October 31, 2012

Kalinga - Part VI - Portrait of a Proud People

I'm not yet done with telling visual stories of our amazing visit to Barangay Buscalan, high up among the rice terraced mountains of Kalinga province.

The people of Buscalan may be materially dirt poor, but that they are a proud people with a rich culture is equally apparent. 

And, I must add here, their sincerely warm hospitality belies their history as ferocious head hunters.

Let my portraits do the talking.



Virgie was our able translator


Ti-A and her husband Charlie, barangay leader, were our generous hosts


Ti-A's mother kindly shared her home with us for the night

 Buscalan, Kalinga, 2012

These portraits of a proud people are my contribution to ABC Wednesday where the letter of the week is P.

I am also pleased to share with you (with his permission) this superb video put together by travel mate Jeremiah (shown in Part II with Whang Od). Jeremiah and his three friends hailed from Cebu, and all of us met in Tuguegarao for the start of our journey together. See Part I.


Whang Od from djsparechange on Vimeo.

Part VII still to follow.

26 comments:

Kay L. Davies said...

How wonderful for you to have met these people, Francisca, and to share their stories with us. Someone might learn something here. Wouldn't it be nice if it made people re-think the word "riches"?
K

Anonymous said...

I am excited to see the portraits of these people. In my travels I never fail to get a shot of people too. Their faces tell so much more than words can say.

Leslie: said...

They all look very happy and content with their lives and you were very lucky to have been able to share some time with them. Wonderful post!

Leslie
abcw team

jennyfreckles said...

This is such an interesting series, thank you for sharing a glimpse of these people and their way of life so different from mine. The older people especially seem to have great dignity. And children the world over are so compelling in their innocence. It's sad in some senses that 'the old ways' are getting lost but we should not wish any communities to stand still. Hopefully progress is real and good for them in most ways. It seems vital to document and record their customs and I'm glad you and your fellow travellers are able to do that for the rest of us. To be truthful, I guess I wouldn't really want to be buried in my own back yard!

carol l mckenna said...

What a gift to have shared time and space with these beautiful people ~ Fantastic photography ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^

Roger Owen Green said...

important work you are doing!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Andrea said...

Hospitality and kindness really show in the Pilipino culture, especially during those days! It is a shame that modernization and development seem to have let if fade. By the way, what else did you bring aside from the candies seen in the video. I am sure these people want more coffee to keep them warm!

Chubskulit Rose said...

Thank you so much for sharing the video, I enjoyed it so much~!

Pile of Leaves
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Andy said...

You have done it again Francisca with another fine collection of people photos.

Unknown said...

i remember my surprise during my first trip to the Mountain Province many years ago and saw old women with tattoos all over their bodies. my friend's uncle from Tuguegarao told me about batek, or the Kalinga tribal tattoos. did you notice that the people from Kalinga are camera-shy?:p

P is for...

Gattina said...

Very nice and expressive portraits !
Gattina
ABC Team

photowannabe said...

What a privilege to travel there and see these beautiful people.
The video was amazing.
This was thrilling to see. Thank you.

EG CameraGirl said...

The Kalinga are only poor by Western standards, I think. I know many people would disagree with me on this, but many North Americans suffer from a severe poverty of spirit.

Traveling Hawk said...

Again, a wonderful gallery!

LindyLouMac said...

Calling by from ABC Wednesday, this was a fascinating post to come across.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Your pictures certainly do tell the story....this has been an amazing trip to take along with you.

Anonymous said...

This must be my favourite post in the series. Fab shots!

James said...

Your last few posts are simply amazing! I really enjoyed the photos and the stories about this interesting place.

Outstanding blogging Francisca!

Shooting Parrots said...

Great people pictures, something I'm not very good at - I feel more self-conscious than the subject!

Unknown said...

Hey Francisca
You take the most amazing pics. Your portraits sure do their talking very well :).

Thanks for dropping by my blog. Great to see you there. I am sorry I took so long to respond. Big change - good change? Big change in my life too - I now have an exciting project - www.DottedSquare.com. All good, all fun :D

Take care, Evelyn

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful faces of hard living. congrats on your POTW!

Chrissy Brand said...

What a fantastic community- thank you for sharing. Will view the video later!

Chris said...

Hi Francisca, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

tapirgal said...

Your portraits are just beautiful, and they are real portraits, too.

Anonymous said...

These are amazing photos of beautiful faces. I can imagine them in National Geographic. I'm looking forward to visiting your blog again!

Miranda Stahl said...

Interesting culture and beautiful people. i hope someday i can visit Philippines.
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