On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the University of Alberta Department of East Asian Studies and the UPAA Edmonton hosted Sinauna: Pre-Colonial Traditions and Tribal Patterns, an afternoon dedicated to learning more about the deeper roots of Philippine culture.
Held at the University of Alberta, the event brought together students, families, artists, organizers, and community members for conversations about pre-colonial traditions, Baybayin, batok, ancestral designs, and what it means to stay connected to heritage while living in the diaspora.
The program opened with a land acknowledgement led by Mila Philipzig, followed by welcome remarks from Dr. Joseph Patrouch of the University of Alberta Department of East Asian Studies.
The featured presentation was delivered by Mayo Landicho, a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist and tattoo artist. Mayo shared how batok tattooing became his calling, and how his work has become a way of connecting art, identity, memory, and ancestral practice.
For those unfamiliar with it, batok is a traditional form of tattooing practiced by Indigenous communities in the Philippines. More than decoration, batok can carry meanings connected to identity, beauty, courage, belonging, protection, spirituality, and community. Mayo’s presentation invited the audience to look beyond the visual beauty of tattoos and patterns, and to think more deeply about the stories, histories, and cultural responsibilities behind them.
The event also featured Ida Lucila, Edmonton’s Historian Laureate, who spoke about her role in the community and shared her cultural mapping project documenting Filipino presence, heritage, stories, and contributions in Edmonton. Her presentation reminded attendees that community history is preserved not only through institutions, but also through memory, place, storytelling, and shared experience.
Community partners also shared reflections throughout the afternoon. Migrante Alberta connected the conversation to the experiences of Filipino migrants and workers. Kilusang Kabataan spoke about why young people need access to pre-colonial Philippine history and why identity matters across generations.
A cultural performance by Anakbayan helped transition the program into its second half. They serenaded the audience with an Indigenous song from the Philippines, offering a musical moment that connected the afternoon’s themes of memory, identity, and cultural continuity.
In the second hour, guests moved between the lecture hall and foyer. In the lecture hall, a video loop featured work from Hibla PH, UPAAE’s Historya, and EPIC. In the foyer, attendees visited partner tables and displays and observed Mayo’s live batok demonstration.
The demonstration became one of the most engaging parts of the afternoon. Many attendees gathered around Mayo’s table, curious about the tools, technique, meanings, and cultural context of batok. The questions that followed showed how much interest there is in learning about pre-colonial Philippine practices in a respectful and meaningful way.
What made the afternoon meaningful was not only the formal program, but the conversations that happened around it: people asking questions, sharing memories, reconnecting with familiar symbols, and learning something new about a history that is not always taught or easily accessible.
For many Filipinos in the diaspora, heritage is often carried through family stories, food, language, music, faith, and community gatherings. Sinauna offered another doorway into that heritage by looking further back, before colonization and before many of the histories that are more commonly told.
UPAA Edmonton extends its gratitude to the University of Alberta Department of East Asian Studies for hosting this important community learning event, and to Mayo Landicho, Dr. Joseph Patrouch, Mila Philipzig, Ida Lucila, Anakbayan, Migrante Alberta, Kilusang Kabataan, Hibla, EPIC, the volunteers, and everyone who helped bring the afternoon together.
Most of all, thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, listened, reflected, and shared space with us.
Sinauna means ancient, or from long ago. But the afternoon reminded us that heritage is not only something behind us. It is something we continue to carry, question, honour, and pass on.
