Welcome to

First
Skies:

Revisiting Ethnoastronomy
in Batanes

A project that explores traditional Ivatan knowledge of astronomy and examines its use in contemporary society, especially in the light of the changing night sky.
Symbols evolve over time and indigenous groups traditionally extract meaning from their natural environment.

It will record the images and star plots that they see in the night sky at one point in time, as a starting point for preserving narratives that are in danger of disappearing.

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

We are deeply grateful for funding support from the Philippine National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and collaboration with the national and local offices of the Philippine National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Philippine National Museum.
- Almira Astudillo Gilles, PhD
Project Director, First Skies

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.
Read more
February 2025
Interviews with Culture Bearers and sample of Ivatan population on beliefs, practices, and perspectives

March 2025
"Kapayvanuvanwa" ritual of Matao fishermen
More Events to be Confirmed