Emily Zulueta
CSU-LA
6/23/2016
Our first day in the field began with breakfast at 6:00am and departure at 7:00am. The morning was a little hectic because, although I’ve been planning this for weeks, once actually getting ready, I was trying to figure out what I’d actually need in the field today. To get to the site we took a short ride on a Jeepney. If you go to the Philippines, whether you’re in the province or city, be sure to travel by Jeepney at least once. It’s a cross between a Jeep and a bus and is a common mode of public transport over here.
We arrived to these rice terraces and had to hike through them to get to Old Kiyyangan Village. It was so surreal. I’ve seen the terraces in pictures, but this agricultural technology holds a unique beauty that exemplifies human’s ability to shape the land. We had to carefully navigate around the rice terraces, as they were actively being cultivated and walking on them could potentially destroy the whole crop. There were slippery stones, makeshift bridges, unexpected holes, and creek crossing, but we all made it one piece!
Upon arriving in Old Kiyyangan Village I actually did not know we had reached the site since it was in the middle of an irrigated rice field. I was surprised because I expected that Old Kiyyangan Village would be in a remote location that has been deserted by past peoples - an untouched landscape. It was interesting to see the continuity of Ifugao cultural practices. For instance, they still grow Ifugao rice varieties and use technologies that were used in past. Some of the terrace walls are built with cement and others were constructed with the traditional technology of boulders and mud. It changed the way I think about archaeological sites and how they are not these places frozen in time but how the community continues to live and evolve in it.
Due to the fields still being flooded for growing the rice, we weren’t able to begin fieldwork. Instead, Dr. Acabado gave a short lecture on the background of how he came to start the projects and the history on the theories about Philippines’ history and how they have evolved into what we use today. It was really interesting to be in the field and hearing about what I’ve been reading in preparation for the school. After that, we made the trek back to the Jeepney taking a more difficult path that resulted in two of the students falling into the field (no worries, they’re both fine)!
Once we got back to HQ we learned the methods for placing units and mapping. In the front yard we were able to practice with our field teams. At first, I struggled with measuring the units correctly, but my team leader reassured me and said that I’d have the opportunity to further develop this skill in the field. I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m ready to rise to the challenge. While getting the hang of mapping was challenging, it turned out to be pretty fun. There was a treasure hunt activity in which we were given clues that gave coordinates to more clues. I can’t wait until we apply what we just learned tomorrow.
Having been to the Philippines three times before, this experience has been very different to what I am used to. This time I have an archaeological purpose to answer research questions about Ifugao. In the past, I came to visit my family in Manila and the province Bulacan. I look forward to learning and contributing to the understanding of the rich history of the Ifugao rice terraces.
CSU-LA
6/23/2016
Our first day in the field began with breakfast at 6:00am and departure at 7:00am. The morning was a little hectic because, although I’ve been planning this for weeks, once actually getting ready, I was trying to figure out what I’d actually need in the field today. To get to the site we took a short ride on a Jeepney. If you go to the Philippines, whether you’re in the province or city, be sure to travel by Jeepney at least once. It’s a cross between a Jeep and a bus and is a common mode of public transport over here.
We arrived to these rice terraces and had to hike through them to get to Old Kiyyangan Village. It was so surreal. I’ve seen the terraces in pictures, but this agricultural technology holds a unique beauty that exemplifies human’s ability to shape the land. We had to carefully navigate around the rice terraces, as they were actively being cultivated and walking on them could potentially destroy the whole crop. There were slippery stones, makeshift bridges, unexpected holes, and creek crossing, but we all made it one piece!
Upon arriving in Old Kiyyangan Village I actually did not know we had reached the site since it was in the middle of an irrigated rice field. I was surprised because I expected that Old Kiyyangan Village would be in a remote location that has been deserted by past peoples - an untouched landscape. It was interesting to see the continuity of Ifugao cultural practices. For instance, they still grow Ifugao rice varieties and use technologies that were used in past. Some of the terrace walls are built with cement and others were constructed with the traditional technology of boulders and mud. It changed the way I think about archaeological sites and how they are not these places frozen in time but how the community continues to live and evolve in it.
Due to the fields still being flooded for growing the rice, we weren’t able to begin fieldwork. Instead, Dr. Acabado gave a short lecture on the background of how he came to start the projects and the history on the theories about Philippines’ history and how they have evolved into what we use today. It was really interesting to be in the field and hearing about what I’ve been reading in preparation for the school. After that, we made the trek back to the Jeepney taking a more difficult path that resulted in two of the students falling into the field (no worries, they’re both fine)!
Once we got back to HQ we learned the methods for placing units and mapping. In the front yard we were able to practice with our field teams. At first, I struggled with measuring the units correctly, but my team leader reassured me and said that I’d have the opportunity to further develop this skill in the field. I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m ready to rise to the challenge. While getting the hang of mapping was challenging, it turned out to be pretty fun. There was a treasure hunt activity in which we were given clues that gave coordinates to more clues. I can’t wait until we apply what we just learned tomorrow.
Having been to the Philippines three times before, this experience has been very different to what I am used to. This time I have an archaeological purpose to answer research questions about Ifugao. In the past, I came to visit my family in Manila and the province Bulacan. I look forward to learning and contributing to the understanding of the rich history of the Ifugao rice terraces.
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