The Ivatan House
Location
The Ivatan House is famous for its resilience to typhoons that whip Batanes, but recent development has seen locals eschewing tradition for modern building methods. Today the process of building a house is only orally transmitted, there are no written or visual doucments. The project will build a house by completely traditional means using indigenous materials and cooperative community labor while being documented on video. The resulting structure found in the capitol town serves as cultural center wherein the video will be played to visitors. Video is also distributed to different local schools as a visual teaching tool in their indigenous education program. The success of this project ...
About You
Contact Information
Title
Mr
First name
Toby
Last name
Martin
Your job title
Project Director
Name of your organization
archipelageo
Organization type
consultancy/ media
Annual budget/currency
Annual Budget/Currency
Mailing address
Residencia, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig
Telephone number
+639087568662
Postal/Zip Code
1605
Country
Philippines
Website
Email address
Alternative email address
Alternative email address
Your idea
This will be the address used to plot your entry on the map.
Street Address
Provincial Capitol Compound
City
Basco
State/Province
Batanes
Postal/Zip Code
Country
Philippines
Geotourism Challenge Addressed by Entrant
Quality of tourist experience and educational benefit to tourists .
Organization size
Small (1 to 100 employees)
Indicate sector in which you principally work
Tourism-related business
Year innovation began
0
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Indicate sector in which you principally work
History, Architecture, Living culture, Destination aesthetics, Indigenous people, Education.
Name Your Project
The Ivatan House
Describe Your Idea
The Ivatan House is famous for its resilience to typhoons that whip Batanes, but recent development has seen locals eschewing tradition for modern building methods. Today the process of building a house is only orally transmitted, there are no written or visual doucments. The project will build a house by completely traditional means using indigenous materials and cooperative community labor while being documented on video. The resulting structure found in the capitol town serves as cultural center wherein the video will be played to visitors. Video is also distributed to different local schools as a visual teaching tool in their indigenous education program. The success of this project ...
Innovation
What is the goal of your innovation? Please describe in one sentence the kind of impact, change, or reform your approach is intended to achieve.
The Ivatan House project constructs an Ivatan House in traditional methods to preserve the heritage for the community and share the cultural significance with tourists.
Please write an overview of your project. Include how your approach supports or embodies geotourism or destination stewardship. This text will appear when people scroll over the icon for your entry on the map located on the competition homepage.
The Ivatan House is famous for its resilience to typhoons that whip Batanes, but recent development has seen locals eschewing tradition for modern building methods. Today the process of building a house is only orally transmitted, there are no written or visual doucments. The project will build a house by completely traditional means using indigenous materials and cooperative community labor while being documented on video. The resulting structure found in the capitol town serves as cultural center wherein the video will be played to visitors. Video is also distributed to different local schools as a visual teaching tool in their indigenous education program. The success of this project achieves the preservation of heritage/ culture and aethetics in media, in an architectural structure, and in the actual practice of the building tradition and stresses to the people the value of their culture vis-a-vis real tourism income.
Explain in detail why your approach is innovative
1. The construction of the house is done by thru the traditional cooperative system where materials and labor are divided amongst the neighbors. In this project's case, it is a province wide effort, thereby uniting the entire province (of 16,000 pop) thru each municipality's provision of different components of the construction, making everyone a stake holder.
2. Research and documentation of the project from start to finish provides a visual record of the construction. It beomes a definitive reference for future builds. The video material is also usable for education and marketing.
3. The structure once completed is utilized as a cultural center to exhibit the construction, the architecture, and the lifestyles that accompany the Ivatan House.
Impact
Describe the degree of success you have had to date. How do you measure, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impact on sustainability or enhancement of local culture, environment, heritage, or aesthetics? How has it transformed or contributed to the power of place or demonstrated the sustainability of tourism? How does your approach minimize negative impacts?
