Sunday morning was spent at the Alameda Naval Station where the Alameda Antiques Fair is held on the first Sunday of the month, rain or shine. And boy, did it ever shine this past Sunday. It must have reached the 80 degree mark. It was so hot that you could have denatured albumin on the sidewalk.

The fair is a treasure trove for bargain and antique hunters. Everyone and anyone goes to the antique fair. Even children have to pay for the excesses of their parents. Once a mother has her eye on that kitchen cabinet, she will not be stopped by a crying two year old. Admission is dependent on the time of arrival. Earlybirds arrive at 5AM and will pay the premium price of $10. Those arriving at 7AM to 9AM will pay $7, and regular admission is $5.

I went there to visit my friend Armand Cating of Northern Cordillera Imports. Armand imports pasikings, baskets, weapons, jewelry and wood carvings from the Northern Cordilleras in the Northern section of Luzon Philippines. I first met Armand in the Alameda antique fair. I was surprised to meet someone selling Igorot artifacts. I was specially drawn to Igorot necklaces and armbands made from boar tusks. For the last two or three years, I have been a steady customer and Armand has continually given me great products to purchase for my future home.

Armand and I will be collaborating on a book project about the pasiking. The pasiking is akin to a backpack but it is made from weaving bamboos and other parts of the bamboo tree and rattan. Armand has a huge collection of pasiking backpacks in his home. It's quite incredible to actually see his home because it is essentially a museum what with all of the various antiques he has imported from the Philippines. The central pieces though are the pasikings.

One of the reasons I have a great respect for Armand and his business is that he treats his business with respect. Considering that one is making money from the selling of one's history, one can see that it can be a difficult business to retain one's perspective of self-worth. After all, who would sell his culture or his history?

My short answer to this is that Armand respects the products that he sells by educating the people who buy the imports. One case in point is yours truly. If it were not for Armand, I would have to resort to purchasing goods from the Philippines without really interacting with the various histories of the items that are being sold. I would have bought some armbands and just placed it out there as a decoration without knowing the social significance of the arm band.

I have learned so much about the grandeur and the history of the Igorots that I can really say that it has opened my eyes. One case in point is the jewelry that were used by the inhabitants of the Cordillera region. One of the jewelry that women wear to decorate their hair is the skeleton of a snake!!! I can' think of anything more ingenous than that. Not only can you eat the flesh of the snake, you use them as a decoration to enhance your beauty. One of these days, I will make a site where you can see the photos of these objects.

For now though, this will be a short blog because of work for tomorrow.