Bikol, the Philippines

Robin Meyer-Lorey1 and Stephen Acabado2

Figure 1. Map of the Philippines with the Bikol region indicated.

Figure 2. Mount Isarog, an iconic landmark in Bikol. This was the view while we were surveying for sites in a rice field system. The Bikol region was home to extensive mechanized logging by American corporations during the U.S. colonial regime in the Philippines. Two key sites were identified in Tamban and Tandoc, Siruma.

1. Anthropology graduate student, UCLA. 2. Associate professor of anthropology and director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UCLA.

Figure 3. Our conversation with barangay captain Annie Cabral of Barangay Tamban, Tinambac, Camarines Sur. A barangay is the smallest political unit in the Philippines. Community-engaged work allowed us to interview community leaders and local residents about American industries in the present-day towns of Tinambac and Siruma. Many older community members recall the presence of logging companies during their childhoods and recount stories told by parents and grandparents. Given the important role of priests in the region, our research was greatly facilitated by collaboration with the Archdiocese of Caceres. Detailed drone imagery of barangays, three-dimensional models of selected buildings, and aerial photographs were all important results, which we shared with community members and local governments. Left to right: Maddie Yakal, anthropology graduate student anthropology at UCLA and codirector of this year’s field season, Robin Meyer-Lorey, Stephen Acabado, and Annie Cabral.

from the field

Figure 4. Drone selfie taken by incoming graduate student Earl John Hernandez (Cotsen Institute) after a successful flight. Eager field school students learned archaeological remote sensing techniques by operating our drone and LiDAR equipment during practice flights and actual survey sorties.

Figure 5. Graduate students Yen Chun Wang (left) and Earl John Hernandez (right) assist the authors in setting up for a LiDAR mission. This project is one of the first archaeological LiDAR studies from a drone in Southeast Asia. A generous grant from the Philippine Commission on Higher Education allowed Partido State University in Goa to purchase the Matrice 300 RTK drone system with a Zenmuse L1 LiDAR sensor used for this research project. Practical field experience with this equipment enabled us to learn and hone skills that will benefit many future research projects at the Cotsen Institute and the Department of Anthropology at UCLA.

Figure 6. Graduate students Iman Nagy (left), Edward Cleofe, and Robin Meyer-Lorey enjoy some R&R at Lake Buhi after a mapping mission for community collaborators.