Join us for the exhibit opening celebration on April 11, 2026 from 6pm to 9pm at the Fowler Museum at UCLA!
About the exhibition
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: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines 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.
Vital Matters
Vital Matters highlights the animacy and vitality of material objects, emphasizing their central role in cultural and spiritual practices. It underscores the indispensable importance of these works to the cultural heritage of individuals and communities.
- The Origins of the Ifugao Rice Terraces: Challenging the 2,000-Year-Old Narrative - Stephen Acabado, Professor of Anthropology, UCLA
- The Complex Tension Between Cultural Preservation and Commercial Demand - Eulalie Dulnuan, Tourism and Cultural Officer; President of the Ifugao Intangible Heritage and Performing Arts Society
- The Visible and Invisible Impacts of Tourism-Driven Commercialization - Eulalie Dulnuan, Tourism and Cultural Officer; President of the Ifugao Intangible Heritage and Performing Arts Society
- Variations in Practice Among Carvers Producing for Cultural Purposes and Tourism - Eulalie Dulnuan, Tourism and Cultural Officer; President of the Ifugao Intangible Heritage and Performing Arts Society
- Not Rice Gods: Exploring Misconceptions of Bulul - Armand Camhol, Doctoral Candidate, National Chengchi University in Taiwan
- The Cultural Meaning of Bululs and the Variation of Forms, Styles, and Uses Across Time and Regions - Marlon Martin, Executive Director of Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement; Co-director of Ifugao Archaeological Project