“Tambayan at Kwentuhan,” features the stories, photos and belongings of Filipino elders in Juneau. The name means “a place to hang out and share stories” in Tagalog.
The exhibit is on display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center until May 30. It was produced by Mana Alaska, a nonprofit dedicated to archiving Filipino American history in the state.
The exhibit opened on Friday with many of the locals featured in it and their loved ones in attendance.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Vicky Villanueva: “I’m Vicky Lorenzo Villanueva and I am retired registered nurse at Bartlett Regional Hospital.”
Dom “Danny” Villanueva: I am Dom Villanueva, and I’m retired in the Coast Guard and also the Postal Service. When I was stationed aboard ship, we played lots of music, guitar, harmonica.
Vicky: It’s really an honor, you know, and we’re so blessed, because among all the Filipino people here in Juneau, we were one of those who were interviewed. We are on the wall. We can’t believe it. We’re so happy to be a part of this.
Delma Siangco: My name is Delma Siangco, and I (have) been here in Juneau since 1996 and I’m married to Judge Rick Siangco.
He was actually interviewed sometime in 2023 and they started this project in 2023 he was still alive then, but same year he passed on. With so many elders we have who already have passed on, and at least he was still around to say his story. And I wish they could interview more to hear other family’s stories as well.
I am glad that Mana had this idea so that for the younger generation that they still, you know, somehow be able to see pictures, read stories, hear stories of their parents, grandparents. And especially at this time, when we have all these Gen Zs, they have different interests now. At least, there is still that culture, that way of life, that they can relate to when, you know, by just watching this exhibit.”
Virginia Kelly: I’m Virginia Kelly, and I’m retired. I work(ed) for the state for 35 years. And my mom was one of the elders.
She passed away two years ago… that was good that they interviewed her. There’s a lot of things that I didn’t know that she was telling them, you know, like, during the war and stuff like that, so I was not aware of everything that’s happened.”
My kids are born here, so they don’t know my upbringing. The resilience of a lot of Filipinos and my mom’s legacy, that’s kind of nice for them to know about that.
We would like a lot of people, especially here in Juneau, to know about Filipinos, because there’s a lot. It’s not about adobo or lumpia, you know, there’s a lot about Filipinos. We work hard and we want to, kind of like, share our culture, not only the food… That’s why I like to volunteer. I want to be part of it.
Pearl-Grace Pantaleone: My name is Pearl-Grace Pantaleone. and I am the community engagement director at Mana.
I hope that people are inspired to, to talk with other people and listen, and also not be afraid to share their own stories. As we’re talking with these elders. There’s a lot of them that were very timid, like, ‘Oh, my story doesn’t matter. Why are you talking to little old me?’ But as we dug deeper, and we saw the struggles, the trials and tribulations they’ve been through, and how they’ve just built their foundation off of love and connection and strength, I hope that empowers people to feel that in themselves and share their story and know that they matter.
Additional interviews and stories of elders not featured in the exhibit are on Mana’s website. You can also learn more about Filipino history in Juneau by listening to KTOO’s podcast, Mga Kuwento.
