GQNPC Road Trip Leg 3: Tam-awan Village tour

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July 18, 2010.

From the drenched strawberry fields, we proceeded up the winding Pico-Lamtang and Longlong Roads, which provided breathtaking views of La Trinidad Valley, to Tam-awan Village. Just 15 minutes away from Baguio's CBD, yet worlds apart from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Established by the Chanum Foundation, Inc., the village provides a way for visitors to see some aspect of Cordilleran lifestyle and culture. Visual arts, song and dance, woodcraft, and architecture from, and inspired by, the different peoples of the mountains are showcased in the village. Plus, it is said that on a clear day, the South China Sea can be seen (tam-awan. noun. a vantage point, particularly on higher ground). Entrance to the place is not free but is still affordable: P50 for adults, P30 for senior citizens and students, and P25 for children 12 years old and younger. 

Water can be found everywhere in the village. Aside from the rain, that is. It figures so much into Cordilleran culture; the mountain people, since time immemorial, have been cultivating rice, a water-lover, in otherwise unfavourable conditions.

Bu-lul sculptures adorned the village; Cordillera farmers regard these rice gods as guardians of the bountiful harvest... and perhaps, these were guarding over Tam-awan's priceless examples of culture.

Huts, examples of Cordilleran architecture, provided shelter from the rain as we went up this garden in the sky. Honestly, they all looked alike to me; I wouldn't know the difference between a rice granary and a "fertility hut". I'm just not exposed to the culture, I guess.

Inside the gallery, I saw two black and white snapshots of Cordilleran everyday life, and these brought back memories of a lunch in Bontoc and a breakfast in Sagada (2000). The snapshots were taken in a style similar to Eduardo Masferre's images; his works were all over the Bontoc Museum and the Masferre Inn, providing a glimpse at traditional life in the mountains. 

Overall, the trip to Tam-awan is the highlight of my Baguio trip with the GQNPC. 

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