Over centuries the cultural landscape of the islands of Batanes was formed by its peoples adaptation to the land. They employ many sustainable practices in agricultural land management, in fisheries and in architecture. The adaptation was slowly perfected but recent changes have shown the abandonment of some of these practices particularly in building of the houses. Houses are traditionally built in cooperative fashion, with labor and materials contributed equally by neighbors without the exchange of money. This projects aims to demonstrate the importance of conservation not only of the houses but of the culture that builds them in their tourism. The documentation will preserve the processes in video and will allow them to be transmitted to others in a definitive visual manner keeping the traditions intact.
The province is currently being organized according to their contributions. Certain areas are sources for certain materials: grass for roofing, rocks for structure, lime for mortar, etc. the process is slow, as can be imagined when organizing people from 6 towns, spread over 3 islands that may only be travelled by sea. Research into the processes is underway. site selection is complete.
In what ways are local residents actively involved in your work, including participation and community input? How has the community responded to or benefited from your approach?
The community is involved in the construction aspect and the construction will be done completely by locals. The response is overwhelming, particularly among those who are cognizant on the effect on tourism. The current generations are also very receptive because of the resulting video becoming a means to preserve and transmit their traditions for their kids and future generations, an opportunity they didnt have due to lack of the technology.
How does your program promote traveler enthusiasm, satisfaction, and engagement with the locale?
For the traveler there will be a definitive source of information regarding the Ivatan House and the cultural landscape that produced such houses. It allows for more knowledgeable interaction with locals and greater understanding of the culture as a whole.
Describe how your work helps travelers and local residents better understand the value of the area's cultural and natural heritage, and educates them on local environmental issues.
The traditional house is the best example of how the Ivatan culture adapted itself to its environment. They built houses of out of indigenous materialsand thru cooperative labor to withstand the terrible typhoons that struck them all year long before modern building materials. They employ strict land management thru crop rotation, erosion prevention, communal pastures, etc. They continue to produce and consume only what is needed. Understanding their relationship with nature is embedded in their culture surrounding the house, from its architecture, to its materials to its construction.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative currently financed? If available, provide information on your finances and organization that could help others. Please list: Annual budget, annual revenue generated, size of part-time, full-time and volunteer staff.
Currently it is financed thru sponsors both from a member of the House of Representatives, and a local corporation. Approx exchange rate is US$1: PhPeso 50; Total Project Budget is PhP 2.5M, we've raised PhP 800,000. the construction group is entirely volunteer, the research (2 members) and documentation (4members) staff is full-time.
Is your initiative financially and organizationally sustainable? If not, what is required to make it so? Is there a potential demand for your innovation?
The documentation portion is sustainable. We are concurrently working on other projects that will eventually result in documentaries that will help preserve heritage and communicate the viability of combining heritage with innovation to produce compelling tourism products. We just need the projects and the funding to match. For instance, we are conducting an expedition into the largest marshland in the country on traditional dugout canoes to save them from falling into disuse and being traded for easier to build plywood and epoxy boats. the goal of the expedition is encourage people to come out and try it.
All over the Philippines, where there are hundreds of different tribal minority groups there are traditions dying slowly, so yes there is a potential demand, but many of the people who may need it dont even know they do. it is our goal to reach them before its too late.
What are the main barriers you encounter in managing, implementing, or replicating your innovation? What barriers keep your program from having greater impact?
Funding is the greatest need, followed by exposure of the documentaries in more mainstream media, which on local TV, is sadly dominated by soap operas and game shows. Lastly, we want people to get involved with us, to help spread the word, and to help us identify the areas that need our help.
What is your plan to expand or further develop your approach? Please indicate where/how you would like to grow or enhance your innovation, or have others do so.
We with to continue identifying cultural, heritage, aesthetic, natural sites that have potential tourism products, document these and help develop the tourism products to benefit the local communities by driving the income from the products to them as guides, home-stays, and other tourism services.
Also we hope to broaden the appeal of our documentaries, perhaps thru more entertaining content and wider distribution, also to develop media values that increase likelihood and continuity of sponsorships.
The Story
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers' marketing material.
I am a communications and tourism consultant, an adventure travel writer and photographer. In a prior communications career, I handled multi-disciplinary communication design work in graphic environmental, multimedia and corporate video for large multinational corporations. My most recent focus has been in geotourism consultancy, by helping local governments develop adventure-, eco-, cultural-, tourism products and communicating their availability through media.
