Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines

April 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027

For generations, the Ifugao of northern Luzon have transformed steep mountainsides into rice terraces—astonishing feats of engineering that are also sacred landscapes shaped by ritual, community, and a profound connection to land.

Mountain Spirits immerses visitors in this world through carved guardians, ritual bowls, woven blankets, farming tools, soundscapes, and video installations. Together, these works reveal how sustenance and spirituality are entwined, and how generosity, labor, and environmental care nurture Ifugao life.

Recognized by UNESCO for embodying ancestral knowledge and sustainable practices, the terraces remain enduring testaments to human ingenuity and ecological balance. They are not monuments to the past, but living sites where memory, work, and spirit continue to converge.

Mountain Spirits is made possible through lead support by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support is provided by the Martha and Avrum Bluming Exhibition Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Additional support for educational programming is provided by Lilly Endowment Inc, as part of the Fowler initiative, Engaging Lived Religion.

Video by Paul Connor

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Press Release: Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines