I've already shown several photos of the historic building of the
Museum of the Filipino People. Now, let's finally step inside (yes, they allow photos of the exhibits as long as you don't use a flash). The museum is the repository of much of the archeological treasures discovered all over the Philippines, hence the name. One of the first things you will see upon entering the museum is the garden in the middle, which has a replica of a traditional Ifugao house. The
Ifugao are one of several tribal peoples who live in the
Cordillera mountain range north of Metro Manila (it is also the name of the province where they live). The thickly thatched roof shelters the entire house down to the level of the raised floor, necessary in the rains and cold weather of the mountains. This means that one has to stoop or squat to get to the ladder which leads to the doorway.
Inside the museum, there is a model of another Ifugao house, which has as many varieties as there are Ifugao sub-groups. The model is not accurate in its use of materials, however. Bamboo slats will not provide much shelter from the cold winds that blow throughout the Cordilleras.
If you want to see the colorful handwoven traditional dress of the
Igorot, the generic term used for the six distinct ethno-linguistic groups of the Cordilleras including the Ifugao, the
tourists we saw at Mines View Park in
Baguio City last year wore them for their souvenir photo.
