1st entry of the “Sagada Chronicles”
It’s often said that the best place to start is at the beginning. But sometimes starting at the end will do as well. It was our last day in Sagada and I had encouraged (some might say coerced) our little group of adventure seekers to have our Breakfast at Masferre before catching the bus to Baguio. It was my second time in Sagada and we had eaten in that restaurant more than once the first time I had been there. Park wanted to eat breakfast at St. Josephs but I’ve seen what was inside St. Joseph’s and I just thought Masferre would be a more interesting experience for the group.
The food came in large servings, and they offered Filipino and American/European food on their menu to cater to their local and foreign clientele. The restaurant was relatively large with a very rustic theme that was both ethnic and artistic at the same time. One wall was lined with black and white still pictures from Sagada’s and Mt. Province’s past. The food was good but I chose Masferre because I wanted everyone to see the pictures on the wall.
The photos on the wall were all taken by Eduardo Masferre. These photos showed how the people of Sagada and the surrounding areas of Mt. Province had lived. It was a glimpse to the culture and traditions of a people who were not as affected by Spanish colonial influences. The culture was that of Masferre’s ancestor’s and they offered a glimpse into our pre-colonial, ancestral past. He took a lot of portraits of the local people and he also took pictures of everyday scenes that showed the indigenous mountain culture. Those were times when the warriors of the local tribes still engaged in head hunting. These pictures depicted a culture that would seem alien to us today but these are pictures of our forefathers.
Masferre was born in 1909 and his father was a Spanish soldier who had settled in Sagada, and his mother was a member of the Kankanaey tribe. He grew up in Sagada and studied at the local mission schools, he also studied for some time in Spain but he inevitably came back. He was largely self-taught when in comes to photography and he even opened a photo studio in nearby Bontoc, but he had to turn to farming to provide for his family. His works covered several decades and he was able to document the lives and times of his people at a time when rapid changes were taking place and in a sense he was able to preserve these traditions even if only in pictures.
Recognition came very late for Maferre. It was only in the eighties when he had his first exhibition in Manila. But this was quickly followed by other exhibitions and his works has toured the world and is now found in Museums all over the world including the Smithsonian. He died in June 24, 1995 at the age of 86.
I had a good though hurried breakfast and I bought a souvenir shirt and a pack of postcards with some of Masferre’s photographs printed on them. As I had hoped everybody did spend a few minutes looking at the pictures on the wall while we were waiting for breakfast to be served. I think a big breakfast with a glimpse into the past of how our ancestors lived was a good way to end our brief stay in Sagada.
Below are some of Masferre’s photos… I got all of these from the net, the postcards were more interesting but they were copyright protected so I didn’t scan them.
It’s often said that the best place to start is at the beginning. But sometimes starting at the end will do as well. It was our last day in Sagada and I had encouraged (some might say coerced) our little group of adventure seekers to have our Breakfast at Masferre before catching the bus to Baguio. It was my second time in Sagada and we had eaten in that restaurant more than once the first time I had been there. Park wanted to eat breakfast at St. Josephs but I’ve seen what was inside St. Joseph’s and I just thought Masferre would be a more interesting experience for the group.
The food came in large servings, and they offered Filipino and American/European food on their menu to cater to their local and foreign clientele. The restaurant was relatively large with a very rustic theme that was both ethnic and artistic at the same time. One wall was lined with black and white still pictures from Sagada’s and Mt. Province’s past. The food was good but I chose Masferre because I wanted everyone to see the pictures on the wall.
The photos on the wall were all taken by Eduardo Masferre. These photos showed how the people of Sagada and the surrounding areas of Mt. Province had lived. It was a glimpse to the culture and traditions of a people who were not as affected by Spanish colonial influences. The culture was that of Masferre’s ancestor’s and they offered a glimpse into our pre-colonial, ancestral past. He took a lot of portraits of the local people and he also took pictures of everyday scenes that showed the indigenous mountain culture. Those were times when the warriors of the local tribes still engaged in head hunting. These pictures depicted a culture that would seem alien to us today but these are pictures of our forefathers.
Masferre was born in 1909 and his father was a Spanish soldier who had settled in Sagada, and his mother was a member of the Kankanaey tribe. He grew up in Sagada and studied at the local mission schools, he also studied for some time in Spain but he inevitably came back. He was largely self-taught when in comes to photography and he even opened a photo studio in nearby Bontoc, but he had to turn to farming to provide for his family. His works covered several decades and he was able to document the lives and times of his people at a time when rapid changes were taking place and in a sense he was able to preserve these traditions even if only in pictures.
Recognition came very late for Maferre. It was only in the eighties when he had his first exhibition in Manila. But this was quickly followed by other exhibitions and his works has toured the world and is now found in Museums all over the world including the Smithsonian. He died in June 24, 1995 at the age of 86.
I had a good though hurried breakfast and I bought a souvenir shirt and a pack of postcards with some of Masferre’s photographs printed on them. As I had hoped everybody did spend a few minutes looking at the pictures on the wall while we were waiting for breakfast to be served. I think a big breakfast with a glimpse into the past of how our ancestors lived was a good way to end our brief stay in Sagada.
Below are some of Masferre’s photos… I got all of these from the net, the postcards were more interesting but they were copyright protected so I didn’t scan them.
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