Tam-awan Village, Benguet, Luzon, Philippines

Tam-awan Village, Benguet, Luzon, Philippines

Tam-awan Village in Pinsao Proper, Baguio City uniquely blends indigenous aesthetics and exquisite Cordilleran craftsmanship with an artist’s concept for a village adapting to Baguio setting.

Chanum Foundation, Inc., founded in 1998, began to reconstruct Ifugao houses in Baguio with the view of making a model village accessible to people who have not had the chance to travel to the Cordillera interior. On a land near an abundant spring, the foundation started out with three knocked-down huts transported from Bangaan, Ifugao. Tam-awan village now has seven Ifugao huts and two Kalinga houses. Using the original materials and adding only new cogon roofs, traditional artisans reconstructed the houses and laid them out resembling the design of a traditional Cordillera Village.

An Ifugao house is compact and though deceptively simple, its architecture is quite sophisticated. Built by clever mortise makers without nails or hardware, it exemplifies the exactness of Ifugao construction. With the heavy hand-hewn timber elevated to about shoulder height by four posts usually made of hard wood, the house, with periodic re-roofing, can last several generations.

The Kalinga house is more spacious and is made with the same hand-hewn pinewood. The binayon is the traditional octagonal house of Southern Kalinga Province and Tam-awan Village is proud to present one the three remaining such houses in the country today.

The huts in Tam-awan Village are named after the areas where they come from. From Ifugao, we have the Bangaan Hut, Anaba Hut, Batad Hut, Dukligan Hut, Kinakin Hut, and Nagor Hut. Our Kalinga huts are from Luccong and Bugnay. Except for Bugnay Hut, which serves as one of the village’s galleries, lodgers are accepted in these huts.

In keeping with the spirit in which the village was originally conceived, Tam-awan Village has become a venue for art exhibits and workshops envisioned to foster a deeper understanding, respect and pride in the cultural heritage of the Cordillera people.

Tam-awan Village is an experience in itself. By living in the huts, guests get an opportunity to immerse in an atmosphere that allows them to get a glimpse of village life.

On a clear day, a magnificent China Sea sunset can be viewed from Tam-awan Village, being true to its name as Tam-awan, that is, vantage point.

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