What is the origin of your innovation? Tell the Changemakers and media communities what prompted you to start this initiative.
I first visited Batanes to write a travel piece about it. In my research to produce the article I found out that the most famous component of the Batanes tourist experience, the Ivatan House, was dying a slow death. Several factors were contributing to this: easier and less costly modern building methods and materials, bureaucratic government policies in guide of environmental protection that cause great delays in the gathering of traditional materials, and the view of some locals that a modern house is more aesthetically pleasing.
I felt that my background in communications and tourism consultancy would make a difference.
Describe some unique tourist experiences that your approach provides. Be specific; give illustrative examples.
In Batanes all tourists enter thru the main town Basco because of the airport's proximity. The Ivatan House provides a primary stop for the tourists to see an Ivatan House in a complete manner, both the structure and the way it is built. Currently, one can enter houses all over the province but only get snippets of information regarding how they are built. The video also makes for an excellent souvenir to take home and share with those who didnt get the chance to see the place for themselves.
What types of partnerships or professional development would be most beneficial in spreading your innovation?
Integral to the project is the participation of the government by organizing its constituents to work on the project.
Also, the broadcast of the final video on a network such as National Geo or discovery would help instill in the people the importance of their culture.
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 | bihamba said: On July 1, 2009 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of ... about this Competition Entry. - 917 days ago read more > |
| archipelageo said: A community-stay program in different municipalities is in place for visitors wishing to stay in a traditional home. Homes may have a ... about this Competition Entry. - 954 days ago read more > |
| Robert Billington said: Mr Martin, Your project is so interesting and important to the community. I am wondering is there or will there be an opportunity ... about this Competition Entry. - 1004 days ago read more > |
| archipelageo said: The intent is to showcase the Ivatan House and how it is incorporated into the lifestyle (culture) of the Ivatan people. The house is ... about this Competition Entry. - 1016 days ago read more > |
| archipelageo said: Thanks for your reply. I agree with your comment regarding the reach of YouTube being immense and universal, except for the Batanes ... about this Competition Entry. - 1016 days ago read more > |
| socotraislandad... said: While many Geotourism entries focus on a large variety of issues, whether it be a tourism agency or an experience that encompasses ... about this Competition Entry. - 1024 days ago read more > |
| MaketravelfairUK said: The first impression I gained from reading your entry is local population should be aware of their own cultural heritage. For instance, ... about this Competition Entry. - 1025 days ago read more > |
| syoo06 said: In Batanes of the Philippines, the Ivatan House project is an innovative initiative that targets to protect and preserve aesthetics, ... about this Competition Entry. - 1026 days ago read more > |
| danafrasz said: Hello Mr. Martin, I'm excited by the way in which you're preserving cultural building styles by capturing the process on film. I see ... about this Competition Entry. - 1039 days ago read more > |
| Andreas Walmsley said: Dear Toby, many thanks for sharing information on your project with us. I recognise the issue of having to make the indigenous ... about this Competition Entry. - 1050 days ago read more > |
Comments
Thanks for your reply.
I agree with your comment regarding the reach of YouTube being immense and universal, except for the Batanes Islands itself where the internet has yet to penetrate beyond a couple of internet cafes and the government access. So to reach part of the desired audience, ie the studentry, it is imperative that it e distributed via a more accessible medium, VCD/ DVD format which is more widespread. For the rest of the connected world, YouTube is more viable, albeit in shorter snippets.
And regarding last suggestion about broadening our efforts, we are embarking on other projects alongside this one, smaller in scale, like the Agusan Baoto project, which aims to preserve the use of the Baoto, or traditional dugout canoe, among others.
Please continue to comment, your ideas are very welcome.
The intent is to showcase the Ivatan House and how it is incorporated into the lifestyle (culture) of the Ivatan people. The house is central to their protection from harsh typhoon weather, it serves as a locus for various family activity, and is a product of community cooperation, all of which are reactions to their environment - islands with only 16sq km of land area divided by treacherous ocean channels both from each other and from the mainland.
