Cover A volunteer giving introductory talks to visitors at the National Museum of Fine Arts with Juan Luna’s iconic 'Spoliarium' in the background
A volunteer giving introductory talks to visitors at the National Museum of Fine Arts with Juan Luna’s iconic 'Spoliarium' in the background
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Without a connection to heritage, there will be no appreciation of the past, endangering a people's identity
A foreign colleague once alluded to me as racist, for choosing an article written by a Filipina as the source for my column in a local newspaper instead of an article that colleague had written. Granted she was responsible for bringing in funding for the archaeological dig in the Philippines where the materials I were writing on were recovered, the analysis, however, of the materials was conducted by the Filipina. For this, I was tagged as a racist.
That colleague also declared ownership of the knowledge resulting from the analysis and the dates tested on materials from the site, forgetting perhaps the report had already been published on all media platforms (social, print—both scientific journals and popular media—and broadcast). But she does raise a valid question: “Who owns Cultural Heritage?”. Is it the group that brings in the money to “save” what could have been a lost source of information? And do they own, as well, the knowledge gained?
Above A museum volunteer with one of the Ethnology Division’s staff at the National Museum of Anthropology
A museum volunteer with one of the Ethnology Division’s staff at the National Museum of Anthropology
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When I was reading up on ownership of and control over cultural heritage, I found out that some universities in the United States have already started offering courses on this subject, tackling, among others, the growing contentious issue of ownership given its reach and global implications today. Academics and cultural heritage workers seem to agree that the interpretation of the past and who has control over it is fluid and will continue to be contentious. What remains constant is the fact that the past will only be important to those who have a connection to it. But this has to be established to effect change.
Fortunately, the various institutions under the cultural arm of the Philippine Government have been working on that.
Above Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division volunteers assisting at the storage room
Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division volunteers assisting at the storage room
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Such as Director Jeremy Barnes of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), who has made it his mission to make the museum more accessible to the public. He has also undertaken the upgrading of equipment and facilities for the storage and analysis of materials of the museum’s vast collections. In 2018, Barnes created the NMP’s Visitors and Volunteer Services section in partnership with the Museum Volunteers of the Philippines (MVP). The MVP is “a non-profit, apolitical, non-sectarian organisation that aims to study the Philippines in its historical and Asian context”. It started as a volunteer programme that developed into a more structured set-up. In May this year, the NMP formally introduced its’ Volunteer Program to the public and the first batch of volunteers started their service in August.
“Owning” heritage can now go beyond “owning” textile or other applied traditional art and its many forms. We can extend that connection to working on the materials themselves to ensure that people who have yet to establish connections with the past will be given the opportunity to make that connection in the future. This is a very simple way of effecting change on an individual level.
Read also: This 3,500 Year Old Painting Was Found In Cagayan: Why Is It Important?
Above A volunteer during gallery maintenance at the National Museum of Anthropology
A volunteer during gallery maintenance at the National Museum of Anthropology
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“The programme helps the museum fulfil its mandate of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural and natural history of the Philippines,” says NMP’s Museum Services Division Head Anne Rosette G Crelencia. “Since the museum is also an educational institution with various programmes and exhibitions, the NMP invites all interested professionals of any nationality looking to contribute their energy, time and expertise to the NMP as part of their social duty rather than for any financial reward. The museum also encourages active professionals, retired or senior citizens to take the opportunity to give back to the community through the NMP’s volunteer programme.”
NMP believes its’ volunteer programme provides both the individual and the museum alternative platforms to learn, discover, educate and develop a sense of nationalism. Heritage, be it tangible or intangible, plays a very important role in nation-building. These artefacts, specimens, knowledge of customs and behaviour of people living in Philippines become part of our identity. They give us this sense of belonging and often used as a unifying cry for all the Filipinos across the globe. This sense of belonging can be very exclusive but is integral in solidifying our idea of who we are as a people.
Above Gallery monitoring at the Botany and National Herbarium Division
Gallery monitoring at the Botany and National Herbarium Division
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The NMP volunteer programme also hopes to provide the individual a deeper understanding on how museums perform to protect and preserve Filipino heritage. At the same time, it shows how Philippine heritage is shared with the public through exhibitions, programmes, research and publications.
Based on the average 2,000 museum visitors a day, Crelencia says that “there is evidence of an interest to learn and appreciate the importance of our heritage. And we hope that through our programmes which include the MVP, we will be able to create a society that values the conservation and preservation of its’ cultural heritage”.
During a recent visit to the NMP’s Botany and National Herbarium Division (BNHD), I met OIC Jhaydee Ann Pascual who first told me about the need for volunteers. Pascual said, “At present there are over 280,000 specimens of plants [moss, algae, fungi, ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants] in the museum collection. Out of the 280,000 specimens, only 35 percent have been encoded into the database and only 5,000 specimens have been digitised”. Pascual adds that they need assistance especially with the ongoing digitisation of specimens as there are still 182,000 waiting to be encoded.
Read also: The Museum of Modern Art, NYC Hosts a Showcase for Filipino Filmmaker, Mike De Leon
Above People working together at the Hyundai Hall
People working together at the Hyundai Hall
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Having worked on the entire non-anthropomorphic ceramic assemblage recovered from Maitum Cave in what is now South Cotabato for my master’s thesis in archaeology, I can say that handling all 40,000 plus pieces of earthenware shreds stored at the NMP trigger feelings and images that continue to fuel my passion in preserving our country’s heritage. I attribute this to the connection forged when I was handling and analysing the materials, realising just how much information can be learnt about our past from archaeological materials. They are not merely objects but have concept and meaning. And when things mean something, they begin to matter.
The National Museum of the Philippines is composed of 14 regional and area site museums and 18 divisions. For the first batch of the volunteer services programme, seven divisions from the central office requested for volunteers. The skills needed included: museum technician work (preparing specimens for proper storage, monitoring and maintenance of collections and exhibits, and research), engagement assistance (assists in receiving visitors and giving introductory talks), events and programme coordination (venue inspection, data gathering and document routing), library work (encoding books, stamping, labelling and shelf reading), and graphic designing (drafting social-media press releases).
The NMP opens its doors to the public for volunteers. For those interested in joining the Museum Volunteer Program, send a letter of intent addressed to Director-General Jeremy Barnes, CESO III with your curriculum vitae, to this email address: visitorsandvolunteers@nationalmuseum.gov.ph
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Images: National Museum of the Philippines
