Author: Keith Reburiano

ARROCEROS FOREST PARK ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The Arroceros Forest Park Site, given its proximity to the Pasig River, is believed to have served as a loading and unloading area for various commodities transported along the river with minimal trading activities taking place. It could have been used intermittently as a talipapa (makeshift market) until a permanent parian (marketplace) would have been moved elsewhere in the vicinity.

The term “arroceros” (literally “rice farmers”) originates from the early Spanish Period. Its root word “arroz” means rice suggesting that it was a place where rice was delivered via riverine routes, and eventually sold to consumers and retailers. The Arroceros Forest Park Site is the former location of Parian de Arroceros (1595–1639; 1645–1792), Fabrica de Cigarillos (2nd half of the 19th century to early 20th century), and compound of the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports or DECS (postwar to 1993), to name a few.

Thousands of archaeological materials systematically recovered at the site include ceramics (Chinese and European porcelain sherds, earthenware and stoneware sherds, Manila ware sherds, tiles), adobe and clay bricks, glass beads, bottle shards, metal fragments, various buttons, iron nails, metal crucifix, Spanish and Chinese coins, bone needle, and animal bones and teeth. Judging from the quantity and nature of archaeological materials recovered during the investigation, the heaviest occupation period appears to be the 19th century. All these items add up to the richness of our museums and serve as our tangible links not only to our ancestors but also to nature as it once was.

Article by Giovanni G. Bautista and poster by Randy M. Episcope | NMP Archaeology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Preserving Our Heritage Towards the Future of our Museums

As we continue to celebrate Museums and Galleries Month, the #NationalMuseumPH through its Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division (MUCHD) gives you a glimpse of the most recent fieldwork activities in Butuan City. 

Amongst the most notable example of wooden craft remains recovered in the Philippines are the Butuan Boats, dated between the 8th and 10th centuries CE (Common Era). These ancient boats were found beneath the mudflats of an old river system in Butuan City in the 1970s. They served as the oldest material evidence of the early watercraft in the Philippines featuring the ingenuity of early Filipinos. Lately, the importance and the widespread occurrence of this watercraft in the country were investigated.

Mr. Nero M. Austero, Senior Museum Researcher of MUCHD, in collaboration with Dr. Ligaya SP. Lacsina of the Archaeological Studies Program in UP-Diliman (UP-ASP), and Dr. Abhirada Komoot of the Thammasat University in Thailand, conducted a preliminary ocular assessment from October 07–10, 2022. They documented and assessed the current condition of the old excavation sites as well as the Butuan boat collections at the NMP-Eastern Northern Mindanao Regional Museum in Butuan in preparation for a possible regional collaborative project.  During the 4-day activity, the riverine and nearby coastal communities in Butuan were also visited to collect data on the current as well as the traditional boat-building practices. The team also conducted an ocular survey on the availability of the sugar palm, Arenga pennata. Sugar palm or Hijok plant, locally termed as kaong, is archaeologically referred to as the source of Cabo negro or the black fiber used as ropes in building the Butuan boats and other similar Southeast Asian lashed-lug boats. 

The preliminary assessment was successful in confirming the presence of kaong in the area, and gathering information on boat-building technology in Butuan. This information will deepen our historical, archaeological, and ethnographical knowledge of the variety, innovations, and lost practices of ancient boat-building technology. With further research, we can conserve and protect our heritage towards a better future for our museums. 

#MGM2022

#MaritimeMonday

#FutureOfMuseums

#MaritimeHeritage

#ButuanBoats

Article and poster by the NMP Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

References 

Lacsina LSP. (2020). The Butuan Boats: Southeast Asian Boat Construction in the Philippines at the End of the First Millennium. The Journal of History. LXVI: 1-35.

(2019).  The same-same boatbuilding tradition? Looking at the different examples of lashed-lug boats from the Southeast Asia. In Past, Present and Future of ASEAN Maritime Heritage. 38-53. 

(2016a). Examining pre-colonial Southeast Asian boatbuilding: An archaeological study of the Butuan Boats and the use of edge-joined planking in local and regional construction techniques. Dissertation, Flinders University, South Australia. Pp.272. 

(2016b). Boats of the Precolonial Philippines: Butuan Boats. In Selin H. (Eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. 948-954. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7747-7_10279. 

(2015). The Butuan Boats of the Philippines: Southeast Asian edge-joined and lashed-lug watercraft. Bulletin of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. 39: 126-132. 

Baybayin: Ancient and Traditional Scripts of the Philippines Gallery

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

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Birth Anniversaries of Nena Saguil and Impy Pilapil

Birth Anniversaries of Nena Saguil and Impy Pilapil

The National Museum of the Philippines celebrates the birthdays of two women artists: modernist painter Nena Saguil and sculptor Impy Pilapil #OnThisDay.

Nena Saguil (1914-1994) was one of the country’s early modernists and abstraction pioneers. Her works reflect her penchant for mysticism and geometric shapes symbolizing the universe at the macro and micro levels. Born Simplicia Laconico Saguil in Santa Cruz, Manila, her art training started when she enrolled at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts where she graduated with an Award of Excellence in 1949.

In 1954, she was granted the Walter Damrosch Scholarship, which enabled her to study abstract and modern art at the Institute of Spanish Culture in Spain. She also studied at the School of American Arts in Paris where she had her solo exhibition at the Galerie Raymond Creuze. This was followed by many more shows across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In 2006, Saguil was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit.

Imelda “Impy” Pilapil (b. 1949) is a painter, printmaker, and sculptor who features abstract works reflecting her exploration of personal and spiritual growth. Hailing from Cavite, she first enrolled at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts in the 1960s and then continued her studies at Accademia Italiana in Rome, Italy after receiving a grant from the Italian Government.

