The Blooming Season: Capturing Cordillera’s Living Heritage on Commons

The vibrant and colorful Panagbenga (season of blooming)  Festival, also known as the “Flower Festival“, is an annual celebration in Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines. This cultural event highlights the rich heritage and artistic talents of the Cordillera region. Beyond its stunning parades and breathtaking floral displays, Panagbenga serves as a platform to document and preserve the living heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera.

Through various cultural performances, including traditional dances and music, Panagbenga showcases the diverse cultural traditions of the region’s ethnic groups. These performances not only entertain but also educate the public about the unique customs, beliefs, and values of these indigenous communities. By presenting these cultural expressions, the festival helps keep these traditions alive and relevant in today’s world. Additionally, Panagbenga offers a chance to document and archive these cultural performances. 

By capturing these moments on film and video, future generations can learn about the rich cultural heritage of the Cordillera. These digital records can be utilized to create educational materials, documentaries, and online archives, ensuring that the traditions and stories of the indigenous peoples are preserved for years to come. 

The Panagbenga Festival is more than just a celebration; it is a cultural movement that seeks to promote the identity and heritage of the Cordillera region. By blending tradition and innovation, the festival continues to inspire and captivate audiences, both local and international. As the festival evolves, it remains dedicated to its core mission of preserving and promoting the living heritage of the Cordillera. 

Shared Knowledge Asia Pacific (SKAP), a Wikimedia community of volunteers did two projects documenting the rich and vibrant cultural display and presentation, Wiki Loves Living Heritage Cordillera and Wiki Loves Living Heritage Mountain Province. Editors were mesmerized by the massive audience coming from across the Philippines to watch and participate in person at Panagbenga. The energy, the noise the magic and all the sparkle of colors and hues, captured into memory and uploaded in Wikimedia Commons. The campaign has yielded more than several images uploaded on Wikimedia Commons and articles edited to update the evolution of Panagbenga through the years.

Banner used in the event Wiki Loves Living Heritage Cordillera. Image by JasDolt CC-BY-SA 4.0

What did SKAP learn from documenting living heritage and local culture and why SKAP community loves these projects?

• It makes volunteers aware and sensitive of indigenous culture, learning and knowing the cultural communities beliefs give the volunteers the sense of respect, acceptance and the urge of protecting those beliefs because to them it is valuable.
• It humbles the volunteers knowing the cultural communities painstakingly preserve their culture, identity and are proud to share it with others in a joyous display. Sharing these moments on Wikimedia Commons is the volunteer’s way of saying they help immortalize the living heritage moments on Wikipedia.
• It is diversity in plain sight. The Filipino culture is so diverse because it is an archipelago. It is influenced by so many factors such as environment, bloodline, indigenous culture, the conquerors, education, customs and traditions and so many more that we cannot force one single culture across the country.
• It is about pride and glory. Volunteers are proud of their identity and ethnicity. This is who them are and just like anyone else, are sources of valuable knowledge.

Others may call it folklore, others may call it indigenous culture or living heritage, but to the locals – it is the Cordillera cultural identity and blueprint worthy of sharing to the world.