For generations, the rugged slopes of Hapao stood as an unyielding fortress against colonial conquest—until the quiet invasion of modernity began to seep in. The Ifugao people, guardians of a time-honored rice culture and masters of intricate woodcraft, now find themselves at a crossroads. As waves of tourists spill in from the gateway city, ancient traditions begin to fade like carvings left to weather. The elders who once held the stories are vanishing, while the youth drift toward apathy. In the face of this cultural unraveling, the tribe mounts an unexpected resistance—not with spears or shields, but with cameras. Kidlat de Guia’s Tribal Videos is both an archive and an alarm: a tapestry of grassroots filmmaking that captures not just what remains, but what must endure.