She proceeded to study lithography at Pratt Graphics Center in New York in 1977. She later joined the Arts Association of the Philippines and was also an active member of the World Print Council, U.S.A., International Sculpture Center, and EARTHWATCH Save the Trees Movement and conducts art workshops for underprivileged children. Pilapil’s ongoing exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Gallery XVII, entitled CIRCA features her sculptural works from 1994 to 2017.

Nena Saguil and Impy Pilapil are represented in the National Fine Arts Collection of the National Museum of the Philippines through seven paintings by Saguil and four works by Pilapil. The works of Saguil show her transition from figurative painting after the war to high abstraction in the 1960s. One of her abstract works, “Untitled (Abstract),” is an oil on canvas painting created in 1972 and part of the exhibitions at the National Museum of Fine Arts on the third floor of Southwest Wing Hallway Gallery.

On the other hand, the works of Impy Pilapil in the collection includes two serigraph prints and two mixed media sculpture representing her journey from printmaking to sculpture. Her two chandelier sculptures, “Fiesta I” and “Fiesta II,” were created in 2008, and can be viewed at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Sandiganbayan Reception Hall Gallery on the ground floor.

The National Museum of Fine Arts is now open for walk-in visitors! For visitor guidelines, please visit www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph. You may also view the 360 degrees virtual tour of selected NMFA galleries on the link https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html. See you at the National Museum!

#Nena Saguil
#ImpyPilapil
#OnThisDay

Text by NMP-FAD. Images by Bengy Toda and NMP-FAD
© National Museum of the Philippines (2022)

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BE ALERT FOR LANDSLIDES!

BE ALERT FOR LANDSLIDES!

Today we are featuring one of the most intense geologic hazards in the country – the landslide.

A landslide is a mass wasting that occurs when a mass of rock, mud, or debris slides down a slope due to gravity. It is triggered either by intense rainfall, weathering of rocks, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. They can also be shallow or deep-seated. Shallow landslides are anchored in the soil layer and are usually composed of quick-moving debris flowing along valleys. Deep-seated landslides, on the other hand, are rooted in bedrock. They are frequently slow-moving and can cover large areas, destroying infrastructure and housing buildings. The term “landslide” refers to five types of slope movement: falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows, which are further classified based on the geologic material. 

In February 2006, a landslide incident occurred in the village of Guinsaugon in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte. At least 1,000 people were buried alive under hundreds of tons of rocks, mud, and debris. Although triggered by a minor earthquake of magnitude 2.6, the heavy rainfall intensified its impact. Infrastructure and agricultural damage also amounted to millions of pesos.

The Philippines is vulnerable to natural disasters due to its geographical location, and growing the nation’s capacity to withstand them is a necessity that requires consistent effort. Let’s call for improved resiliency measures to enable more accurate risk assessment and better planning to lessen the impact of disasters!

July is National Disaster Consciousness Month. Your #NationalMuseumPH is one with the nation in this celebration towards a more prepared and disaster-resilient country.         

Text by Geology and Paleontology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

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SAGAYAN FESTIVAL

SAGAYAN FESTIVAL

For our #MuseumFromHome series, the #NationalMuseumPH features the Sagayan Festival celebrated by the peoples of Maguindanao and Maranao in the Lanao del Norte. This festival highlights the sagayan, a war dance depicting the adventures of Datu Bantugan in the Darangen epic.

The hero of the Darangen, Datu Bantugan, from the kingdom of Bumbaran, embarks on a quest to search for his younger sister Arcata Lawanen, who was abducted by Ayonan Dimasangkay of the kingdom of Sagorongan-a-Ragat. Sagayan, the war dance, ensues during the battle to rescue his sister from captivity. Despite the clash, the rift ultimately ends in the pacification and peace between the two kingdoms. Because of this, the people of Lanao del Norte consider this act beyond just being a war dance; it is a symbol for protecting communities, reconciliation, and promoting peace among folks. 

Prior to the first Sagayan Festival in 2010, the dance was usually performed during special celebrations among the Maguindanao and Maranao. Traditionally, the dancers of the sagayan wear a long-sleeved top, tiered bottoms, and a headpiece in bright colors, like golden yellow, orange, and red interspersed with earthy tones such as dark green and brown, and adorned with brass bells. They hold a kampilan, a single-edged sword used by Muslim groups in southern Philippines, and a klung (shield) as they dance to the rhythmic beats of the tagunggo or gong ensemble. The pulsing cadence of the music accompanying the dance is captured in the dance steps consisting of fast stomping, jumping, rolling, kicking, and a sweeping of the arms punctuated by an elegant curving movement of the hands. 

Today, the youth is involved in the showcase of the sagayan during festivals to represent their respective schools and compete with each other for the best performance. The yearly celebration has also effected several changes in the staging of the dance as performances are enriched by the use of other colorful props and backdrops of the environment in Lanao del Norte.   

The rich cultural meanings and heritage embodied in the sagayan, through the dance, music, traditional clothing, bladed weapon, and epic literature, has led to its official adoption by the Province of Lanao del Norte as their cultural dance through a Sangguniang Bayan resolution in 1994.  

Learn more about the rich material culture of the Maranao and Maguindanao in the Faith, Tradition, and Place: Bangsamoro Art in the National Ethnographic Collection, a permanent exhibition at the 3F of the National Museum of Anthropology in Manila. 

Text by the NMP Ethnology Division

Photos courtesy of the Province of Lanao del Norte

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

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