Legacy at risk: Preserving Cordilleran culture through Geoffrey Carantes’ art

The late Geoffrey Carantes' artworks stand as visual documents of Cordilleran history and lifeways. However, they are at risk of being erased by time and the elements.

BAGUIO, Philippines – “He drew not just for himself but for his people.”

This is how Lynette Carantes-Bibal described her father, the late Geoffrey Carantes.

His artworks, produced from the 1970s to 1990s, stand as visual documents of Cordilleran history and lifeways. However, they are at risk of being erased by time and the elements.

Carantes came from one of the leading families of Baguio. He was born to Maximino, who served as councilor of Baguio and later mayor of Tuba, Benguet, and Engracia, an entrepreneur from Aringay, La Union.

At four years old, he already showed remarkable talent in making life-like sketches of people. In 1963, he earned the distinction of being the first Ibaloi to graduate with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines. Subsequently, he studied history and art education at the University of Baguio.

Documenting culture

His biggest work, in terms of scale, is the bas-relief sculpted by his cousin Dominador, based on his mural commissioned by the provincial government of Benguet. It is now prominently displayed in the Capitol building.

Carantes also distinguished himself as the illustrator of two very important books: A Peoples’ History of Benguet (1985) by Anavic Bagamaspad and Zenaida Hamada-Pawid, for which he drew the cover and fold-out illustrations, and Common Medicinal Plants of the Cordillera Region (1989) by Leonardo Co, for which he drew the cover illustration and frontispiece.

Professor Lisa Ito-Tapang, curator of Parola, the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Fine Arts Gallery, said Carantes’ frontispiece is unique in that “it is not a scientific drawing; it does not show a specimen in isolation but within the ecosystem of the Cordillera.”

“That is very symbolic and significant for the book because his work gives a historical and geographical context to the richness of medicinal plants that were documented by Co,” she explained.

Public servant

Apart from being an artist and documentor of Cordilleran culture, Carantes was also an educator and public servant.

His strong grounding in history was inspired by his university professors, including William Henry Scott and Teodoro Agoncillo, who stirred his passion for local history.

He taught at the University of Baguio and University of the Philippines-College Baguio, using the blackboard as his canvas and chalk as his medium to draw detailed depictions of Cordilleran history. Many of his past students vividly remember his classes.

Carantes was on his second term as a councilor of La Trinidad when he passed away in February 1998.

Culture under threat

Four of Carantes’ framed drawings hang in the UP Baguio Cordillera Studies Center. A watercolor and two line illustrations are in the care of the UP Baguio Archives. Although they are all framed, one illustration is showing signs of water damage.

Thirteen of his works, including two pieces each in watercolor and charcoal, are in Bibal’s care. Her brother, Jude, has seven with him in Canada; sister, Lakam, has four in Loakan, Baguio; and brother Bahag has five in La Trinidad, Benguet.

A bulk of his works are stored in the Carantes house in La Trinidad. Some are framed, but many more are in a wooden desk he used, along with interview notes in his handwriting on Ibaloi genealogy and history, an unfinished MA thesis titled The Arts and Craft of the Benguet Ibaloi: Insights into the Culture of a Cordillera People, and various clippings of his art illustrations from programs and newspapers.

Three of his pen-and-ink drawings, Bibal noted, have minor tears, and more than a few are starting to crumble and develop mold. The watercolor art is not framed and is exposed to the elements.

Utmost care must be taken in handling the works to prevent further damage, Ito-Tapang said.

The watercolor art needs to be framed, and the rest need to be kept in a watertight container.

“Institutions and offices that have his works in their possession need to document and archive them,” Ito-Tapang said. “It is very important to conserve the works of Mr. Carantes because he is a political and cultural figure in the history of the region. The values and aspirations in his works are important for future generations of Cordillerans to know about.”

Bibal said, “The issue of ancestral land claims is connected to love for culture and history. He emphasized the importance of family histories – which is part of a collective – and we draw our identity from the stories of our land. Your history, who you are, and what you can be in the future are connected to the land. He advocated all of these through his art.”

“I like learning stories of artists like him who may have been forgotten with the passage of time but who have very important things to say about our country. I think his story should be told,” Ito-Tapang said. – Rappler.com