Pre Colonial PH Art

PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINE ART (before 1521)

The pre-colonial era or also known as Pre-Spanish era is the period of Philippine Art
before the coming of Spaniards. Yung evidences ng ancient tools and artifacts ay
matatagpuan sa islands in the Philippines like Batangas, Cagayan, Central Luzon,
Davao, and Palawan. Items discovered were described to be the crudest from the
stone tools (flake tools). I’m going to discuss to you the other artifacts that were
discovered. The first one is;
Receptacles
 Receptacles were made from fibers and tree barks constructed into mats or
they can also be made of leaves, wood, and bamboo.
 These were containers fashioned by Early Filipinos to enclose and protect the
bodies of their dead relatives.
Ex. Early Filipinos kasi they believe in life after death that’s why they make these
receptacles that also has a function as repositories of food and other possessions
which will accompany the dead on their journey to the other world. And you know
before kasi wala pang kabaong like these days

Angono Petroglyphs
 Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs is a rock art on the wall of a rockshelter in
Rizal.
 discovered in 1965 by the late renowned muralist and National Artist, Carlos
"Botong" Francisco.
 Rock art is closely linked with a system of belief of a group of people which is
considered symbolic and not decorative.
So yung art dun sa rock they consider it as symbolism or it has either story
behind it or a deep meaning and its not just a decorative art

 Rare rock art in the Philippines were reported in places such as Penablanca
Caves in Cagayan Valley; rock ledges in Alab, Bontoc, Mt. Province; and
caves in Singnapan Basin in Ransang, Palawan.
Ex. A National Cultural Treasure and declared as the oldest known work of art in the
Philippines is thins angono-petroglyphs. One hundred twenty-seven human figures
spread on the wall were rendered by engraving lines using a piece of stone on the
surface of the rock shelter. The cuts vary from ten centimeters to faint lines figures.
The figures consist of circular heads, with or without necks set on a rectangular or
v-shaped body. The linear arms and legs are usually bent. Some incisions on the
rock wall are circles, rectangles, and triangles. The site is at the border of Angono
and Binangonan in the province of Rizal.
Textile weaving
 Prehistoric textile that has been excavated are believed to have been created by
using flat stone tools to pound and flatten tree barks for use as materials.
 Filipino people utilized fibers made from natural materials, such as abaca (Manila
hemp), maguey, pineapple, cotton and tree bark, to weave textiles, clothes, rugs,
hats and baskets, along with quilts and bedding.
These are the different textile forms in the Philippines…..

 brocaded weave (pinilian) of the Ilocano, wavy designs of the Bontoc, geometric
designs of the Kalinga, the piña of the Aklanon, hablon of the Kiniray-a and
Hiligaynon, seputangan of the Yakan, mabal tabih of the Blaan, bagobo inabal of
the Bagobo Manobo, dagmay of the Mandaya, the mëranaw of the Maranao, pis
syabit of the Tausug, and the t'nalak of the T'boli.
Ex. Weaving is an ancient art form that remain in the Philippines today, with each ethnic
group having their distinctive weaving techniques. So up until now meron pa rin tayong
weaving sa ating bansa lalo na yung mga katutubo natin and yea it is said that they’re
still using same techniques in weaving. The oldest surviving textile in the entire
Southeast Asian region was found in the Philippine Island of Banton in Romblon
province. The cloth, known as the Banton cloth, has designs with folkloric motifs, and
was used as a death wrap.
Jewelry
 Gold was abundant then in areas now known as Butuan, Eastern Visayas,
Mindoro, and Surigao.
 all social classes wore gold
Ex. Preceding the Spanish colonization, the native Filipino of all genders, all social
classes wore gold from gold necklaces, earrings, bracelets, armlets, even to their
grave. Their love for gold to making a threaded belt and hilts of swords and daggers
made of gold. This was the life of our ancestors before that almost all things dapat
gold. Gold was abundant then in areas now known as Butuan, Eastern Visayas,
Mindoro, and Surigao. The people created belts, necklaces, masks, rings, leg
ornaments, even ceremonial weapons, and wore these gold objects in rituals and
celebration and to establish their rank in society. Gold before or in pre-Spanish era also
symbolizes power and markers of elite status.
Gold Death Mask

 The burial practice of covering the eyes, nose, and mouth of the dead with
sheets of gold is a custom practiced by a limited group of Filipinos.
 The gold nose-disc and gold eye-mask dated from the late 14th to the early 15th
century A.D. were found in a grave site in San Antonio, Oton, Iloilo.
Ex. The burial practice of covering the eyes, nose, and mouth of the dead with sheets of
gold is a custom practiced by a limited group of Filipinos. Pinaniniwalaan kasi nila
before na kapag daw yung body ng patay ay tinakpan ng gold mask, hindi na raw
lalapitan or papasukan ng masasamang Espiritu. The face of the corpse was covered
with skillfully labored sheets of gold. The gold nose-disc and gold eye-mask dated from
the late 14th to the early 15th century A.D. were found in a grave site in San Antonio,
Oton, Iloilo. Aside from the museum collection, another pre-Hispanic gold burial mask
was also recovered in Masao, Butuan, Agusan del Norte where gold was abundant in
prehistoric times. The elaborateness depends on their social status. This suggests how
rich the Philippines back then. Wearing gold was part of their daily clothes. This was
proven through the Boxer Codex manuscript in gold leaf.
Shell Bracelets and Pendants
 The oldest identified ornaments made from cone shells were found in the early
1960’s in the tomb of an adult male in Duyong Cave in Palawan.
 The shell ornaments were dated 4854 B.C. and are characteristic of the Late
Neolithic Age.
In the early days, shells were transformed into tools, as well as ornaments. The oldest
identified ornaments made from cone shells were found in the early 1960’s in the tomb
of an adult male in Duyong Cave in Palawan. A shell disk with a cavity in the center was
found next to his right ear and a disk with a hole by the edge was found on his chest.
The shell ornaments were dated 4854 B.C. and are characteristic of the Late Neolithic
Age. Other personal ornaments such as anklets, beads, bracelets, and earrings
recovered from tomb sites were unearthed together with dippers, spoons, and other
tools transformed from shells. Shell beads retrieved from other sites were made from
cowry, whelk, and conch shells. Shell beads were also recovered from Arku Cave in
Cagayan, Ngipe’t Duldug Cave in Palawan and in Bato Caves, in Sorsogon; a shell
bracelet was also found in Bato Caves.

Pre Colonial PH Art

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PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINE ART (before 1521)

These are the different textile forms in the Philippines…..

Gold Death Mask

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