This first
week in the Philippines was very eventful; we attended a guest lecture from the
father of Filipino independent film, Kidlat Tahimik; ventured to Banaue to
observe the Batan rice terraces; and took a trip to the city of Baguio, a city
that was built by the American military to escape the summer heat of Manila.
These events contributed to our learning in two different ways, Kidlat
Tahimik’s film and lecture articulated Filipino’s experiences with American
colonialism, and the trips to Banaue and Baguio showed us the dichotomous
relationship between an indigenous way of life, and life in a colonial city.
Kidlat
Tahimik showed us his first film, Mababangong bangungot ["Perfumed
Nightmare”] and talked to us about
his life and resistance to neocolonialism. As an independent filmmaker;
Kidlat’s profession as a writer/producer/director/actor that separates himself
from the industry is in itself an example of having a marginalized voice. In
other words, we can draw parallels to the silencing of indigenous voices in
mainstream society to the silencing of independent filmic perspective in the mainstream
film industry. This relationship accents Kidlat’s role in being an indigenous
resistance advocate and his medium is in my opinion a very pragmatic and
effective way of giving light to issues that are consistently not talked about
in academia and in general. His film was a semi-autobiographical account that
depicted a young Kidlat Tahimik that grew up in the Philippines but wanted to
leave for a life in America. Through his journey, Kidlat deconstructs his
colonial mindset and ends up gaining a new perspective on ways of living. The
events and characters in the film showcased some of the concepts that we have
been reading such as psychological captivity and internalized oppression. Third
Andreson gives us examples of five cultural psychological captivity themes in
his excerpt from “The “Other” Students: Filipino Americans, Education, and
Power,” and Kidlat’s film is a great example of the theme of deficit
perceptions of culture, the concept that Filipinos are taught to reject their
own culture in order to adapt to White, European, or American cultures. The
young Kidlat dreamed of leaving his village to find “better” things. The fact that he wanted to leave to America
can be used as an example of the social conditioning of Filipinos to adapt to
American or other majority cultures, forfeiting their own.
I was excited to venture to Banaue
to see the Batan Rice terraces for two reasons. The first is that the terraces
are an amazing example of the still living indigenous areas in the Philippines.
The second reason is because the indigenous people managed to find a way to
live with the land that helped them survive and did not exploit or destroy any
sort of natural resources. A commonality that exists within indigeneity is the
reciprocal relationship with the land; the responsibility to take care of the
Earth, and recognizing the spirit of all living things. The terraces stand as a
shining example of this indigenous epistemology and the fact that it is still
living and used to this day struck me in a very profound way. After having the
hike of my life and saying goodbye to the terraces, our group drove to the city
of Baguio, a city that was built for the American military to escape the summer
heat of Manila in the early days of American colonialism. The city of Baguio
includes Camp John Hay, a former military base now turned tourist attraction.
The effects of colonialism in Baguio declined traditional Ibaloy systems, and
invited immigration of people of many different cultures. What was once an
indigenous land is a sort of melting pot of the Philippines that started with
American militarism. This coupled with tourist attractions shows the profound
effect that a colonial legacy has had on the experiences and lives of
Filipinos.
It is clear while looking at the
experiences of Filipinos and even the land itself that American colonialism has
had great and long lasting effects on Filipino identity. Our trips gave us but
a small amount of the complex and distinct experiences of indigenous Filipinos
and their experiences with American colonialism. Through our trips and lecture
from Kidlat Tahimik, we have gained insight on the lived realities of Filipinos.
I’m interested in seeing how the rest of this trip plays out, and what we will
be learning about the activism and resistance that Filipinos have to these
colonial forces. One thing I would question about the discourse on Filipino identity
is whether or not there are programs implemented in the education system to
have these conversations and discuss these issues. Are there any programs
implemented in UP or a similar University that teach students to have a
critical perspective on American colonialism, something similar to American
Indian Studies at the University of Washington? Are there places where
indigenous scholars can learn not only about the issues, but about their
cultures and traditions in order to dismantle stereotypes and decolonize their
perspective on their land?
Works Cited
Andresen, Third. "Chapter 4:
Knowledge Construction, Transformative Academic Knowledge, and Filipino
American Identity and Experience." The
"Other" Students: Filipino Americans, Education, and Power. N.p.:
n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Alcantra, Erlyn. "Baguio
Between Two Wars: The Creation and Destruction of a Summer Capital."
(n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Bose, Santiago. "Baguio
Graffiti." Looking the
Other Way: The Cultural Fallout. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Tahimik, Kidlat (1977) “Perfumed
Nightmares” (film)
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