BONTOC EULOGY (TV)
Summary
This personal documentary was crafted by
first-generation Filipino-American Marlon Fuentes.
Fuentes shares some fading memories of the land in
which he was born and looks for the voice of his
grandfather, a Bontoc Igorot warrior who was "displayed"
in the Saint Louis World's Fair of 1904. The program
features archival photographs and film footage of things
described in the narration, along with a few dramatized
scenes. The photography includes images of the
Philippines, native peoples living there, and the Saint
Louis World's Fair. Fuentes narrates in a slow and
deliberate tone, opening the documentary with an
explanation of his "two worlds" -- the one from which he
came, and the one in which he lives now. He asks such
questions as "Why did we leave our home?"; "Why have we
come to America?"; "Why have we chosen to stay?";
"What are the stories that define us as a people?"; and
"What has made us the way we are?" Fuentes describes
his early childhood, his schooling in Manila, and the
distance of his life from the tribal existence of
Filipinos who lived outside the cities. He goes on to
relate the story of his grandfather, Markod, a tribesman
who was taken from the Philippines to be part of the
Filipino reservation at the Saint Louis World's Fair --
and never returned home. Thus begins the largest
section of the program, Fuentes's description of the
fair. He highlights its magnitude, the delight of the
people who visited, and the wonders on display. As
Fuentes provides details, footage offers visual imagery
of the Fair's cutting-edge display of electric lights; a
woman who dances with a chair clamped in her jaw; and
a rat-eating contest for dogs. Fuentes explains that
the Fair's most popular exhibit was the Filipino
reservation, where visitors wanted to see tribesmen "as
they always were, wild and untouched by the reaches of
civilization." The Igorot Filipinos were forced to
perform for the visitors, viewers learn, engaging in
contests of strength and skill, slaughtering dogs for
food, and performing traditional tribal rituals.
Fuentes tells the story of the death of two Igorots and
of Markod's vengeance because they did not receive
traditional burials. Fuentes says that he does not know
what became of his grandfather. He also explains that
Filipino natives continued to be exploited for profit,
and photographs of these natives are displayed on the
screen. Finally, Fuentes is seen walking through
anthropology museums and dusty historical collections,
searching for relics of his ancestors. He says that the
objects he finds represent "anonymous stories
permanently preserved in a language that can never be
understood."
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: November 30, 1994
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:10
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T:65356
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Exhibitions - Saint Louis (Mo.); Filipino Americans; Identity; Philippines - Foreign relations - U S
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1995
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Marlon Fuentes … Producer, Director, Writer, Researcher
- Dave Kluft … Co-Producer
- Carolyn Brodbeck … Co-Producer
- Audie Antonio … Associate Producer
- Long Cheng … Associate Producer
- Aaron Levinson … Associate Producer
- Enrico Obusan … Associate Producer
- Katie Schneider … Researcher
- Bridget Yearian … Researcher
- Douglas Quin … Music by, Composer
- Aaron Levinson … Announcer
- Marlon Fuentes … Narrator
- Jordan Porter … Cast, Boy with camera
- Nicole Antonio … Cast, Girl with camera
- Michael Porter … Cast, Boy in mosquito net
- Eliseo Bacolod … Cast, Markod (ship)
- Enrico Obusan … Cast, Markod (St. Louis)
- Fermina Bagwan … Voice, Markod's voice