LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The culture of at least 11 indigenous people’s (IP) communities in Pangasinan take center stage during the first anniversary celebration of the Banaan Pangasinan Provincial Museum.
The exhibit entitled, ‘Interwoven Roots, Shared Heritage’, which will run until October this year, features intricate woven clothing and textiles, photos, and other items of the Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Kalanguya, Iwak, Bago, Kalinga, Bontoc, Itneg, Applai, Aberling and Ifugao tribes.
It is part of the Pamagalang, the anniversary celebration of the museum, being staged in collaboration with the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in Pangasinan.
The exhibit aptly heeds the provincial museum’s bid to enable Pangasinenses, especially the younger generation, to learn more about the province, and this time their deep connection with the IP communities, said Provincial Tourism, Culture, and the Arts Office (PTCAO) head Maria Luisa Amor-Elduayan in an interview on Thursday.
She said around 12,000 individuals have visited the museum, housed in the historic Casa Real located in this provincial capital, since it was opened last year.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) executive director Dr. Eric Zerrudo, in his speech during the anniversary program on Wednesday afternoon, said Pamagalang is a perfect way to celebrate the Pangasinan Tourism Month as the “Banaan,” a Pangasinense word that means “meeting place,” has become a bonafide tourism attraction of the province.
He said it is also fitting for the celebration of Philippine Creatives Month this September and for the forthcoming Indigenous Peoples Month and the Museum and Galleries Month in October.
“Under this administration (of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.), the Bagong Pilipinas, culture and heritage presentation is given high importance and regard,” he said.
Zerrudo also thanked the representatives of the IP communities who lent their heritage and culture to the museum’s exhibit.