Baybayin: Ancient and Traditional Scripts of the Philippines Gallery

Posted on:  |  Keith Reburiano

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates Museum and Galleries Month (MGM) by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 798, s. 1991. For this week, we are featuring one of the most visited exhibitions in the National Museum of Anthropology (NMA)—the Baybayin: Ancient and Traditional Scripts of the Philippines Gallery.

Baybayin Gallery Entrance, located at the 4F, National Museum of Anthropology Building
The archaeological section of the Baybayin Gallery

The Baybayin Gallery, completed in 2014, aims to feature and promote awareness of the writing systems used by ancient Filipinos manifested through archaeological evidence and archival materials, such as written documents and published books during the Spanish period. The gallery also highlights the continuing tradition of writing syllabic scripts among the extant indigenous communities in Mindoro and Palawan. 

READ more on the Intramuros Pot Sherd at https://tinyurl.com/IntramurosPotSherd
READ more on the Laguna Copperplate Inscription at https://tinyurl.com/LagunaCopperplateInscription
READ more on the Calatagan Ritual Pot at https://tinyurl.com/CalataganRitualPot
READ more on the Monreal Stones at https://tinyurl.com/MonrealStones
READ more on the Butuan Ivory Seal at https://tinyurl.com/ButuanIvorySeal
READ more on the Butuan Paleograph at https://tinyurl.com/ButuanMetalPaleograph

Notable artifacts displayed in the Baybayin Gallery include the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, Calatagan Ritual Pot, and Butuan Metal Paleograph – all declared National Cultural Treasures or NCTs. Other archaeological evidence featured is the Butuan Ivory Seal, as well as the Intramuros Pot Sherd, and the Monreal Stones. The gallery also features facsimiles of archival materials, such as the Doctrina Christiana, Mi último adiós, and Estudio de los Antiguos Alfabetos Filipinos, to name a few. 

READ more on the ethnographic materials featuring the traditional syllabic scripts at https://tinyurl.com/TraditionalSyllabicScripts
READ more on the ethnographic materials featuring the traditional syllabic scripts at https://tinyurl.com/TraditionalSyllabicScripts

The continuing tradition of script writing among the Hanunoo and Buhid of Mindoro and Tagbanua and Pala’wan of Palawan can be found in the gallery’s ethnographic section. A section features the revival of Baybayin script interest among the present generations of Filipinos, particularly the youth, in the Philippines and abroad. A dedicated activity area where visitors can learn and practice writing in Baybayin was also part of the gallery before the pandemic.

CLICK on the links to learn more about the previously featured artifacts exhibited at the Baybayin Gallery!

#MGM2022
#BaybayinGallery
#MuseumFromHome

Article and posters by Gerard John Palaya | NMP Archaeology Division

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