First Skies - Revisiting Ethnoastronomy in Batanes

The general narrative that this study will tell is that our forefathers lived in a world that was largely mysterious.

Whenever they could, they attempted to control their environment by creating useful objects for daily survival and maintaining social relationships. They created myths and symbols to imbue their experiences with meaning, and their natural spheres included land, water, and air/wind.

The sky is a special case.

The only way they could experience it was by superimposing elements that they already knew from below, hoping that the sky will in turn reveal wisdom that they could use.

They could not till it, they could not fish it, it did not physically transport them. The nighttime sky intrigued them and stars, in particular, provided many visual opportunities for interpretation.

The project hopes to tell the story of what indigenous communities saw when they looked up at the night sky.

It will show, through star plots, celestial markers that were used for navigation, agriculture, catching fish, and hunting. The study will examine how stories have survived, disappeared, or changed, through generations, through progress, through the inevitable restructuring of social relationships.

“Like other cultures, they mapped onto the sky their own uniqueness. They claimed the heavens as their own.”

Philippine ethnoastronomer Dante Ambrosio said it best, describing the night sky as reflections of the souls of ancient Filipinos. when he said that the constellations that ancient Filipinos saw in the night sky were reflections of their souls—their culture, their humanity, and their mortality.

- Dante Ambrosio
Philippine ethnoastronomer

Events

January 8, 2025

Meeting with the Batanes Council of Elders, arranged by the NCIP

After an in-person and Zoom presentation to the Council of Elders from the islands comprising Batanes--Batan, Sabtang, and Itbayat--they unanimously approved the project, citing the benefits for future generations. They also gave conditions to ensure authenticity and their agency and will begin identifying participants for the study.

February 2025

Interviews with Culture Bearers and sample of Ivatan population on beliefs, practices, and perspectives

The Ivatans live by the rhythms of land and sea, guided by the moon, stars, and their pilatun calendar. Welcoming us with food, drink, and ancestral stories, they shared how tradition shapes their fishing, farming, and daily life.

March 2025

"Kapayvanuvanwa" ritual of Mataw fishermen

Some moments shine brighter, like the kapayvanuvanua in Diura, marking the start of dorado season. Before dawn, fishermen gathered with offerings, a pig was sacrificed, and its entrails read to predict the season’s fate—followed by a feast shared by all.

First
Skies:

Revisiting Ethnoastronomy
in Batanes

The general narrative that this study will tell is that our forefathers lived in a world that was largely mysterious.

The sky is a special case.

The project hopes to tell the story of what indigenous communities saw when they looked up at the night sky.

“Like other cultures, they mapped onto the sky their own uniqueness. They claimed the heavens as their own.”

- Dante Ambrosio
Philippine ethnoastronomer

Events

Sites and Scenes

Capturing Images

FirstSkies:

Revisiting Ethnoastronomyin Batanes

The general narrative that this study will tell is that our forefathers lived in a world that was largely mysterious.

The sky is a special case.

The project hopes to tell the story of what indigenous communities saw when they looked up at the night sky.

“Like other cultures, they mapped onto the sky their own uniqueness. They claimed the heavens as their own.”

- Dante AmbrosioPhilippine ethnoastronomer

Events

Sites and Scenes

Capturing Images

First
Skies:

Revisiting Ethnoastronomy
in Batanes

- Dante Ambrosio
Philippine ethnoastronomer