Hands [Photo Hunt]

@ mirandablue

A Cordillerano wood carver demonstrating his skill through his hands.  Indigenous wood carvers from the Cordillera region are famous for their creations---from key chains to life-size statues, furniture and home decor.  Traditional motifs of the carvings are closely associated to their culture, such as bul'ul, indigenous people and animals.  Bul'ul  or anito figures are representations of an Ifugao God that guards the spirits of rice granaries and forests.  Ifugaos also believe that the spirit of their ancestors reside in the Bul'ul sculpture.  More about bul'ul here.  

Even in a region rich in cultural heritage as the Cordillera, there are fears that traditional motifs would disappear from their tribal art especially as the rituals and way of life for which they were originally created are beginning to become extinct.

Bul'ul

Posted for Photo Hunt

Photo-Hunter: Clouds

Clouds over the majestic Cordillera Mountains

I took this photo while in a bus, traveling from Sagada to Baguio in March 2005. I don't remember the exact place where this photo was taken, but it was probably in Benguet.

Cordillera is the highest and largest mountain range in the Philippines. Located in the northern central part of Luzon, the Cordillera connects 6 provinces (Benguet, Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, Mountain Province and Ifugao), and the region is home to numerous indigenous tribes collectively called the Igorot.

The world famous 2,000-year old Banaue Rice Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is found in Ifugao. Baguio City, the country's summer capital is in Benguet. There are other natural attractions in the region---such as the ancient burial caves in Sagada, Benguet and Moutain Province; with 4 national parks: Cassamata Hills, Mount Pulag (the 2nd highest mountain in the country), Mt. Data and Balbalasang-Balbalan in Kalinga. For extreme sports enthusiasts, there's a world class white-water rafting in the mighty Chico River in Kalinga.

Exploring the Cordillera is not for the fainthearted.

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