Establishing the Tagum City Kagikan Museum: The Lived Experiences of Cultural Workers

Abstract

Museum plays an important role in conserving and protecting the heritage of the city. This phenomenological study traces in the Tagum City's Kagikan Museum on its establishment, how they preserve the cultural artifacts and historical remnants as well as explore the experiences of the cultural workers. The seven participants were divided into in-depth interviews and focus group discussion following the safety protocols and health standards of gathering the data. The Kagikan Museum had an early cultural showcase of Tagum City prior to its formal establishment in which the cultural workers participated in yearly exhibit of history and culture of the city and conducted research project about its kagikan. Carefully planned by the Local Government Unit of Tagum with the big help of the cultural workers then formally built of the Cultural Center and already open to serve its purpose in the city. The experiences of the cultural workers varied where they felt mixed emotion with the idea of cultural exhibit, excited in planning the Kagikan Museum; and experienced struggles in the implementation and operation of the Kagikan Museum. On the other hand, the cultural workers shared the ways of preserving and protecting the historical remnants in the Kagikan Museum such as doing periodic inventory and maintenance; following the traditional method of preserving the cultural artifacts; and valuing the importance of the past, present, and future artifacts. Under each category are specific methods of cultural workers.