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ECAI
Austronesia

Mapping the Batanes Islands of the Philippines
as a Regional Cultural Atlas Project

Project Summary
The Batanes comprise an archipelago with basically three or more inhabited islands, mainly Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang along with Ibuhos. The islands (see maps) comprise the most northern and smallest province of the Philippines. Our 2006 research was conducted on Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang. The research documents the islands as a model utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) for a continued interactive product hosted by the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI). This constitutes a dynamic geo-temporal map of the islands as tool for local and scholarly input.

Documentation includes

• Mapping dialects
• A survey of the archives, museums, and other cultural aspects related to the Bashiic societies
• Video and photographic documentation of archaeology, house construction, fishing, agriculture, art projects, and social life
• Audio-visual recording of local narratives

The research provides documentation for creating a dynamic cultural map of our findings. There is also an assumption that our work will foster wider collaboration and infrastructure.

Investigators
David Blundell and Michael Buckland
with Nestor Castro, Steve Martin, and Edwin Valientes

The Austronesian team is participating in a collaboration with the ECAI central team, the School of Information Management and Systems at UC Berkeley, and the Shung Ye Museum to develop maps and cultural resources on the Bashiic languages of Orchid Island (Lan-yu) and the Batanes. See Shung Ye Project Website. See also: Batanes Project References.