Preservation of the Old days

A good day to everyone!

I'm gonna be sharing you one of the unique things in our humble remote Barangay.

We live in the hillside of the mountainous province of Ifugao. Ifugao is known for the Rice Terraces located specifically in the town of Banaue, which is being cultivated and preserved by the native people.

My home town is in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao. It is 4 hours drive from the capital of our Province. Actually we are nearer to Isabela and also part of the Mountain Province (Paracelis) which will take you just an hour of travel.

Alfonso Lista is called a MELTING POT because it is where many tribes from the nearby Provinces are living. The town is composed of Ilocano, Ifugao, Ibaloi, Gad'ang, and Tagalog people. It is not really dominated by Ifugao people due to the fact that we are surrounded by different cultures from the nearby Provinces.

Speaking about the tribe of Gad'ang, they originated from the province of Mountain Province (Paracelis) but many also are from the Province of Nueva Viscaya.

As a child who grew with the Gad'ang people I learned their language and until now I am still fluent to speaking their native tongues. I also learn some of their culture, even dance their traditional dance and also wear native costumes which they are really treasuring.

The pictures I will be posting is with the permission of the person involve. She wanted that their antiques will be known my many.

We call her Afu Ullang (meaning grandmother or lola Ullang). 88 year old yet still strong and healthy. She is living alone in her own house near the house of his son. I can say that she is a good business women. In her age, she can still manage to make those colorful antiques and make some money out of it. She is selling those necklaces and bracelets in Manila, a 10 to 12 hours drive from our place. They sell that 1 piece of necklace with a worth of 5 to 8 thousand. They even trade it sometimes with one big Carabao. That's how genuine their products are.

One time, Afu Ullang went back to Manila to sell her goods. She ride a taxi to go to her companion's place. Unexpected incidence happened when she accidentally forget her belongings inside the taxi. Her bags of antique got lost. She went to the police to ask for help but then they weren't able to recover her things. It cost about 20 - 25k. That incidence made her burdened and it took her how many months also to recover. Those antiques is her source of living. It means a lot for her.

So, during my vacation I visited her in their house. I wanted to feature their most treasured antiques. So here they are.

(That was her house. She lives alone in there.)

(Closer view

Those are her antiques. She is making a necklace out of it. Sometimes people borrows her antiques during wedding.

Until now, she still preserve those little pieces left from their ancestors. "I will give these to my grand grand sons and daughters when time comes", she said.

Hoping I could ask one pice of it someday when I return home in our dearest place.

Thanks for Reading

@sharaine