I seek subjects that is relevant in our society, and use photography to help bring social change. I wanted to show the audience that documentary photography does not always depict loss or despair, it can also be used as a tool to document vanishing cultural heritage. Another purpose of this project is to empower the Dumagat tribe in a way that we, lowlanders can be enlightened of the importance and impact the indigenous tribe possess.
In Spanish, the term “Sierra Madre” means “Mother Mountains”. It is the longest mountain range in the country with a length of 800 kilometers which runs over the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, Metro Manila, and Quezon. The Dumagats believe that the world started on the highlands of Sierra Madre instead of the lower plains, and the world will end atop as the plains submerge and the mountains remain.
The project recognizes photo documentary as a medium of preservation and conservation of cultural heritages. To empower fellow Indigenous People, the Dumagat tribe and to enlighten the lowlanders of what the tribe possess. The book shows vivid colors of the Dumagat tribe, their home, the Sierra Madre forest, their culture and beliefs.
To the tribe, life has always been simple. They are often mistaken as lazy because they will hunt for food and resources only when they need to, and uncivilized, because they are less progressive than other tribes. Their civilization is the forest and water civilization. The researched can say that their culture is organic and biodegradable. They used leaves as their plate and wood to make their spear. “Pawang nalulusaw at bumabalik sa natural nyang pinanggalingan.” (Francisco, 2016). Hence, the Dumagat civilization is not engineering or architecturally genius but ecologically genius. However, this kind of information is not well documented and disseminated.
One of the issues that the Dumagat Tribe’s facing today is mistaken identity. Some of the indigenous people are losing their hope in preserving their culture, they feel unappreciated that’s one of the reason why are they tempted to be just like the lowlanders. Preservation and conservation of their culture is one way to empower them.
I would like to express my gratitude for the Dumagat community for giving me the opportunity to document their tribe and for wholeheartedly cooperating with this study. The efforts of the tribe for welcoming me, guiding me through the project despite their consciousness around Tagalogs is greatly appreciated.
Born and raised in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, the author chose the tribe that resides in her hometown, to document how are they continuing to preserve the forests of Norzagaray and Angat, Bulacan.
Selected photos from Photography Book Design Exhibit; DUMAGAT: The Indigenous People of Bulacan. For the book's promotion, click here.
In partial fulfillment of Thesis Requirements for BFA Advertising Arts of the University of Santo Tomas - College of Fine Arts and Design. This project is for academic purposes only.
