Description

Located in the northern Philippine highlands, the Ifugao community are wet-rice agriculturalists. Their extensive terraced rice fields and a rich cosmology featuring over a thousand deities highlight a tradition that persists despite myriad changes. Mountain Spirits, an upcoming exhibition at The Fowler Museum at UCLA, will draw upon state-of-the-art technologies to offer visitors an immersive experience of the Ifugao rice fields, deepening understanding of the significance of Indigenous ecological knowledge and the rituals surrounding the harvesting, eating, and storage of the sacred sustenance of rice through utilitarian objects, carved representations of the sacred, immersive landscape images, and devotional song. A related community-engaged educational project aims to enhance understanding and appreciation of Ifugao art, religion, and culture among the Filipino diaspora in Los Angeles. The project is being led by UCLA Professor Stephen Acabado and Amy Landau, the Fowler’s Director of Education and Interpretation.