Bontoc Eulogy

The unnamed Filipino-American narrator reflects on his roots, thinking about his children and his days as a child in the Philippines. He confesses a sense of dislocation, caught between two countries, and expresses a desire to anchor his personal history. The inner conflict frames the film as a meditation on identity.

The narrator recounts Emiliano’s participation in the 1896 revolution against Spain and the 1899 Philippine–American War. He dies in the trenches, and his body is never found. The narrator speculates that Emiliano may be buried in mass graves on the outskirts of Manila.

Markod, a young Igorot chief, agrees to travel to America with other villagers to participate in the St. Louis World's Fair. He is initially hesitant due to his wife expecting a child, but the invitation proves compelling. The plan is to display his people as part of a narrative of progress from barbaric to civilized.

The expedition begins as Markod is taken by boat to San Francisco and then by train to St. Louis. Two of his companions die in a boxcar during the journey, marking the peril of entering an unfamiliar world. Upon arrival, the Igorot village is built within the fairgrounds using traditional elements.

At the fair, thousands of visitors come to see the Filipino reservation and the people displayed as a spectacle. The exhibit aims to illustrate the spectrum from barbaric to civilized and Christian progress. Markod observes the other tribes and the animals with a mix of wonder and unease.

A sick baby girl born to an African couple is taken away and never seen again, triggering fear among authorities and scouts stationed at the village. The incident unsettles Markod and prompts reflections on Western medicine and control. The event foreshadows growing unease beneath the spectacle.

Two Igorot men disappear, and the village mourns for days. The authorities grow wary, yet the public remains largely unaware of the grief behind the spectacle. Markod's sense of vulnerability grows as he confronts his captivity.

Disturbed by the noise, he escapes into the woods seeking quiet, only to wake among unfamiliar American faces. He is placed in solitary confinement to prevent another escape, heightening his homesickness and sense of powerlessness. The episode underscores the dehumanizing conditions of the fair.

When the fair ends, Markod vanishes without a trace, leaving the narrator to search archives for clues. An unusual incident before closing—the death of an Igorot male with mangled remains—is noted in the records and raises the possibility that Markod is the man or that his body was displayed elsewhere. The mystery deepens as the chain of custody for his remains becomes unclear.

The film notes the troubling possibility that Markod’s remains could be displayed at other fairs or in institutions such as the Smithsonian. It also references that the brains of two Filipinos were removed after death for display, highlighting the era’s problematic ethics of human exhibits. The narrative uses these details to question how history is curated.

In present-day research, the narrator digs through archives to locate Markod’s body or any trace of his fate. He worries that the truth of his ancestor’s disappearance remains buried behind historical narratives. The pursuit becomes a reflection on memory and identity.

The film closes with the unresolved question of where Markod’s body lies and whether he is forever lost to history. The narrator’s journey exposes how memory and history are often reconstructed, not simply recorded. The ending leaves the fate of Markod as an open question for the viewer.