Ifugao is a province in the northern Philippines, notable for its magnificent rice terraces and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Ethnographical and ethnohistorical sources support the view that this...Show moreIfugao is a province in the northern Philippines, notable for its magnificent rice terraces and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Ethnographical and ethnohistorical sources support the view that this province's subsistence system is based on intensive rice agriculture. Rice is embedded in the cultural and social core of Ifugao. This is visible in the structured terraces as well as intertwined in the Ifugao's intangible cultural heritage practices. Be that as it may, modern and commercial, cultivars (e.g rice) are frequently becoming modified to assist in an increase of food supply and security. This thesis research answers the question: How does the cultivation of commercial rice varieties affect Ifugao's intangible traditions and agricultural customs associated with the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras World Heritage Site? Two approaches were applied to answer this: a review of relevant literature and an ethnography performed on 96 current Ifugao rice farmers. Both methods provided datasets to present the traditional character of Ifugao's traditional rice farming. This study is particularly focused on Ifugao's traditional rice varieties in comparison to modern introduced varieties. The intention was to discuss the effects of these varieties on Ifugao's past and current cultural and intangible heritage practices. The archaeological heritage management of traditional cultural practices, concerning Ifugao rice rituals, e.g. Baki Hongon di Page, assist to validate the critical component of maintaining the 'outstanding universal value' of the Ifugao's terraces and its value as a World Heritage site. How often very inadvertent modifications or introductions, e.g. GMOs, might have unintended consequences and avoidable impacts on the holistic fabric of the intangible culture and community practices associated with rice are demonstrated. This is further complicated with the wavering state of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordillera's heritage maintenance and management, and the lack of initiatives to aid future issues in safeguarding the terraces of Ifugao heritage on this matter. The new rice varieties introduced to Ifugao are in fact deleterious to community structure, not just commercially, but also there is no visible traditional nexus for the introduced rice. This means, there is no need to maintain terraces for new rice since it is commercially viable. The Ifugao communities will therefore find other economic pursuits, but with traditional rice the social glue links the community to the terraces and they will be maintained as part of this complex cultural heritage connection. The research concludes that the cultural and intangible heritage, alongside the farming of traditional rice varieties, are critical to the preservation of both the physical terraces, and its intrinsic significance.Show less
