Lecture: From Bonfire to Firewire

From Bonfire to Firewire: Innovative Online Modules on Philippine Folklore
A lecture jointly sponsored by the UC Berkeley Center for Southeast Asian Studies and UH Center for Philippine Studies

by Pia Arboleda
Director, Center for Philippine Studies &
Associate Professor of Filipino and Philippine Literature
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Historically, in the mountains of Barlig on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, the Ifiallig people would sit around the fire of the ator (council-house) to listen to tales of their hero-ancestors. When work in the rice fields was done, venerable elders and storytellers (umu-ufok) recounted these stories in their own language. These stories (ub-ufok), handed down for many generations, serve as a record of Ifiallig history, genealogy, and cultural traditions.
This talk will review current research on Ifiallig orature in Barlig, including the significance of Ifiallig oral traditions, the methods used in collecting orature, and the process of reviving tales through different media.
The animations that will be featured during the presentation are available through the University of Hawaii’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies website.
Pia Arboleda is Associate Professor of Filipino and Philippine Literature at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and concurrently the Director, Center for Philippine Studies.  She received the 2015 University of Hawai’i Regent Medal for Excellence in Teaching.
Date: September 10, 2019 at 11:00-12:30 pm
Venue: 351 Dwinelle Hall
DSSEAS Library, Level F/G
Berkeley, California