Rediscovering the North - Part 5 -the amazing BANAWE SUNRISE and BANAWE MUSEUM.

Iggy and I were up at 4:00am today... hoping to catch the famous Banawe sunrise at the Banawe View Point # 2. This view point is 20 minutes from the place we were staying. We arrived at the view point around 5:00am. Set up our cameras and waited for the sun to come out....

That morning was very cold. Iggy and I had to wear jackets. Bert and Leo, our assistant videographers were with us too... Leo was helping me walk down to the view point since I decided not to bring my cane with me.

After waiting for almost 30 minutes...... the sun was ready to rise!!! here are my photos of the sunrise !

It was a heavenly sight after all !!!!!

After taking a few more shots of the terraces and its surroundings we hurried back to have breakfast with the rest of the group.... They had another agenda in store for all of us.... They were going to a small village called POITAN -- and have an interview with one of the Ifugao elders. They were going to be fetch by their guide and travel by a jeepney to a certain point --- then trek for an hour to the village. I could not go with them because I was scared that I might injure my healing fractured foot..... so I decided to stay behind and interview Lily Beyer Luglug  and see her Banawe Museum. Lily is a very soft- spoken woman whose knowledge about Banawe, the artifacts and the history of the place is so interesting. She is the granddaughter of HENRY OTLEY BEYER - a well-known anthropologist who spent most of his life here in Banawe. When Beyer died in 1966, he was buried in an Ifugao burial shed on one of the hills of Banawe.

The Banawe Museum is a privately owned Museum of the Beyer Family. It houses a collections of artifacts, books and sculptures that depict the Ifugao culture and traditions.

Here are some of the rare finds in the museum ....

This is called HAGABI... It is a long huge bench carved out of one single piece of wood, whose seat rises in the middle from either end. The ends of the hagabi usually has animal forms. The creation and delivery from carver to the owner's house enatils many people and rituals. It needs at least 20 men to carry this seat. This hagabi is a sign of wealth and prestige, and is found ONLY under the rich Ifugao's house.

An antique child's chair. 

This is a very rare tribal necklace made out of crocodile teeth.

This jar was not excavated in the mountains of the Ifugao region. They were brought here by foreigners in one of their free trade with the Ifugaos.

These are the famous Pang-ao beads of the Ifugao region...

These are called BULULS.... which means " rice gods ".  This is a very popular form in Ifugao sculpture. The majority of these sculptures are made out of wood ( in the olden days they use narra - which is the symbol of richness, happiness and well-being ). In rituals and ceremonies , the bulul is the most common traditional sculpture. Through the Bulul, the Ifugaos ask for a heavy crop because they think these rice gods will protect its harvest and abundance.  They are usually made in pairs but there are no rules as for the sex or the position. Most of the bululs that you see are sitted or standing upright. They usually measure between 15 inches to 2 feet in height.

These are locust basket ( the one on top ) and chicken basket ( below )... They are made of rattan and bamboo material.

I recommend that you should go and visit the Banawe Museum when you are in Banawe... To the coffee lovers I have good news for you!!---- The Ifugaos have their own blend of coffee which are : Terraces Blend ( Banawe ), Kalinga Blend ( Kalinga ) and Lagawe Blend ( Lagawe).

A bag of these coffee beans costs somewhere between 90 to 120 PHP. You should try these too!!!

I have so many fond memories of this place..... I want to go back one more time and visit Banawe. Go and take photos of their mystical mountains... If you enjoyed looking at my photos .... PLAN A TRIP to Banawe... and experience what I feel every time I come back to this place!!!! What are you waiting for----- let's go to Banawe!!

NANGAMUNG HI PIDWANG AHI AYU GO UMALI !!

Goodbye and see you soon!

BANAWE MUSEUM

Barangay Poblacion, Banawe
Ifugao

Contact person : Jovita Luglug or Lily Luglug
tel. nos. ( 074 ) 386 4078

Entrance Fee is 50 PHP per person.
How to get there : It is a short walk or tricycle ride from the town proper.