When the Ivatan House is opened as a cultural center, it is envisioned as a registration site for tourists where they will have the opportunity to view the resulting video. In this way we intend to educate tourists. We are hopeful that with more knowledge they will appreciate the culture more.
A community-stay program in different municipalities is in place for visitors wishing to stay in a traditional home. Homes may have a mix of traditional and modern trappings. But in general a visitor will get a good feel of living in an Ivatan house and direct interaction with families and their lifestyles.
They employ an innovative concept based on the homestay but is analogous to a hotel in the community center being the reception and individual homes being the houses. This way fees are standard and there is no direct monetary exchange between the visitor and host.
THE SOURCE:
Unlike the famous home-builders show, i imagine this house provides tourists with something normally neglected by housing-hosts; the chance to live (stay) in a dwelling (dome) for long enough to know what it was like to be its owner, creator and beneficiary, in its day (era).
THE GIFT:
To know the past, while living in the present, is a future worth working toward. When ignorance's were left behind, buy understanding nature and this, by using its and its materials that will recycle themselves, when we neglect intelligence, is a "PLACE OF POWER" worth sustaining.
THE ANSWER:
Understanding Nature, the nature of mankind and kind-women and their similarities and differences, is a crucial factor in determining the longevity of ANY PLACE ON EARTH! Please consider visiting any of the pages i have provided to grasp how the world, WILL change ITSELF, before long [pre-2012]!
THE QUESTION:
What is iT, that i am...creating with my help of 'id' but not how I or wEGO outside, but goad my life as i am within me, through all I have been or will to become, what...i am for all to see too, through C², 'The Mother Language of Consciousness'?
Pace the Peace with Patience ~ P³.
å
inione.
PS: YUP! i have been 'past' up once already; The Power of Us: Re-Imagine Media missed the answer to the eternal question...how 'i am ME dia!' for you? Patience IS its, own perfect reward! http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/17406
THE SOURCE:
Unlike the famous home-builders show, i imagine this old house provides tourists with something normally neglected by housing-hosts; the chance to live (stay) in a dwelling (dome) for long enough to know what it was like to be its owner, creator and beneficiary, in its day (era).
THE GIFT:
To know the past, while living in the present, is a future worth working toward. When ignorance's were left behind, buy understanding nature... and this, by using its tools and its materials which recycle themselves when you & I neglect our better intelligence, is a "PLACE OF POWER" worth sustaining.
THE ANSWER:
Understanding Nature, the nature of mankind and kind-women and their similarities and differences, is a crucial factor in determining the longevity of ANY PLACE ON EARTH! Please consider visiting any of the pages i have provided to grasp how the world, WILL change ITSELF, before long [pre-2012]!
THE QUESTION:
What is iT, that i am...creating with my help of 'id' but not how I or wEGO outside, but goad my life as i am within me, through all I have been or will to become, what...i am for all to see too, through C², 'The Mother Language of Consciousness'?
Pace the Peace with Patience ~ P³.
å
inione.
PS: YUP! i have been 'past' up once already; The Power of Us: Re-Imagine Media missed the answer to the eternal question...how 'i am ME dia!' for you? Patience IS its, own perfect reward! http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/17406
Dear Toby,
many thanks for sharing information on your project with us. I recognise the issue of having to make the indigenous population aware of the value of their own cultural heritage. At least that was the impression I gained from reading your entry, as you say: "but many of the people who may need it dont even know they do." How difficult/easy has it been raising awareness within the local population of the importance of preserving their heritage? Ultimately, your project may be as much about educating locals as it is about educating tourists.
Andreas
----------
Dr Andreas Walmsley
Course Leader MSc Responsible Hospitality
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Hello Mr. Martin,
I'm excited by the way in which you're preserving cultural building styles by capturing the process on film. I see this as an innovative solution that could be applied to many cultural methodologies that are being lost. I wish you luck in your current works and in the expansion of your work.
