Wild Song by Candy Gourlay

a heartbreaking perspective of a 16 year old participant of the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis. Book review # 25

Jan 17, 2024

Wild Song is about 16-year old Luki’s journey to the 1904 St. Louis’ World Fair in Missouri and back home. Home is a remote mountain village in Bontoc, Philippines - famous for its sprawling rice terraces. Luki has always lived in her remote village but doesn't always fit in. She wears breechcloth instead of a skirt and blouse. She plays with a spear and darts into the forest instead of partaking in the pounding of the rice - a chore traditionally assigned to the tribe's women. Because of this, she is ostracized from the women of her village. But Luki is a great hunter and longs to be a warrior even though women from her village are forbidden to hunt. The only person who knows her secret is Samkad - her childhood sweetheart. Samkad is the only one who encourages her and even brings her to his hunting trips.

One day, an invitation comes from President Roosevelt - to become part of the World’s Fair in St Louis Missouri. But the ancients forbid it. Who would tend the rice fields carved by their ancestors years ago? How could they leave behind the invisible world of the spirits tethered to their land? Truman Hunt, the American who declared the invite and their would be manager, had no choice but to walk away.

On that same day the invitation came, Luki was caught hunting and as punishment, the ancients orders her and Samkad to marry. Although she loves Samkad, she doesn’t want to be a wife or have babies. She eagerly runs to Mr. William Hunt and signs up for the fair. This will be her chance to be free and see the world, Luki thought.

The group encountered several challenges on the way to America. First there was the weather which was all too different from the Philippines. Many became sick and eventually died. There were also angry spirits who were displeased when the group used their old clothes.

At first, Luki was enamored by America. There was so many things to see and many wonders to behold. Luki could suddenly see her life full of possibilities, other than being a mother and wife. But then, she keeps hearing Americans calling her and her tribe as savages, dogeaters, and headhunters. She wasn't sure what they meant by that. They were just living their life. Soon her tribe were made to perform special rituals as entertainment every single day. What was meant for special occasions was soon bastardized. Eventually, Luki realizes that the Americans don’t see them as human beings but rather as exhibits, only there for their entertainment. They were there to make the Americans feel good about themselves - that they live a far more superior way of life and thank God they were not from the Philippines. Luki becomes slowly disillusioned of America. Now, she must choose between the two Americas she came to know - the one that offered lots of choices and possibilities or the one that looked down on them just because they live a different life from theirs.

As I expected, Luki and her tribe were exploited by Truman Hunt. At first, Luki looked up at Truman Hunt and disregards his insistence in doing the special rituals everyday. She is grateful for Truman Hunt to bring her to America after all. But the moment Luki sees Truman Hunt for what he is is my favorite part in the book. I couldn't help but root for Luki. Truman Hunt by the way is based on an actual person who really did exploit the Igorots, a tribe in the Philippines, when they went to the World Fair. One thing I'd like to say though, is that the Igorots knew what Truman Hunt was doing, both in real life and in the fictionalized plot in this book. But they allowed it for the promise of money and what it will bring.

As a context, this time period happened after the Philippine-American war ended in 1902. Americans became fascinated by the natives in their newly conquered territories. This resulted to the creation of anthropological exhibits depicting "primitive" life in these territories. Eventually, anthropologists embraced an evolutionary viewpoint that was based on white supremacy. That they were a more “civilized” group. One of these displays was the Philippine exhibit in the 1904 World’s Fair in St Louis Missouri, the biggest among all exhibits. As a result, these exhibits sparked negative stereotypes against Filipinos.

The book features the tribe's relationship with nature and of the dead. I enjoyed reading about their rituals on how thank nature for its gracious bounty, how to guide the dead to the invisible world, how to appease an angry spirit, and more. In the context of the book, Wild Song means the songs the sea, forest, and mountains sing when Luki calls out to them. Or it could mean Luki herself is the Wild Song.

This was a slow read for me and I parked this book for a while because it was the holidays and I was not in a reading mood. Nevertheless, I think this is an important read. It warns us the dangers of labeling without understanding. We could all learn a thing or two from this book.

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