A new exhibition celebrating the cultural and agricultural traditions of the Ifugao people of the Philippines is set to open at the Fowler Museum at UCLA on April 11. Titled Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines, the exhibition offers a profound look into the lives, beliefs, and remarkable engineering feats of the Ifugao communities.
The opening, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the museum, located at 308 Charles E. Young Drive North on the UCLA campus. It promises an immersive experience, aimed at connecting Los Angeles with the vibrant living traditions of the Cordillera region.
Los Angeles is home to more museums per capita than any other city in the United States and has a long history of showcasing global cultures. This exhibition adds another significant dimension to the city's cultural landscape, highlighting the story of a specific Indigenous group and its enduring legacy. It also holds special relevance for the greater Los Angeles area, which is home to one of the largest Filipino communities in the country, fostering a direct connection between the diaspora and their ancestral heritage.
A celebration of Cordillera heritage
The opening night festivities will be highlighted by “Echoes of the Cordillera Mountains,” a special performance of music and dance rooted in the region’s ritual life. The program is curated by Peter de Guzman and Michael Wandag and will be performed by members of Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts and BIMAK, an organization representing the peoples of the Cordillera region, including Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Apayao, and Kalinga.
Attendees will experience performances that draw from traditional harvest rituals, courtship dances, and other expressions of community life. The accompanying music will feature the distinct sounds of bamboo instruments and bronze gongs, which are central to the ceremonial and social fabric of Cordillera cultures. These performances are not merely historical reenactments but are living traditions passed down through generations, offering a powerful echo of life in the mountains of Northern Luzon.
The performance aims to provide a dynamic and sensory introduction to the themes of the exhibition, where the connections between the spiritual, the agricultural, and the communal are deeply intertwined. It serves as a vibrant testament to cultural continuity and the resilience of Indigenous knowledge systems in the face of modern-day pressures.
Rice terraces as a living cultural landscape
At the heart of the Mountain Spirits exhibition are the famed Ifugao rice terraces. These magnificent, cascading structures are carved into the mountainsides of the region, creating a breathtaking landscape that is both productive and sacred. The exhibition delves into how this monumental feat of engineering is inextricably linked to Ifugao spirituality, social organization, and agricultural practices.
Hundreds of years old, the terraces are a testament to a sophisticated system of Indigenous knowledge passed down through generations. They were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995, recognized as an outstanding example of a living cultural landscape that demonstrates the harmony between people and their environment. The exhibition explores this relationship through a collection of objects, including intricately carved wooden figures, vibrant textiles, and ritual items used in ceremonies to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Through these artifacts and accompanying multimedia installations, visitors will learn how the cultivation of rice is more than just agriculture for the Ifugao people. It is a sacred practice that governs their calendar, shapes their community bonds, and connects them to their ancestors. The exhibition positions this intricate system of knowledge as a vital part of contemporary discussions around sustainability and cultural preservation.
Connecting communities across the Pacific
The organization of Mountain Spirits is a collaborative effort, reflecting its goal of bridging communities and fostering dialogue. The exhibition is co-sponsored by a wide range of partners, including the Asian Pacific Alumni Association of UCLA, the UCLA Division of Social Sciences, the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.
Also among the supporters are the Office of Loren Legarda, a prominent advocate for Indigenous culture in the Philippines, and the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the terraces. This broad coalition of academic, diplomatic, and civic partners underscores the exhibition’s importance in both cultural diplomacy and the scholarly exploration of Indigenous societies.
Organizers have emphasized that the exhibition aims to present Ifugao traditions as living and evolving, not as static relics of the past. By doing so, it contributes to a wider movement within Los Angeles cultural institutions to tell more inclusive and diverse stories. This trend can be seen in other upcoming events, like The Autry Museum’s Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles exhibition, which explores the city’s history through its varied communities. The city’s dynamic culinary scene, as detailed in a recent report on record-high restaurant openings, similarly reflects this rich cultural mosaic.
By positioning Indigenous knowledge within a contemporary university setting, the Fowler Museum hopes to strengthen the cultural ties between the Philippines and the large, vibrant Filipino diaspora in Los Angeles. While cities like Miami look toward the future through technology, as seen in the University of Miami's conference on high-tech cities, this exhibition underscores how Los Angeles continues to find its future by engaging deeply with the rich, diverse histories of its people.
As the organizers describe it, the project is a vital presentation of "living traditions," one that seeks to strengthen the cultural connections that span the Pacific Ocean.
