Commemoration as Intangible Heritage: Performing Collective Memories of the Battles of Paye and Pulang Lupa in Marinduque, Philippines

Abstract

This dissertation examines local commemorations of the Battles of Paye and Pulang Lupa in Marinduque, Philippines as multifaceted arenas where local discourses of heritage and memory intersect with national narratives, structures of power, social classes, and identities. Based on critical ethnographic research, I investigate how practices of remembrance as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) authorise and facilitate a harmonious relationship between the national state and local government, as well as between elites and non-elites, while simultaneously acknowledging and reinforcing the existing dynamics and hierarchical structures. These practices are influenced by historical, cultural, and socio-political conditions of the Philippines, a post-colony, which have also contributed to the ongoing remaking of local ICH practices.

Marinduque was one of the many islands in the Philippines invaded in 1900-1902 by the United States during the Philippine-American War. Although often overlooked in mainstream Philippine history, the locals of Marinduque successfully battled against the US infantry, a victory that has been commemorated and celebrated annually by the Marinduque local government and communities, with support from the Philippine nation-state.

The importance and originality of this study is that it introduces the idea of an 'authorised intangible cultural heritage' and the challenges to this heritage. It also explores its performative dimensions, and the socio-political consequences involved in its production in a postcolonial and local context. The work develops a theoretical framework that identifies intangible heritage as a repertoire of remembrance and a form of socio-cultural performance. This idea considers intangible expressive traditions in recuperating, recognising, and transmitting socio-cultural knowledge and memories. Consequently, the research aims to expose, critique, and challenge power structures in culture and society.

I argue that the performativity of memory and heritage is facilitated through a fluid interconnection of multiscale sources, factors, and influences. This performativity conforms to, transcends, and sometimes subverts existing dominant frameworks of the Philippine authorised heritage discourses. Therefore, the concept of authorised ICH dynamically reconstructs both the intangible heritage and the identities of those who engage with and embody it. In Marinduque, the dominance of elite families over the local narrative of battles has been reinforced and continuously reiterated and reconstructed through commemorative ICH practices. Music repertoires, tableau performances, and battle reenactments have emerged as intangible commemorative practices maintaining the historical and contemporary socio-political positions of local elites. This is accomplished by enacting power among state and non-state actors and negotiating national and local identities. Spoken word poetry, however, further amplifies alternative narratives that put forward representation of the labouring classes and other populations who have previously been absent from the historical narrative and local commemorations. These local heritage practices not only reflect interdependencies among elite and non-elite groups, but also champion stories of national colonial resistance.