The Complex Tension Between Cultural Preservation and Commercial Demand

Eulalie Dulnuan draws from her background of teaching tourism—particularly heritage tourism—to explore the complex tension between cultural preservation and commercial demand. She reflects on how the changing perception of the bulul raises important questions: is it beneficial that people are no longer afraid of the once-sacred figure, or has something meaningful been lost? She highlights the distinction between contemporary, tourist-oriented bulul carvings and traditional, ritually consecrated bululs used by culture bearers—objects believed to carry spiritual power and thus inappropriate, even harmful, for visitors to take home.

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    PERSON

  • Eulalie Dulnuan wearing a white shirt and a necklace with multiple strands of beads, her hands are raised as if caught gesturing while talking

    Eulalie

    Dulnuan

    Tourism and Cultural Officer

    President of the Ifugao Intangible Heritage and Performing Arts Society