About US
Tam-awan Village was conceived by the great minds of Mr. Chit Asignacion, National Artist Ben Cabrera, solar artist Jordan Mang-osan, Atty. Nestor Mondok, Ms. Anne Camdas-Micheal and Mr. Jackson Bryan III.
It was conceptualized and brought to life to serve as a cultural space with strategically planned landscaping that provided a semblance to traditional Cordillera villages whilst adapting to Baguio terrain.
The village was envisioned to provide a venue for art and cultural activities that would enhance appreciation of culture and history.
Tam-awan is a local word which means “vantage point”
For the past two decades, Tam-awan Village has already featured artists from the different parts of the Philippines and overseas through more than 200 art exhibits. Today, Tam-awan continues to be a venue presenting masterpieces from both seasoned and budding artists.
More than just being a home for many artists and their masterpieces, the village is also labeled by some as a living museum as it has managed to salvage authentic huts from Sagada and Kalinga. This effort has since enabled visitors to have a glimpse of and experience Cordilleran culture.
At the “Tam-awan @ 20” press conference held last May 4, 2018, Atty. Trixie Angeles – Culture and Heritage Expert said, “Tam-awan was one of the first to create their representative community houses here so that people could live in them, stay in them, and appreciate them.”
Despite limitations dictated by tradition and the physical attributes of the village, it has always been Chanum Foundation and Tam-awan Village’s purpose to bring the Cordillera culture together and present a holistic experience for the people seeking to know and understand the culture better by being one with it.
In excerpts from Angeles’ interview, she stated, “The experience is really what Tam-awan offers.” She further explained that the state funds endeavors such as culture and the arts because it is equivalent to nation building. The participation of places like Tam-awan Village is essential because it has a real influence in creating not just a sense of place but also a sense of identity. She also added that even if she is not from the Cordilleras, she identifies with the Cordilleran people. She further elaborated that despite each and every individual belonging to another tribe, one identity defines us all—being Filipino.
In the same press conference, Department of Tourism Cordillera – Regional Director Maria Venus Tan described Tam-awan Village as a place and a showcase of culture where people can see what they want to see of the rest of the Cordilleras.
Another notable feature of Tam-awan’s is the village café that offers a unique menu that features food not only from the Cordillera region but also from neighboring provinces. This gives people an opportunity to have a taste of the flavors from the northern parts of the country.
Angeles further stated, “Tam-awan really does walk the talk. It helps in nation building when the arts eventually becomes culture—it becomes alive and constantly being lived in.”
In Mang-osan’s message during the press conference, he wished that the public would continue to support Filipino culture and the arts so that they would flourish in the many years to come and strengthen pride and dignity in this culturally-rich and progressive country.
Chanum Foundation, Inc. and Tam-awan Village, through its President, Mr. Jordan Mang-osan, extend their gratitude to all agencies, organizations and institutions that have made Tam-awan the eminent venue for cultural experience today.
The Foundation Aims to:
Promote community awareness on the intergenerational responsibility of the people to preserve and conserve our patrimony, the environment and our cultural heritage;
Establish; manage, operate, and maintain special interest resorts; demonstration villages; or living museum which will showcase the customary and cultural heritage in the Cordillera.
To demonstrate, research and train farmers on the use of traditional organic farming methods in the Cordillera;
To provide access to education and scholarship programs to deserving students specially to members of indigenous cultural communities;
Do research and provide for a venue for workshops and seminars on sustainable development and management of the environment consistent with Cordillera’s cultural heritage;
To promote awareness and respect and sustain various indigenous customs; cultural heritage; and the arts in the Philippines particularly the Cordillera;
To use the foundation as a catalyst in promoting awareness, respect and pride on our customs, traditional and cultural heritage.
