EP 26: On The Antiquity of the Ifugao Rice Terraces with Stephen Acabado

from Exploring Filipino Kitchens · host Nastasha Alli

On this episode we talk to Dr. Stephen Acabado, an archaeologist who wrote a book about the Philippines' famous rice terraces. We talk about changing contemporary narratives around the history of the terraces, empowering local youth, and why we can't afford to simply let the truth lie buried under the rubble.

What this episode covers

Show notes 01:15 The kinds of truths that set you free 05:45 About Stephen 07:20 Products of the Philippine educational system 10:35 Change entails unlearning 11:20 On Beyer's "Waves of Migration" theory 14:15 A need to think critically 15:00 2,000 year dating is not based on any scientific data 18:15 (The perils of) clinging to romanticism 20:05 On the centrality of rice 23:45 Terracing is part of a larger system 26:10 Perspectives on "kaingin" in farming 28:40 Implications of the long history model 30:40 Epics of the Philippines: "Hudhud" 33:50 Taro was here 35:40 Rice came with the Spanish 38:45 Not much supports "Out of Taiwan" theory either 39:55 Archaeology tests hypotheses 41:35 Starting the Ifugao Archaeological Project 42:10 The Old Kiyyangan Village 44:10 Terraces are BUILT UP, not dug down 47:20 Cross-section of a terraced field 49:05 90 years by 5 people: Energetics study 50:25 On terracing irrigation systems 53:00 A typical day of excavating artifacts 58:05 How old is this residue? 01:02:20 "Identity is now" 01:04:50 On local reactions 01:06:05 How do we empower the Ifugao community? 01:07:45 Rice, not isolation, prevented Spanish conquest 01:10:55 An indigenous education centre at today’s Kiangan 01:12:10 Takeaways 01:13:50 Future projects

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EP 26: On The Antiquity of the Ifugao Rice Terraces with Stephen Acabado

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This episode is 1 hour and 17 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 15, 2020.

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