PRE CONQUEST

• Pre-conquest


  In art historical terms, "pre-conquest"; In stylistic terms, "indigenous"; In cultural terms, "pre-colonial"
• Art before colonization are everyday expressions and were all integrated within rituals
• Mayvanuvanua (Batanes)


  Ritual that opens the fishing season of dibang (flying fish)
• Cañao or Kanyaw (Cordillera Administrative Region)


  Officiated by a shaman or mumbaki, involves animal sacrifice where the entrails are read through a process of divination
• Kashawing (Lake Lanao of Mindanao)

  Ritual to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting
• Tagbanwa (Palawan)


  Shamans go into a trance amidst ritual chanting and dancing and are believed to be taken over by the goddesses themselves
• Ethnic Musical Instruments


  • Kudyapi - a three-stringed guitar
  • Kulintang - an array of bossed gongs
  • Gansa - flat gong
  • Agong - a large bossed gong
• Native dance forms


  • Pangalay (Sulu) - mimetic dance of seabirds
  • Kinabua of Mandaya - performs swooping movements imitating the movements of an eagle
  • Banog-banog of the Higaonon and B'laan - courtship dance that portrays the flight of the birds
  • Man manok (Bago Tribe) - dance that dramatizes three roosters competing to get the attention of a hen, Lady Lien
  • Talip (Ifugaos) - courtship dance mimetic of the movements of wild fowls
  • Inamong of Matigsalugs and Kadaliwas (T'boli) - represent the comedic movements of a monkey
  • Tinikling (Tagalog) - evocative of the movements of the crane balancing itself on stilt-like legs or flitting away from bamboo traps
• Carving


  • Bulul (Cordillera) - granary god that plays an important role in rituals, anthropomorphic bulul appears in containers, bowls, and spoons
  • 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 is the stylized design of a bird holding a fish in its beak and/or standing on a base in the shape of a fish
• Naga has the form of an elaborate mythical serpent or dragon with a vigorous S-curve and numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its scales
• Pako rabong is a 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
• The Manunggul Jar, excavated in Manunggul Cave Lipunan Point Palawan, is dated to the late Neolithic Period (890-710). It 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
• In later years, pottery became more associated with objects for daily use, such as the palayok (clay pot) for cooking, and the banga and tapayan (clay pot) for storing liquids. In Vigan Ilocos, the making of burnay pottery continues as a lively tradition
• According to Respicio, "textile weaving has a long history, Philippine ethnolinguistic groups have a rich textile weaving tradition"
• Textiles are not only functional, they also impart knowledge about people's belief systems: the reverence for spirits
• Objects for daily use in the Philippines

  • palayok (clay pot) for cooking
  • banga (clay pot) for storing liquids
  • burnay pottery in Vigan, Ilocos
• Textile weaving has a long history in the Philippines with rich traditions among ethnolinguistic groups
• Textiles not only serve functional purposes but also convey knowledge about belief systems, beauty criteria, and sociopolitical structures
• Woven Textiles


  • Pis syabit - a headpiece woven by Tausug of Sulu
  • Malong - tapestry panels called langkit woven by the Maranao of Lanao Del Sur
• Functional items before Colonization

  • Tattoos shared by Visayas and other ethnolinguistic groups
  • Jewelry worn by T'boli
  • Lotoans - betel nut boxes
  • Functional Containers with textured designs
  • Brass Kendi and Gadur used in ceremonies
• Islam was culturally dominant in Southern Philippines from the 13th century
• Significant grounding of Islam in Sulu as early as the 13th century
• Sayyid Abubakar of Arabia married Princess Piramisuli, daughter of Rajah Baguinda, establishing the Sultanate of Sulu
• Areas influenced by Islam

  • Tausug
  • Maranao
  • Maguindanao
  • Yakan
  • Samal
  • Badjao
  • Some areas in Palawan
• Islamic art is influenced by the notion of Tawhid or Unity with God, emphasizing the impermanence of nature and the greatness of the divine Being
• Influence of Islam on art

  1. Elaborate patterning in mosques

  2. Use of abstract forms and patterns

  3. Orientation of parts of the Mosque towards the west

  4. Symbolism in architectural elements like the bulbous dome and octagonal base

  5. Inclusion of the Ka'bah shrine and water supply for ablution

  6. Presence of gardens within Mosque compounds

  7. Islamic forms inclined to project, grow, or have an upward orientation
• Islamic architectural elements


  • Panolong - elaborately carved protusion
  • Luhul - canopy inspired by the tree of life
  • Burraq - a horse with the head of a woman