Philippine Art Pre-Colonial Period

History

Tabon Man

•The oldest human fossil found in the Philippines is the skull cap of a "Stone-Age Filipino", about 22,000 years old.

•Discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox, American anthropologist of the National Museum, inside Tabon Cave Palawan, on May 28, 1962.

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They came during the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) walking dry-shod through Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the land bridges and were the first inhabitants.

The Indonesians•First Sea-Immigrants

•They were the maritime Indonesians, who belonged to the Mongoloid race with Caucasian affinities.

• They belonged to the New Stone Age (Neolithic).

The Malays*They belong to the Iron Age culture.

*Daring and liberty-loving, the Malays belonged to the brown race.

*Prominent contribution: * Ati-atihan festivals * Maragtas chronicle * the Code of Kalantiaw

The Malays•Maragtas chronicle

-The Maragtas Chronicles of Panay is a history of rulers of the island from the time of the Ten Malay Datus (rulers) that settled from Borneo.

•The Code of Kalantiaw - The Code of Kalantiaw was a legendary

legal code in the epic story Maragtas. It is said to have been written in 1433 by Datu Kalantiaw, a chief on the island of Negros.

Music»The ancient Filipinos had music practically for all occasions, for every phase of life, from birth to death.

Bamboo Zither

Gaddang

Kulintang

Architecture

» The ancient Filipinos had first dwelt in caves and has learned the art of architecture as they move and hunt for food.. .

Lean-

To

Tausog house

Torogan

Ifugao house “BALE”

SCULPTURE

» The ancient Filipinos had attained a high artistic level through pottery, jewelry, and wood carving.

PotteryAmong our most ancient arts is pottery, which combines design and function. The Manunggul Jar excavated in Palawan is evidence of the high artistic level which the art attained in an ancient times. This large burial jar has a cover which features tow men rowing a boat, suggesting the belief of the early Filipinos in an afterlife that one reaches after crossing a mythical body of water. Around its body is an incised geometric pattern of lines and dots. Extant examples of early Philippine pottery show a wide variety of shapes and decorative techniques, such an incision, stippling, openwork and impression by rope and mat. Their designs were usually geometric with stylized nature motifs.

Later, pottery became more and more functional, principal examples of which are the palayok for cooking, the banga and the tapayan for storing liquids. In the Ilocos, the making of burnay pottery continues as a lively tradition.

Palayok Banga & Tapayan

Burnay

JewelryJewelry, another ancient art, began as amulets and charms to ward off evil spirits or to give supernatural powers to the wearer. It was only later that is assumed a purely ornamental character.

The T’boli wear some of the most splendid body ornaments in brass chains and bells, strings and nets of multi-colored beads, and fine chains of horsehair forming neckpieces, earrings and rings, bracelets and anklets.

Wood Carvings

• Many parts of the country have lively woodcarving traditions. The Cordillera groups carve anito figures called bulol which double as ancestral spirits and granary gods. They are often found in pairs to signify the value of fertility. Human and animal motifs are also integrated into parts of houses such as door posts, as well as household objects such as bowls, forks and spoons.

In Southern Philippines, the Maranao and the Tausog of Mindanao are known for their okir-a-datu, ornate curvilinear designs and motifs applied to woodcarving. The principal okir designs are the sarimanok, the naga and the pako rabong.

• The sarimanok carved in wood, simply varnished or painted in many colors (it is also executed in brass), is the stylized design of a bird holding a fish in its beak or standing on a base in the shape of fish. While its meaning derives from epics and myths, it also alludes to Lake Lanao with its fertile waters.

• The naga has the form of an elaborate mythical serpent with a vigorous S-curve and numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its scales.

• The pako rabong is a stylized growing fern with a broad base gracefully tapering upwards.

BASKETRY• Other arts that use weaving techniques are basketry, as

well as the making of hats and fans. The Cordilleras are rich in baskets for all purposes, reflecting occupational needs related to rice planting on the mountain terraces, hunting in the forests and fishing in the streams.

Their backpack or pasiking for instance, is not only an example of good design but is also structured to support the human frame. Aside from baskets and containers related to hunting and agricultural activities, there are also many kinds of bamboo fish traps with shapes and sizes to suit the different species of fish found in the rivers.

PAINTINGS» The ancient Filipinos had expressed paintings through tattoos and cave carvings.

TattoosThe pintados (painted ones), inhabitants of the Visayan islands as described by the first Spaniards to set eyes upon them, would use sharp metal instruments previously heated over fire.

Silup•The tattooing imitated the upper garment worn by the men of north Kalinga.• The women of south Kalinga painted their faces a bright red.

Petroglyphs•The Angono Petroglyphs is the oldest known work of art in the Philippines.• There are 127 human and animal figures engraved on the rock wall dating back to 3000 B.C.

WEAVING» Weaving also originated in precolonial times and is one of our most precious living traditions.

The Cordillera groups of the North are well-known for their art of weaving. The blankets and articles of clothing that they produce by means of the backstrap loom not only fulfill a practical function but also play a part in religion and ritual. This tradition spills over into the adjacent Ilocos provinces which take pride in their sturdy abel weave.

In Mindanao, the T’boli of Cotabato weave abaca cloth called t’nalak in a difficult tie-dye process. This cloth has a large repertoire of motifs, such as the g’mayaw bird, whose rhythms create the feeling of flapping wings; the frog which signifies fertility; and the dancing man which calls for rain. These motifs attest to the T’boli’s deep-seated sense of the harmony of man and nature.

Weaving techniques are also used in the exquisite mats with vivid colors and intricate geometric designs woven by the women of Sulu, particularly from the islands of Laminusa and Siasi. In the Visayas, Samar and Leyte are known for their colorful mats with bird and flower designs. The large mats meant for family use imply strong familial values.  

SYSTEM OF WRITING

Filipinos before the arrival of Spaniards had a syllabary which was probably of Sanskrit or Arabic provenance. Syllabary consisted of seventeen symbols. Three were vowels and fourteen were consonants.

They wrote on bark of trees, on leaves, bamboo tubes using their knives and daggers, pointed sticks as their pens and their colored saps as ink.

END

http://filipinoheritage.zxq.net/arts/visual-arts/pre-colonial-period.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_achievements_of_pre-colonial_Philippines

http://www.philippine-history.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Philippines_(900–1521)

References:

Leader: Edward Sibunga

Members: Jarrel Soliman Marc PalarcaAaron Mangaser Raphael SolisMateo Miranda Andrew FuentesEthan Muriel