Historical Development of Philippine Art

• Pre-Colonial Period; Pre-conquest in art historical terms
• Pre-Conquest; art before the coming of the first colonizers
• Indigenous; we refer to art to emphasize the idea of our ancestors that have been making art before colonization
• Pre-Colonial; art as described in cultural terms to use for the general way of life before colnization
• Woven into Fabric; Art of ancient Filipinos prior to colonization
• Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. They imitated the movement of animals and prey, and the sounds that they make.
• Activities of our ancestors:

  1. Rituals
  2. Music
  3. Dance
  4. Theater
  5. Oral Literature
• Examples of Rituals:

  1. Mayvanuvanua in Batanes
  2. Canao or Kanyaw in Cordillera Autonomous Region
  3. Cashawing in Lake Lanao in Mindanao
  4. Tagbanwa in Palawan
• Rituals; considered as the earliest forms of theater that are still alive in various regions today.
• Kanyaw; Officiated by a shaman or mumbaki and it involves animal sacrifices
• Mumbaki; shaman of kanyaw ritual in Cordillera Autonomous
• Kashawing; in Lake Danao in Mindanao, it is an ritual to ensure the abundance during rice planting and harvesting
• Tagbanwa; in Palawan, there is a belief that every 13th moon, 3 goddesses descend from heaven to bless the planting rice.
• Varied and Vibrant Music Culture; Long before the coming of the Spaniards, the pre-colonial people of the Philippines already possessed this culture.
• Ethnic Musical Instruments;

  1. Pipes
  2. Flutes
  3. Drums
  4. Kudyapi
  5. Kulintang
  6. Agong
• Pangalay; from Sulu Archipelago, this culture is a mimetic of the movement of seabirds
• Rituals that Imitates the movements of predatory birds:

  1. The Mandayas'kinabua,
  2. The Banog-banog of the Higaonon and of the B'laan Communities
  3. The Man-manok of the Bagobos of Mindanao
• Talip Dance (Ifugaos); it is used in courtship and is a mimetic of the movements of wild fowls
• Inamog of the Matigslugs and the Kadaliwas dance of the T'bolis; represents the comedic movements of monkeys
• Tinikling; a popular Tagalog folk dance is evocative of the movements of the crane, balancing itself on stilt-like legs or flitting away from the clutches of bamboo traps
• Pre-colonial Filipinos have been making images before colonization. This is exemplified by the country’s rich tradition in carving.
• Bulul of Cordillera; people of Cordillera carve this and is regarded as a granary God that plays an important role in rituals.
• Hagabi of Ifugao; a wooden bench that marks the socioeconomic status of the owner.
• Balangay/Balanghai or Butuan Boat; an edge-pegged plank type of boat.
• Doongon; a hard wood used to create the plank of a Butuan boat
• 1978; year the Butuan boat was discovered
• 320 A.D.; the date which is believed to be the date when the Butuan boat was used by Filipinos
• Balangay/Balanghai or Butuan boat; The early Filipinos used this in trading that sails in small waters as wells as distribute commodities to remote areas. This implies that early Filipinos are competent, creative, and skillful enough to compete with other Asian countries
• Bulol; also called as "Ifugao Rice God"
• Bulol; carved as a human statue which is believed to be incorporated by a certain anito when worshipped. It is usually maid in pairs, and are usually placed in the granary
• Ling-o; a kind of pendant made from jade
• Okir (ukkil in Tausug/Samal/Badjao); Curvilinear decorations used in woodcarving in the Southern Philippines.
• Manunggul Jar; Discovered at Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan, dated to the late Neolithic period. It is a secondary burial vessel where buried and exhumed bones are placed.
• Textile weaving in the Philippines; A long-standing tradition among ethnolinguistic groups, imparting knowledge about people's belief systems.
• Backstrap loom and pedal loom; Used to weave designs holding special cultural meanings.
• Pis siyabit and langkit; Examples of woven textiles: headpiece woven by the Tausug of Sulu and tapestry panels woven by the Maranao of Lanao del Sur, respectively.
• Colorful doubled-layered tepo mat; A mundane object with high artistic value made by the Samal of Tawi-Tawi from pandan leaves.
• Weaving techniques for fish traps; In the Ilocos region, sturdy bamboo strips are woven to create fish traps called bubo.
• Boxer Codex; An illustrated manuscript from the 16th century featuring representations of various ethnolinguistic groups.
• Lotoans or betel nut boxes; Metalwork jewelry made of brass or bronze, chiefly produced by the Maranao of Lanao del Sur, featuring intricate textured designs of rhombuses, spirals, circles, and tendrils.