DAVAO CITY (October 29) — Mindanao’s ethnographic heritage has found a temporary refuge in an 84-square-meter, climate-controlled gallery at Ateneo de Davao University, where artifacts from the Davao Museum of History and Ethnography will be preserved while the university plans a permanent museum facility.
The University Archives and Davao Museum formally opened the Museum Study Gallery on October 27 with a blessing at the ground floor of Arrupe Hall, marking an interim step in protecting a collection that documents the region’s diverse peoples, traditions and identities.
University president Rev. Fr. Karel San Juan, SJ, led the blessing and prayers. Dr. Pamela Castrillo, university archivist and museum curator, facilitated the program and guided guests through the collection.
Representatives of three religious and cultural traditions participated in the ceremony: the Obu Manuvu, represented by Jun Mark E. Amban; the Muslim community, represented by Sultan Ubpon; and the Catholic Church, which shaped the university’s founding tradition.
Their presence reflected the cultural and religious diversity that defines Mindanao and the importance of preserving heritage that helps communities understand their histories and shared past.
Designed by students from the university’s Architecture Department in collaboration with the Facilities Management Office, the gallery incorporates climate control to help limit environmental damage that could cause the artifacts to deteriorate.
The university said the gallery would safeguard the ethnographic collection until a new museum is established at its Jacinto Campus.
But preservation involves more than protecting objects from physical deterioration. The gallery is also intended as a study and learning space where students, researchers and visitors can examine the collection and explore the histories and cultural practices of Mindanao’s communities.
That educational role carries a broader responsibility: ensuring that the artifacts remain accessible and that the people whose heritage they embody have a meaningful place in how their histories are interpreted and shared.
As the collection awaits a permanent home, the study gallery offers an opportunity to connect conservation with public education. Its lasting significance will depend not only on how well the artifacts are protected, but also on how effectively the university makes them available to future generations seeking to understand Mindanao’s cultural heritage.
