An Art Gallery for Indigenous Art Strikes Roots in Sagada
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“Patpatayan” by James Capuyan is a segment of a four-sectioned wood panel depicting the spiritual practice of the Kankana-ey tribe gathering at a sacred tree grove to pray for protection and blessings of abundance.
At the entrance to the gallery is the large “Tinagtago” made out of scrap metals with gold- colored finishing. A tinagtago among the Kankana-ey Igorots is a spiritual sculpture that resembles a human image. It is called bulul among the Ifugaos. These are believed to be symbols of guardian spirits or gods that bestow blessings of abundance. Many of the tinagtago in the community were disposed of at some point in time when colonial and fundamentalist Christian missionaries condemned these as pagan symbols, burning a few while making money with some in the antique trade. The gallery’s golden Tinagtago sits stoically beside a crystal ball installed as the head on a shirt painting titled “Culture Mystic.” The painting with its details of multi-dimensional characters and landscapes speaks volumes of stories of life in the Cordillera, Philippines, providing a preview of works that find home in the gallery.
“Tinagtago” by Dapli Gaongen is carved out of unused logs that would have been left to rot or chopped for firewood. Unrefined yet fashioned in the image of humans, a tinagtago, often in the stoic sitting position is a silent witness of what occurs. It is also a representation of a protective spirit.
A laughing Buddha statue and tinagtago of varied stances are arranged as altarpieces together with a miniature ceramic angel, candles, incense, wine, rice grains, and a variety of plants at the center of the gallery, lending a joyful and abundant sense of the sacred in a natural setting. Antique woven baskets, textiles, plus earthen and stone ware from the local pottery are well positioned around the tree that extends through an opening on the roof allowing sunlight onto the plants.
Displayed around the eight-walled gallery are paintings done with acrylic, oil, and watercolor on canvas, wood panels, plywood, paper as well as re-fashioned scrap woven cloths, felled branches, and seasoned tree stumps, reflecting the multilevel capacities and experimental styles among the emergent artists.
“Kalinga Tattoo” acrylic painting by James Gabriel Wandag pays homage to the courage and beauty of the Kalinga tribe whose tattooed men and women speak of their dignified status.
“I would like Igorot art that is appreciated by the Igorots to come out,” emphasizes Boy Yuchengco, philanthropist and art patron, who first traveled to Sagada in the ‘70s, which he describes then as being “quiet, simple, tranquil, and no hordes of tourists!” In his letter to Mary Carling aired in the local language through Radyo Sagada, Boyu lamented the fading beauty and sense of community that make him and fellow travelers keep coming back to Sagada. Yet, he offers hope for change and a shift to greater awareness among the youth as a balancing force guided by the dap-ay system. He has also sponsored the recent restoration and re-imagination of the mural “Kabilbiligan,” originally done by the late Santiago Bose early in the ‘80s on the front wall of Saint Mary’s School.
The “Shrine” Installation was built out of dumped limestones chipped away from its natural rock formation. The stones regained life with the new plant growth. A mirror inside the hollow space reflects the moonlight while by noon time, the prism on top of the shrine projects a rainbow as it captures the sunlight. Miniature statues of the buddha are sheltered in the shrine. The “Shrine” installation is by Bong Sanchez.
“It is a world-class art masterpiece! One that Sagada and the whole country can be proud of. Santi wanted to showcase not just Sagada, but the Cordillera’s ‘Way of Life.’ Most of the Cordillera artists who worked on this were formerly mentored by Santi. So it was a very fitting evolutionary work of art. This was Santi’s intent from the beginning. He wanted the mural to evolve, through the active participation of other Cordillera artists,” Yuchengco’s letter continued.
The mural itself is a socio-historical panorama narrating the Sagada ways of life. It radiates abundant life for a community of diverse tribal origins united in a deep bond with the land. It also depicts changes as the community adapted to modern civilization when roads were built, speeding up the travel of people, crops, livestock, and more ideas about being human.
“Water Dragon” by Dario Frias, Jr. is made of scrap metals from broken motorbikes.
“Our old ways of life are anchored on deep relations and interconnectedness with our fellow human beings, the natural environment and the ancestral and spirit world. Through cultural arts and spaces, we can continue to educate the youth to remember the wisdom in our cultural heritage as they evolve with the changes of the times,” says community elder Ama Tigan-o.
“It is high time we developed our indigenous arts and local artists. We have not devoted special attention to them because for a long time, the arts were intricately woven into our daily lives. These were mostly functional as well as cultural, enriching our way of life as indigenous peoples,” narrated Thomas Killip, leader-elder and peacemaker. He has partnered with his longtime friend, Boyu, on many projects facilitating development and innovation within the Sagada community.
Killip adds, “We need to re-orient the trend of tourism that has come to a point of degeneration. We need to show something else other than hotels and the growing problem of garbage and traffic. Before Sagada got entangled in mass tourism, artists, writers, nature lovers, backpack travelers, adventurers, and researchers visited Sagada. Their lives and the way they looked at the world were enriched in these travels. Some came back as mentors and rendered generous support for the development of the community. With the art space, we can invite other artists to help develop artistic and creative potentials in the community.”
“What we do at the art space lifts our spirits and encourages us to be creative and productive as the COVID-19 pandemic locked us down with uncertainties”, says Poklis, an observer, as he learns to carve from watching Dapli, a carpenter and performance artist, fashion a tinagtago from a tree trunk after a busy day of construction work.
Dom-an Macagne
Dom-an Macagne is a free-lance community development worker and bamboo nose flute player. She writes on initiatives that promote peace and healing as she also explores traditional ecological knowledge and wisdom in her indigenous ancestry.
