Tiw-Tiwong: An Uncyclopedia to Life, Living and Art in Baguio, the Cordilleras, and Beyond

The most immersive, non-linear, and extensive compilation to date of Cordilleras and Baguio-based art, culture, and indigenous knowledge.

The societies of the Cordilleras, a mountainous and landlocked province in Luzon Island in the Philippines, have been the subject of classic works for ethnography and social science. This is something different. A multi-pronged, multi-layered, collaborative art book, Tiw-tiwong: An Uncyclopedia to Art, Life and Living in Baguio, the Cordilleras and Beyond summons the potency of history, the transformative potential of art, and an inheritance of indigenous knowledge and practices to open up the story of Baguio and the Cordilleras during a time of rapid change.

Tiw-tiwong takes the form of an irreverent and defiant reference book, serving as an antidote to over a century of colonial representations and institutional studies of Baguio and the Cordilleras. It is also one of the most wide-ranging overviews of Cordilleras and Baguio-based art collated to date. Spanning topics such as the changing face of the bul-ul, the truth about dog eating, and how to sleep on a Dangwa bus, the more than nine hundred and fifty entries explore the celebrated, notorious, misunderstood, and unknown aspects of life in the Cordilleras.

This book is an urgent call to action to value the resources that are still with us today. Through the act of sharing and remembering, it seeks to activate the transference of fragile knowledge to future generations. As such, this book is a tribute to indigenous ancestors and a lament for things lost. This book is also a celebration and a carnival gathering of spirits, where the past, present, and future come to party and play.

Tiw-tiwong is published by Baguio Kunst Book Publishing and Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines, in conjunction with AX(iS) Art Project, the Singapore Biennale 2013, and the Philippines National Book Development Board.

Kawayan de Guia is a Baguio City-based artist and curator. Rocky Cajigan is an artist working in the contemporary contexts of Indigenous people from the Cordilleras region. Padmapani Perez is an anthropologist, poet, and freelance feature writer. Frank Cimatu is a Baguio-based journalist.