PI: Andrea Yankowski | Collaborators: Dr Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador | Research Assistant: Joselito Alipala| Project ID:2021SG08
Location of Research: Alburquerque, Bohol, Philippines| Host Institution: Central Visayas Association of Museums, Inc.
This project documented the material processes and technical knowledge related to the construction of a traditional salt workshop (kamalig), and the production of locally made salt, known as asin tibuok (unbroken salt), in the community of Alburquerque, Bohol, Philippines. Household salt-making in Bohol is an old tradition and has been an important part of the island’s economy up until recent times. A century ago, much of the southwestern coastline was lined with salt workshops, i.e., open-air structures made of native materials where families produced artisanal salt. Today, very few individuals still practice this local craft or have the specific knowledge or skills to build a salt workshop or make asin tibuok. It is a knowledge system that has never been documented and is in danger of disappearing. Using photography, videography, ethnographic interviews, and field notes, this project documented many aspects of this important traditional knowledge. This included sourcing native materials used to build a salt workshop, constructing the workshop and various salt-making equipment, and producing salt. This project also helped raise local awareness about this traditional craft to support revitalization efforts and helped disseminate knowledge about this traditional livelihood to the younger generation in the community.
Project Methodology:
Project planning with our local collaborators started in the Fall of 2021; however, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the start of fieldwork was delayed until May 2022. Fieldwork ran from May 23, 2022, until June 28, 2022, and took place in the municipality of Alburquerque, Bohol, and a few neighboring communities. It involved observation and documentation using videography, photography, and field notes. This included documentation on the resourcing of native materials, making the salt production equipment, salt pots, building a salt workshop, and making salt. Fieldwork days, for the most part, involved daily site visits by the PI, accompanied by museum personnel, to photo and video document demonstrations of activities or site visits, i.e., to see where particular resource materials were sourced, collected, made or transported from, as well as document the daily ongoing progress of the construction of the salt workshop.
KASAMA, headed up by Mr. Felix Pinlac, president of the KASAMA, was tasked with finding, scheduling and managing the workers for the construction phase of the project, as well as selecting suitable demonstrators from among their membership. KASAMA also engaged non-members from the local community to help with construction tasks. We had regular meetings with Mr. Pinlac and the two head carpenters on the project to ensure we would stay on budget and meet the project deadlines.
The PI was responsible for the collection, maintenance, editing, and submission of project assets, which included photo documentation, video documentation, some informal interviews, written field notes, and some annotated files. The one exception was the drone photo and videos, which were taken by a local drone videographer, Mr. Lejun Vincent M. Boiser.
Photographs and videos (other than the drone assets) were taken with a Nikon Z6ii digital camera using a 24-200mm lens. A Rode Shotgun Microphone was used during some video sessions. Field notes were taken manually in a field notebook as well as digitally in an iPhone Notes application. Software used included iMovie for video editing, Photo Scape for photo editing, ELAN for transcription and translation, and Dropbox for cloud storage. Project assets were downloaded and stored on a Lacie hard drive daily. Due to the ongoing concerns about COVID-19 during the project,safety precautions were taken, including COVID-19 testing of project staff and masking during fieldwork.
The project fieldwork was completed on June 25, 2022 with a demonstration of the “cooking” of a batch of salt. KASAMA and the LGU sponsored a “blessing and turning over ceremony” on June 27, 2022, formalizing the end of the project. On June 28, 2022, The National Museum of the Philippines, Bohol sponsored a webinar titled “Asin Tibuok – A Reintroduction to Bohol’s Artisanal Salt” as a venue for us to share the results of the project. This included a presentation by the PI, a panel discussion with KASAMA members, and a “Cooking with Asin Tibouk” presentation by a local chef.
Collecting sig–id vines
Making nipa thatching
Nipa thatching is used as roofing material for the salt workshop.
Constructing a salt–workshop (kamalig)
Project Team
Acknowledgements
Host Institution (Central Visayan Association of Museums) assisted with the financial administration of the project as well as social and public outreach.
National Museum of the Philippines, Bohol (NMP-Bohol) Under Supervising Administrative Officer Ms. Audrey Dawn M. Tomada, and with the help of the museum staff, assisted with coordinating fieldwork plans and partnerships, including the collaboration with KASAMA. Also assisted with the coordination and administration of day-to-day project activities and funds.
Kapunungan sa Mang-Asinay sa Alburquerque (KASAMA) was our local partner on the project. KASAMA is a salt-makers cooperative based in Alburquerque, Bohol, with a membership of 19 salt-makers, with Mr. Felix Pinlac serving as the president. KASAMA collaborated with us on the project planning and implementation and was responsible for hiring and managing workers for the construction of the salt workshop, selecting suitable demonstrators from among their membership, and helping to coordinate the schedule of day-to-day project activities.
Research Assistant (Joselito Alipala) is a resident of Albuquerque and assisted with research for the initial planning and development of the grant proposal. He also helped coordinate the schedule of activities during the first nine days of the project.
Local Government of Alburquerque (LGU) under Mayor Don Ritchie P. Buates, extended their support for the project and provided funding for supplemental workshops and public outreach.
Many Community Members participated in our project as skilled laborers (e.g., to build the salt workshop), demonstrators, informants, research assistants, and business supporters. This includes a small group of women potters led by Josephine Q. Sumingit, in Eastern Poblacion, Alburquerque; local drone videographer, Mr. Lejun Vincent M Boiser who took aerial photos and videos for the project; and, many local businesses partnered with us to support KASAMA. This included the Chocolate Chamber (Mrs. Raquel Choa) based in Cebu who developed a specialty salted-chocolate product using KASAMA’s asin tibuok, and continues to promote asin tibuok on their menu, in their stores, on social media, and at special events.