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Shaped by the Winds: The Ivatans' Struggle Against Natural Elements
| Article
# : |
17039 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
8 / 1990 |
4,088 Words |
| Author
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Guillermo E. Veloso
Guillermo E. Veloso is assistant professor of art history at
the University of the Philippines in Baguio City. He was
assisted in research and fieldwork involved in developing this
article by his daughter, anthropologist Mumtaz Mahal Veloso. |
When a typhoon forms near the Caroline or Yap islands in the Pacific, then advances northwest toward the Philippines, it gathers an awesome, almost incomprehensible energy - a destructive power often estimated as the equivalent of ten hydrogen bombs. When it hits landmasses where there are mountain ranges, the wind velocity is greatly reduced and the typhoon's fury is felt primarily along the coasts. But the islands of Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines, do not have significant mountain ranges. When the monster strikes, the full fury of the typhoon is unleashed over entire islands: Its rage is spent in every town.
Sometimes, giant tidal waves accompany the typhoon. Crashing over the coastline, they destroy concrete seawalls. And, after the typhoon has passed, heavy monsoon rains wash over the islands for days and weeks. Fungus grows on the walls of houses; a gloomy, eerie pall fills the atmosphere. For people to survive in such conditions, they must be resilient, resourceful, wise, and hardy.
The Ivatans, the inhabitants of Batanes, are precisely that. They build their houses to be sturdy enough to withstand the strongest typhoons and tidal waves. In 1978, the tidal waves that washed through the barrio of San Vicente did not topple any house, nor were lives lost. The solid stone and lime foundations of the houses withstood three successive giant waves.
Survival on the typhoon islands
The Batanes Islands were referred to as "the typhoon islands" by ancient seafarers because of the devastating winds that frequently strike
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