Tag: Ivatan

  • Sneak Peek: “Melo the Umang-Boy”

    Sneak Peek: “Melo the Umang-Boy”

    I’ve just returned to urban Manila after 10 days with the blue skies and sun-drenched (read: HOT) cliffs of Batanes (a cluster of small islands near Taiwan). Batanes is the most remote northern corner of the Philippines. It was a gathering of loose ends for the Ivatan children’s story, including…

  • Workshopping the Ivatan Story with Basco Elementary Kids

    Workshopping the Ivatan Story with Basco Elementary Kids

    I had the opportunity to workshop the Ivatan story with ten 3rd graders at Basco Elementary School. With the help of Awee Abellardo (of Yaru Artists Collective), and Basco’s Vice-Mayor Ann Viola, we got the kids drawing some Ivatan words to start, then read them the story and held a…

  • Process: A Batanes Word Cloud

    Process: A Batanes Word Cloud

    At the beginning of the Ivatan story process, Alyssa Sarmiento visited Batanes and spent several days interviewing kids, teachers, artists, elders, and others in the community. She created this word cloud based on that, as one of the tools for discussing story themes. In practical terms, Elders is the biggest…

  • An Ivatan Folktale: “Duch’narbaan” / “Where Someone Fell”

    From Itbayat Folktales, collected by Professor Yukihiro Yamada and introduced by Celerina Mirabueno Navarro – – – – – – – – – – – –  A long time ago, during the time when my grandfather Aplakati was still a little boy, there was an old man who lived in…

  • Awee Abelardo and the Yaru nu Artes Ivatan Collective

    Awee Abelardo and the Yaru nu Artes Ivatan Collective

    Awee Abelardo, outside the Yaru nu Artes Ivatan, a collective of local Ivatan artists.