A.

B.
1.) What forms of traditional art can you identify in the documentary?
2.) What do these narratives tell us about the character of traditional arts?

The Ifugao tribe is one of the most interesting and religious tribe in the
Philippine archipelago. Ifugaos are former headhunters who are famous for their
spectacular mountain-hugging rice terraces.Their culture encompasses different
intricate forms of traditional art such as dancing, music, sculptures, accessories,
clothes, etc. that are passed down generation by generation, even as time came
wherein Americans colonized the country and the local tribe’s lands located in Nueva
Vizcaya, Mountain Province.
One of the best, most iconic exhibited art in here is the marvelous work of
the monolithic Banaue Rice Terraces, which is built over 2000 years ago that is 5
meters tall for every paddy field there is. It is by far ranges to an approximately
parochial length of 12, 500 miles. The Banaue Rice Terraces is a great example of a
work of art that many had unwaveringly built and sacrificed to create staircase-like
structure for agriculture, horticulture, and abundance gifts of nature. It is one of the most
verdant tourist spot attraction to respite and relive like the old generations.

However, there are many more various handmade arts here that are
merely created by bare skills and intelligence. Weaving, farming, animal domestication,
sculpting, etc. are notoriously the hobbies of their daily living. In sculpting, they have a
religious tradition wherein they offer a carved wooden figure, Bulul, to the Gods and
spirits to guard their rice crops and in belief of more upcoming great abundance with it.
In weaving, most of women’s work are weaving with smooth patterned design textiles
that can be used for a traditional Ifugao outfit, as blankets, scarves, and skirts.
Ifugao’s houses are made as triangular shaped shelters. Women in their
community are responsible in farming and maintaining the flow of irrigation system of
each paddy field. While in men, they ensure the rearrange of fields by plowing, with the
help of tamaraw, to be planted for new rice plants soon, and improve or fix every
foundation of the tall rocky walls of the terraces so that it will not get dried up and
collapse. Women usually sing their narrative chants as they go along with harvesting to
help invoke the God. In this way they calm down, relieve their pain, and remove their
fatigue throughout the day.
Moreover, various men in their community, specifically the Mumbaki, a kind of
religious specialist, performs various healing rituals as well as engage in spiritual
practices. They believe that with this rituals, would deliver their message to God,
through a chant and a dance around the involvement of an animal that will eventually be
slaughtered. Other forms of art took place in pottery (tapayan) as mentioned in their
ancestral treasure inheritance.
Learning about these showcased traditional arts is quite enlightening to my
knowledge about culture, society, and lifestyle. The exposed Ifugao culture has a simple
way of living for a mountainous rural region, rather in noisy urban cities. Traditional arts
are indeed secluded here in parts of our nation. Aside from the emerging modern
generation, there is still beauty and sophistication through those ethnic groups in the
Philippines, albeit being secluded and rarely told to anyone anymore. This is their
cultural identity. Ifugaos undoubtedly make a great impression to different Filipino
culture across the world.
In light of these learnings, it is a pleasure for me to witness their lives even for a
short documentary. It was overwhelming to see a green land full of joyful and zealous
workers. Perhaps, it is over the extent of fulfillment they receive with each and every
task that they make as there are Gods and spirits that gives them the tutelage for what
comes next for them to act accordingly towards a comfortable life. One thing that makes
them great is that they never give up and still fighting for a living, in greatness and
darkness. I wish them the best of life’s blessings and for their culture to be preserved as
well, when time comes that there’ll be more challenges ahead of them due to
industrialization and modernization.