IN PERSON

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Join us for an exhibition walk-through of Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines, led by guest co-curators Stephen Acabado (UCLA) and Marlon Martin (Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement). The walkthrough offers unique perspectives on the research, community partnerships, and ancestral knowledge that shaped this exhibition. Visitors will gain deeper insight into the tinawon (rice cycle), mumbaki rituals, and the intricate relationship between ecology, spirituality, and craftsmanship that define Ifugao life.

Stephen B. Acabado is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies. He is recognized for his community-engaged work in the Philippines and has dedicated his career to the study of the Ifugao Rice Terraces, a site of significant historical and cultural importance designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Marlon Martin is Chief Operating Officer of the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), a community-based heritage conservation organization in the Philippines, and a dedicated advocate for cultural preservation and sustainable development. In 2012, he founded the Kiyyangan Weavers Association to conserve Ifugao weaving traditions while supporting the livelihoods of local farmer-weavers; this initiative has since evolved into Ifugao Nation, a social enterprise advancing heritage conservation. His work also includes establishing the Ifugao Indigenous Peoples Education Center and Community Heritage Galleries in Kiangan, Ifugao Province, which support community-based heritage education through a weaving center, ethnographic displays, and a specialized library on Ifugao culture. Martin collaborates with academic institutions and government agencies to research and document endangered traditions while promoting socially engaged enterprise development.

Photo courtesy of Paul Connor