Philippine ethnology book launched in Vienna
by Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, Austria | 11/01/2009 10:10 PM
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VIENNA, Austria – A new publication about the cultural heritage of the Philippines was launched in Vienna, Austria.
The book called “The Philippines: Early Collections” hopes to promote numerous collection of ethnological objects as well as unpublished photos of the Philippines in the 18th and 19th century. These important collections are kept in the Ethnology Museum of Vienna.
The 92-page volume enables readers to get a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines through the full color photos of over 80 objects, some dating as early as 1859, from the Museum’s collection of 1,422 Philippine artifacts.
Some of important objects included in the book are “bulol” from Ifugao, blankets from Abra, “suklang” (basket hat) from Bontok, gold jewelry from Batanes, musical instruments of Luzon, leg adornments from Mindoro, and amulets and swords (kampilan) from Mindanao.
The Museum’s early collections were acquired from Alexander Schadenberg, Karl Alexander Anselm Freiherr von Hügel and Baron Richard von Drasche-Wartinberg.
Dr. Efren Abaya of the Vienna International Center Club Filipino, an organization of Filipino United Nation’s employees commented that each object in the book is accompanied by a detailed explanation of its historical and cultural significance written by both modern writers and by the original collectors themselves.
“Each one thus provides a unique insight into a way of life more than a century ago. The artifacts were collected by Europeans who lived in the Philippines in the same century when the Philippine national hero Jose Rizal made his travels through Europe,” Abaya said.
Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo, in his foreword for the book, noted that the objects in the book “reflect the creative ingenuity and the rich diversity of Philippine culture and heritage.” He also pointed out that the publication will add to the expanding body of knowledge on the Philippines and Philippine communities.
Philippine legacies to world culture
Ambassador Linglingay Lacanlale said the book project finds its inspiration from an inventory project done prior to the Philippine Centennial in 1998, which aimed to document Philippine artistic, archeological, artisanal and ethnographic objects, prints, maps and photographs dispersed in holdings all over the world, which Director Alvina cites “have a substantial presence in Europe.”
That project envisioned a systematic and comprehensive inventory of “the rich Philippine legacies to world culture” and sought “to show the Filipinos how we have evolved and what cultural heritage is worth conserving.”
Lacanlale said that “the Embassy is very happy to contribute to this vision, whose relevance remains as the nation moves ahead with a growing sense of identity and confidence in a highly-globalized world.”
“We are thankful to the Vienna Museum of Ethnology for its excellent work on the book, and also to Director Alvina and Director Ambeth Ocampo of the National Historical Institute, whom we consulted in planning this project as early as 2007,” according to Lacanlale.
The book is a collaborative project between the Philippine Embassy in Vienna, led by Lacanlale, and the Ethnology Museum in Vienna. by Hector Pascua, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, Austria
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