By SAKI MIZOROKI/ Staff Writer
After years of soul-searching to find a place where she can be herself, Ayaka Yamashita finally found it among a mountain tribe people on the Philippines' Luzon Island, who impressed her with their warmth and hospitality, as well as superb craftsmanship.
To help the community lead a sustainable life in harmony with nature, Yamashita, 29, established accessory brand EDAYA with tribe members two years ago. It has since become an important income source for the highlanders.
"I'd like to help them pass on their traditional craftsmanship to the next generation," Yamashita said. "If their craftsmanship is recognized by people around the world, they will gain pride in themselves."
Yamashita first met the Kalinga people, of the Kalinga province in northern Luzon Island, while she was studying the gold mining industry in the Philippines for her graduate studies at the University of Tokyo.
While the tribe had a rich tradition in music and craft work, including accessories, its members were increasingly dependent on income from mining gold.
Since they dug for gold with their hands, many of the tribe members suffered from chemical poisoning, often resulting in early deaths.
In search of manual labor at mines and outside their community, an increasing number of young people began leaving the province, threatening the survival of the community's traditional art and handiwork.
Concerned about the fate of the tribe's culture, Yamashita built a workshop in the Kalinga habitat to produce traditional bamboo accessories. A local elder entrusted her to manage mountains that produce bamboo materials.
The EDAYA brand accessories are produced by local craftsmen and include pierced earrings modeled after bamboo flutes that tribe members played to mark victories in tribal battles.
Necklaces made of bamboo root are the brand's trademark product. Yamashita also designs the accessories and markets them through online shops. The brand now earns 300,000 yen ($2,550) a month, providing a livelihood for the craftspeople.
Yamashita explained that she feels a special sympathy for the Kalinga people, as she also grew up with a strong sense of being a minority.
By helping the Kalinga people restore pride in their roots, she said she has overcome this complex. She said the venture's ultimate aim is to make the Kalinga people and herself "honor our roots as minorities."
Japanese woman's accessory business helps keep Filipino mountain tribe's culture alive - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
After years of soul-searching to find a place where she can be herself, Ayaka Yamashita finally found it among a mountain tribe people on the Philippines' Luzon Island, who impressed her with their warmth and hospitality, as well as superb craftsmanship.
To help the community lead a sustainable life in harmony with nature, Yamashita, 29, established accessory brand EDAYA with tribe members two years ago. It has since become an important income source for the highlanders.
"I'd like to help them pass on their traditional craftsmanship to the next generation," Yamashita said. "If their craftsmanship is recognized by people around the world, they will gain pride in themselves."
Yamashita first met the Kalinga people, of the Kalinga province in northern Luzon Island, while she was studying the gold mining industry in the Philippines for her graduate studies at the University of Tokyo.
While the tribe had a rich tradition in music and craft work, including accessories, its members were increasingly dependent on income from mining gold.
Since they dug for gold with their hands, many of the tribe members suffered from chemical poisoning, often resulting in early deaths.
In search of manual labor at mines and outside their community, an increasing number of young people began leaving the province, threatening the survival of the community's traditional art and handiwork.
Concerned about the fate of the tribe's culture, Yamashita built a workshop in the Kalinga habitat to produce traditional bamboo accessories. A local elder entrusted her to manage mountains that produce bamboo materials.
The EDAYA brand accessories are produced by local craftsmen and include pierced earrings modeled after bamboo flutes that tribe members played to mark victories in tribal battles.
Necklaces made of bamboo root are the brand's trademark product. Yamashita also designs the accessories and markets them through online shops. The brand now earns 300,000 yen ($2,550) a month, providing a livelihood for the craftspeople.
Yamashita explained that she feels a special sympathy for the Kalinga people, as she also grew up with a strong sense of being a minority.
By helping the Kalinga people restore pride in their roots, she said she has overcome this complex. She said the venture's ultimate aim is to make the Kalinga people and herself "honor our roots as minorities."
Japanese woman's accessory business helps keep Filipino mountain tribe's culture alive - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
