Tam-awan Village: A View of Cordillera Culture and Heritage

Tam-awan Village is a reconstruction of the Cordillera villages for many individuals who would like to experience the way of like in the Cordillera region. It is located in Pinsao, Baguio City Proper which is a good location—given that there are many individuals who have not been able to go to the Cordillera interior.

 

The Tam-awan Village project started in started in 1998 by Chanum Foundation by first reconstructing the Ifugao houses. Now, the village has 7 Ifugao huts and 2 Kalinga houses using the original materials in making these huts.

Tam-awan Village also became an avenue for art workshops and exhibits by various artists in order to have a deeper sense of meaning and appreciation for the Cordillera people.

It was a cool morning when we arrived at the village and was very much enthralled by the beauty of the place. It was a very different atmosphere as compared to the Baguio City Proper. It was filled with lush greenery and the strong houses of the Ifugao and the Kalinga properly complimented the soft evergreens that filled up the village.

It was also very proper that one would situate art, for one could actually breathe in, observe, and marvel at the various works that are placed on the village. One can truly feel the Cordillera magnificence and one can marvel at its splendour, with such a village that is merely situated in Baguio City.

Dictionary.com defines culture as:

–noun
1. the quality in a person or society that arises from a concernfor what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners,scholarly pursuits, etc.
2. that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.
3. a particular form or stage of civilization, as that of a certainnation or period: Greek culture.
4. development or improvement of the mind by education or training.
5. the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social,ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.
6. Anthropology . the sum total of ways of living built up by agroup of human beings and transmitted from one generationto another.
7. Biology:
a.the cultivation of microorganisms, as bacteria, or oftissues, for scientific study, medicinal use, etc.
b.the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.
8.the act or practice of cultivating the soil; tillage.
9.the raising of plants or animals, especially with a view to theirimprovement.
10.the product or growth resulting from such cultivation.

And one can definitely see these elements in the Tam-awan Village. It is a venue for one to properly give justice and absolute appreciation to the culture of the Ifugao, the Kalinga, and the rest of the Cordillera region. It is an avenue for one to excel in art, through the various workshops that are held there. And lastly, it is a venue of renewal: a renewal in perspective for those who have never experienced or don’t have the luxury of time to be able to experience a real Cordillera experience, then this is the place for you.