Where my Pieces are sourced
Numerous Indigenous people who fought and resisted Spanish colonization call this place home. Originally labelled as Igorots The term is an old Tagalog word meaning "people from the mountains" and is generally used to include all of the tribes in the area. The Spanish adopted this term, but it was generally used in a negative manner referring to savages and backward people of the mountains. Show some respect and DO NOT use this word, rather, refer to their individual tribes i.e. Ifugao, Ibaloi, Kalinga, etc...
Regional Municipalities with distinct styles
Regional styles can broadly be classified as Northern, Central and Southern Ifugao with the former two regions historically basking in the limelight. Most of the pieces you see in museums all over the world, in galleries, auction houses, coffee-table books and in the possession of many collector's will typically feature a Hapao, Hungduan i.e Taguiling or Lagawe style Bulul as their piece de resistance. Their form and style have historically defined the canon or simply put "a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged"-Google search .
The Southern Region : Beyond The Canon
Cordillera Mountain Range
The main focus of my collection is the old capital of Kiyyangan and the border-areas where the Ifugao culture has been influenced by direct contact with other tribes and Ilocano settlers. You will witness the stark polarization of carving styles from North and Central Ifugao. Southern form and style was overlooked or de-prioritized by many collectors in the past. Why? Well, my theory is quite simple. It was the Westerners (i.e Europeans then the Americans) who first took interest in Ifugao Art. They most likely began to collect pieces from Baguio City or directly from Banaue, seeing as these were the tourist hot spots in the 80's. Hence, they were the ones who defined the Canon for us. And we Filipinos who had much later developed a similar curiosity and interest in the same Art would naturally refer to books, publications written and documented by Western authors. One would have also visited Art galleries abroad which were curated by individuals influenced with the same aesthetics. These then defined the canon; a gaping mouth. deep-set hollow eyes, hands on the thighs, mortar-shaped bases, crusty, dark patina, seated-angular form. It became gospel truth in the tribal art circles. I am oversimplifying for effect, but I did personally experience this feeling that your pieces did not have any of these characteristics then your pieces were bluntly considered doubtful, fake or tourist art. That really got me thinking...