Legarda reflects on shared heritage at Hunting for Artifacts Launch

Senator Loren Legarda joined the launch of Hunting for Artifacts: 19th Century German Explorers in the Luzon Cordillera, a new book introduced as part of the Philippines’ Guest of Honour program at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair 2025.

In her speech, Legarda spoke about the lasting connections between the Philippines and Germany and highlighted the value of preserving culture through shared curiosity and respect.

“In the intricate weave of our history, there are moments when cultures intersect, reshaping the way we view ourselves and the world,” Legarda began.

She described the arrival of 19th-century German explorers in the Cordillera as a moment of respectful engagement, bringing new insights and artifacts that remain important today.

“These artifacts were never inert relics. They became instruments for the exchange of ideas, bearing the spirit and ingenuity of Cordillera communities across continents and generations.” Legarda said.

The work of Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores, Professor Emeritus Delfin L. Tolentino Jr., and their contributors traces the journeys of Carl Gottfried Semper, Richard von Drasche, Hans Meyer, Otto Scheerer, and Alexander Schadenberg. Their fieldwork, later chronicled in William Henry Scott’s German Travellers on the Cordillera, contributed immeasurably to the understanding of the region’s cultural heritage and biodiversity. Many of the artifacts they collected remain housed in major European institutions, including the Berlin Ethnological Museum, Dresden Ethnology Museum, Leipzig Ethnographic Museum, Museum of Five Continents, and the Welt Ethnographic Museum in Vienna.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, emphasized that the Philippine-German connection is rooted in mutual curiosity and intellectual generosity, with its most resonant symbol found in the life and work of Dr. Jose Rizal.

“Rizal’s immersion in Germany and his correspondence with European scholars deepened our understanding of the world and our sense of national identity,” she said.

Legarda praised the book for honoring the complexity of heritage and advancing Filipino scholarship.

“Every artifact and story carries powerful claims to memory, belonging, and identity. By restoring these materials to Cordillera communities and scholars, the book allows us to question, reinterpret, and celebrate heritage on our own terms.” Legarda noted.

“As we embrace this prestigious role as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, let this launch renew our commitment to recognize that cultural preservation is not merely an act of commemoration, but a pledge to justice, solidarity, and creative exchange. May Hunting for Artifacts inspire ongoing conversations, responsible stewardship, and a future where history is remembered, revisited with openness, and continually transformed by the courage to seek, listen, and care.” Legarda concluded.

Legarda supported the publication of Hunting for Artifacts. Launched on April 30, 2025, at the Museo Kordilyera, the book is based on the research project Understanding Igorot Life World from the Ethnographic Collections of Early German Travellers in the Cordillera. (30)