History of Philippine Art

• Stylistic Terms art is also known as "indigenous" while in cultural terms it is "pre-colonial"
• Art before colonization consisted of everyday expressions integrated within rituals
• Earliest forms of theater and rituals in the Philippines include:

  • Mayvanuvanua in Batanes, a ritual that opens the fishing season of dibang (flying fish)
  • Cañao or Kanyaw in the Cordillera Administrative Region, officiated by a shaman or mumbaki involving animal sacrifice and divination
  • Kashawing in Lake Lanao of Mindanao, a ritual to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting
  • Tagbanwa in Palawan, where shamans go into a trance amidst ritual chanting and dancing, believed to be taken over by goddesses
• Ethnic Musical Instruments:

  • Kudyapi, a three-stringed guitar
  • Kulintang, an array of bossed gongs
  • Gansa, a flat gong
  • Agong, a large bossed gong
• • Tinikling of Tagalog, evocative of crane movements balancing on stilt-like legs or escaping bamboo traps
• Native dance forms in the Philippines include:

  • Pangalay in Sulu, a mimetic dance of seabirds
  • Kinabua of Mandaya, performing swooping movements imitating eagles
  • Banog-banog of the Higaonon and B'laan, a courtship dance portraying the flight of birds
  • Man manok of the Bago Tribe, a dance dramatizing roosters competing for the attention of a hen (lady lien)
  • Talip of Ifugaos, a courtship dance mimetic of wild fowls
  • Inamong of Matigsalugs and Kadalilwas (T'boli), representing comedic movements of monkeys
• Carving in Philippine art includes:

  • Bulul in Cordillera, a granary god that plays an important role in rituals, with an anthropomorphic bulul appearing in containers, bowls, and spoons
  • Hagabi in Ifugao, a wooden bench marking socio-economic status
• Hagabi (Ifugao):

  • Wooden bench that marks the socio-economic status of the owner
• Christianized communities in Paete Laguna and Betis Pampanga are known for carving santos
• In the Southern Philippines, curvilinear decorations called the okir are employed in woodcarving
• Sarimanok:

  • Stylized design of a bird holding a fish in its beak and/or standing on a base in the shape of a fish
• Naga:

  • Form of an elaborate mythical serpent or dragon with a vigorous S-curve and numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its scales
• Pako rabong:

  • Stylized growing fern with a broad base gracefully tapering upwards
• The sarimanok and naga are found in the panolong, the extended floor beam, and the interior beams and posts of the large sultan’s house called torogan
• Manunggul Jar:

  • Excavated in Manunggul Cave Lipunan Point Palawan
  • Dated to the late Neolithic Period (890 -710)
  • Has two anthropomorphic or human forms atop the lid
• During the Metal Age (5 BC-225 AD), another type of anthropomorphic jars was produced with the human figure more pronounced, with the lid as the head and the base as the body
• Pottery in later years became associated with daily use objects like the palayok (clay pot) for cooking, and the banga and tapayan (clay pot) for storing liquids
• Textile weaving has a long history, with Philippine ethnolinguistic groups having a rich tradition
• Textiles are not only functional but also impart knowledge about people's belief systems and the society's sociopolitical structure
• Woven Textiles:

  • Pissyabit:
  • A headpiece woven by Tausug of Sulu
  • Malong:
  • Exquisite tapestry panels called langkit woven by the Maranao of Lanao Del Sur
• Weaving:

  • Tepo Mat:
  • A colorful double-layered mat of Sama of Tawi-Tawi made of pandan leaves
  • Ovaloid Baskets:
  • Made of nito and bamboo, used as a head sling to carry harvest
  • Bubo:
  • Fish traps made of sturdy bamboo strips in the Ilocos region
• Tattoos:

  • Visayas “Islas de los Pintados”
  • Shared by Southeast Asia and New Zealand and other ethnolinguistic groups
• Ethnolinguistic groups that practice tattooing are Kalinga, Kankanay, Ibaloy, and Ifugao
• The T'boli are known for wearing brass chains, bells, and colorful beads
• Betel nut boxes of various shapes were used
• Functional containers had textured designs of rhombuses, spirals, circles, and tendrils on their exteriors
• Brass Kendi and Gadur were used in ceremonies and cherished as status symbols or heirloom pieces
• Islam was culturally dominant in Southern Philippines since the 13th century
• Islam gained significant grounding in Sulu as early as the 13th century
• The interior of mosques is covered with elaborate patterning in the form of reliefs
• Abstract forms and patterns are common in Islamic art
• Parts of the Mosque like the mihrab or niche and the Qibla wall are oriented towards the west
• Bulbous Dome expresses all levels of cosmic existence, with the octagonal base symbolizing the spirit and the four-sided main base referring to the earth or material world
• The courtyard or Ka'bah, a black shrine, is believed to be built by Prophet Muhammad himself
• The area of water supply in mosques serves as the function of ablution or cleansing
• Gardens within the Mosque compound or outside homes are common in Islamic architecture
• Islamic forms are inclined to project, grow, or have an upward orientation
• Panolong is an elaborately carved protusion akin to a wing attached to the torogan
• Luhul or canopy takes inspiration from the tree of life
• Burraq, a horse with the head of a woman, is also an important figure