Fowler Talk: Decolonizing Philippine History and Ifugao Indigeneity

Explore Philippine history through the lens of Ifugao autonomy and resilience in this engaging discussion. Archaeologist Stephen Acabado (UCLA), community leader Marlon Martin (Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement), anthropologist Karminn Daytec Yañgot (University of the Philippines–Baguio), and scholar Yi-Chin Wu (National Taiwan University) highlight how the famous Ifugao rice terraces thrived not in isolation, but as acts of resistance to colonial intrusion.The conversation examines Ifugao agriculture, ritual exchange, and environmental design as dynamic systems of adaptation that continue to shape climate and sustainability discussions today.
Moderator
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.
Panelists
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.
Karminn Daytec Yañgot is a Kankana-ey anthropologist and development practitioner whose work explores how Indigenous peoples in the Philippines represent themselves, make claims, and navigate systems that shape identity. An Igorot woman, she holds a Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies and co-convenes the Indigenous Studies Circle, a collective rethinking dominant narratives of Indigeneity and promoting Indigenous-led, community-based knowledge. She is also a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of the Philippines–Baguio.
Yi-Chin Wu is Assistant Professor in the Program of Asia-Pacific Regional Studies at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan. With over two decades of experience working with Indigenous peoples in Taiwan and the Philippines, her interdisciplinary research spans forestry, development studies, Indigenous rights, and the intersections of development, environment, and Indigenous governance.
This program is co-sponsored by UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UCLA Division of Social Sciences, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda (Senate of the Philippines)
Photo courtesy of Paul Connor

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