[Talk] The Changing Face of the Ifugao Bulul

Readers may be interested in this online talk by Floy Quintos on the Ifugao Bulul organised by the Ayala Museum tomorrow and the week after (13 and 20 March 2021).

The Ifugao Bulul has been widely popularized in Philippine Contemporary Art and the Creative Industries.

This timely re-examination of the Bulul covers a long journey. From a symbol of an ancient animism that survived the colonization of Luzon to its changing face throughout Ifugao history.

First, we will seek to ground the object in Ifugao mythology and oral literature. With the use of both archival photos and recent footage, we will place the object in its proper context, still relevant to the Ifugao people and their culture. We examine the myths and processes, the taboos and the chants that accompany both the creation as well as the use of these figures.

Then by examining the faces and features of specific examples, we trace the changing face of the object by linking them to specific periods of Ifugao history. From the archaic, pre-contact period to the attempts of Spanish colonizers, to the period of pacification by the Americans to the expansion of local trade and commerce, we will see how the Bulul reflected all these important chapters of Ifugao history.

Rather than treat the object type as a static, immutable art piece, this lecture seeks to show the continuum in which an object — and the culture that created it — struggles to survive and evolve.

Source: Events / – Ayala Museum