I would like to draw your attention to the "University Service with Rural Farmers to Generate Income and Restore Watersheds" entry: www.changemakers.net/node/20140. They are specifically looking for historians who can film and document their service learning projects. This might be another opportunity for you!
You can contact Mr. Jason Selwitz, the Director of Service Learning at Green Empowerment: jason@greenempowerment.org
Good luck and thank you for submitting your entry.
Best,
Dana Frasz
Ashoka's Changemakers
In Batanes of the Philippines, the Ivatan House project is an innovative initiative that targets to protect and preserve aesthetics, culture, and history of the host community. Because the project is done through traditional cooperative system, neighbors divide each workload to complete the project. In addition, the documentation of such project would be beneficial for preservation and records of construction of the architecture. After the completion of the construction, the Ivatan House would be used as a cultural center for local residents and tourists to learn about indigenous people’s life style and culture. Due to the current trend that some of Philippines’ tribes are dying out, the Ivatan House should be considered as the role model for other tribes in Philippines in order to conserve the traditional culture of various Filipino tribes. The government of Philippine should be more involved in funding of projects like the Ivatan House project in order to save the dying cultures of various tribes.
The first impression I gained from reading your entry is local population should be aware of their own cultural heritage. For instance, China has the longest history in the world. However, many Chinese people stop learning or neglect the importance of their own culture because China is developing to a more industrialized country. I think the ultimate goal of your project is to educate local people to preserve and learn their own cultures. I only have one suggestion. When you explained why your approach is innovative, I feel the third reason was a little confusing. You mentioned “lifestyles that accompany the Ivatan House”, I do not know what you meant. You could have been more detailed. I think the government of Philippine needs to financially contribute to the preservation of local cultures and historical sites. Do you know if they have issued any policies protecting Philippine cultures? Do you plan to educate the tourists as well? I think tourists play an important role in preservation of destination’s cultures. Eventually, I would like thank you for sharing your idea with us and good luck!
While many Geotourism entries focus on a large variety of issues, whether it be a tourism agency or an experience that encompasses numerous sustainable efforts, I admire that the Ivatan House’s particular focus on one effort. There is a lot of passion and enthusiasm illustrated in this entry for the project. The strongest aspect of this application is the clarity in which the purpose of the Ivantan house is explained. A suggestion of how to make the entry stronger would be to review the questions and the answers that follow to ensure that they address exactly what is being asked (ex: degrees of success).
In regards to your barriers, one inexpensive and easy way to make your documentary available to the mass media is to post it on YouTube. While it may not be the most desirable media for displaying your work, it is a stepping-stone. Additionally, contacting the university’s Asian studies departments would be another route to make your production available to masses as well as help educate others about your project.
Also, upon the completion of the Ivatan House, I feel that there is the possibility of this one action proposed to develop into an organization with a highly concentrated goal of recording and remembering all of the past traditions of the Philippines.
Mr Martin,
Your project is so interesting and important to the community. I am wondering is there or will there be an opportunity for visitors to actually spend a night or several nights in an Ivantan House?
Visitors love living like the locals.
Good luck with the project.
Bob
On July 1, 2009 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. If possible, please take the time to respond to some of the provocative questions and issues that were raised by the judges. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team.
“Great entry! Often, we see in developing countries the loss of cultural architecture and they have found that co-operative house building great way of preserving cultural heritage. This project addresses the question, ‘how do you build sound buildings in a way that preserves heritage but also is in tune with the environment?’ Today, there are not many buildings that are built in the traditional style because we build so many houses that are so modern.”
“This project could have huge impact on social and cultural models but I would like to know more about what they have already done! Is this organization actually up and running? I am very keen on learning about their progress because I believe in their innovation. It is always encouraging to see people going back trying to reclaim some of these traditions and reintroducing them to the society. This is a very good idea and very timely but it is too early to tell anything about their development, I would love to see where this project goes! Perhaps, the project may also consider combining green building skills with their traditional ones.”
- Changemakers “Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place Sustaining the Future of Destinations” Judges: National Geographic Society, United Nations Foundation, Tribe Wanted, The Green Belt Movement, Lonely Planet, Southwest Forestry