited space is put to good use and still is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It has even been made into a painting seen at BenCab Museum. 

Similarly, they make the most out of their locally grown products by making various products out of it, from strawberry jam, strawberry taho to strawberry ice cream. 

We also observed the same Filipino traits when we visited Tam-awan village. Going up the mountain made us realize how the villagers lived during their time. It was very tiring for us to go up and down the trails of the mountain since most of us are not used to such physical challenge. 

Being there made us realize how much people back then lived a much much much simpler lives than ours.  The villagers living there were able to adapt to their environment and utilized what they have. With nothing but land resources such as plants, wood and stones they are able to make it from day to day.

We have witnessed the rich culture of Baguio, as seen in what we have experienced in our visit to the strawberry fields, Tam-awan village, the Benguet State University, and BenCab museum. During the tour to the University, the students prepared various ethnic dances that represent various rituals. We observed how open the guys were to wear "bahag" in front of us. It was amazing because normally, we would wear cycling shorts under it, but we guess the rich culture in Baguio makes it normal and they are not ashamed of it. We could definitely say that the performance was a celebration of the rich culture Baguio has. Baguio is indeed filled with rich culture and they are very proud of it.

Proud BSU dancers

Sining sa Kordilyera

Benguet State University

Art can take any kinds of form such as paintings, sculptures, architecture and much more. Visiting Benguet State University showed us Cordilleran art in the form of dance. The Kontad dance troup and the Dramatics Club showcased 6 different indigenous dance namely Boogie, Sakuting, Palok, Turuyan, Insalay and Dinuyya. The students danced with grace and passion. These dances celebrate life and are for various occasions such as courtship, weddings, victories, fertility and many more and are mostly an immitation of the movement of birds. Musical and weapon-like instruments were used which helped in further conveying what their dances were all about. Even their colorful costumes showed Cordilleran art.

          Part 1                                                          Part 2

BenCab Museum

We also visited the BenCab museum which was filled with Cordilleran painting and sculptures. Named after the national artist “Benedicto Cabrera”, the museum is composed of his collections together with some of the contributions of other Filipino artists.

The artworks we saw there were very impressive. It included traditional and modern artworks which represent much of the Cordilleran heritage. The traditional and historical artworks consist of sculptures that were well-preserved. 

Most of the sculptures found inside are weapons, containers, household materials, furniture and statues of the indigenous people of the Cordillera, similar to what like can be found in the Tam-awan village. 

Most of the sculptures included are the different kinds of bulols in stone and wood figures. Some sculptures were also made from wood, stones and animal parts like horns, hairs and skins. As for the modern artworks, most of what was found are Philippine Contemporary paintings and Erotica paintings which were all made and mixed with numerous modern materials.

Not only did the museum represented the culture of the Cordillerans, in a way it also has a mix of national and international meanings and situations in view of the modern life of Baguio people.

Tam-awan Village

The Tam-awan village can be found in the Northwestern area of Baguio city. It treasures hundred year old sculptures of "Bulols" or the Ifugao rice gods. 

Nipa huts can also be seen in the village. They are mostly scattered along the high and low ground of the mountain and looking at how they were built truly amazed us. They were simply built but have that "wow" factor... beauty in simplicity. The arts of the people who used to live there are well preserved and have little or no sign of damage can be seen on them.

Since there were so many bulol statues scattered around the area, it could have probably meant that those sculptures are there to protect their rice field and the people themselves.

Overall, what we have learned from the art of Cordillera is that all of their dances, sculptures, paintings and architecture reflect their lifestyle, their environment, their culture and the events that happen around them.