In celebration of the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month or #MANAMo this month, today’s #TrowelTuesday features the 9^th to 10^th century archaeological evidence of maritime relations between the Philippines and the Islands of Southeast Asia.

The 2nd millennium Common Era (CE) was characterized by intensified maritime exchange, development of political alliances, and cultural diffusion in Island Southeast Asia, as distinctly shown in archaeological discoveries in the region, including the Philippines. The maritime movement of people left footprints through material evidence, suggesting trade and contact with neighboring countries. 

The Srivijayan Hindu-Buddhist traders from Sumatra may have actively traded with the Philippines in the 8th–11th century CE. 

Changsha wares are grayish green-tinged underglaze stoneware vessels/dishes produced at the Changsha kilns of Hunan Province in southern China during the Tang Dynasty (618–906 CE). These were among the trade items provided for the overseas market around this period. Underwater archaeological excavations of the 9th-century Arab dhow wreck in Belitung Island near Sumatra, known as the Belitung shipwreck, revealed cargoes of Changsha bowls and other ceramic forms. 

Changsha ware is a type of ceramic rarely found in Philippine sites. These were reportedly excavated in Laurel, Batangas, and much recently in Mulanay, Quezon. The Mt. Kamhantik Site in Mulanay yielded stoneware glazed bowls associated with sarcophagus burials that were used as a grave offering for the dead. The site is a good source of information on the maritime exchange, movement, and relations during the 9th century CE, as reports revealed that Changsha bowls were extensively used as religious and ceremonial icons among the Hindus and Buddhists, particularly in the Indo-Malaysian region.

The lashed-lug plank-built boats, found in Butuan, Agusan del Norte, are additional proof of the maritime trade network in the 9th century. Butuan boats are the oldest watercraft in the Philippines, constructed between the late 8th and early 10th centuries. These may have shared standard technological techniques with other Southeast Asian regions in terms of constructing lashed-lug vessels. 

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI) is another piece of evidence of the Hindu-Buddhist material found in the country. The LCI is a thin copper strip with etchings similar to the Early Kawi script’s form. Anthropologist Antoon Postma’s translation of the LCI’s text shows the Saka date of 822, or 900 CE, the start of King Belitung of Central Java’s reign. The LCI suggests a contract that existed between the Philippines and its neighbors in the Southeast Asian region, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Changsha ceramics in Mt. Kamhantik Site, the Butuan boats, and the Laguna copperplate inscription are material evidence that signifies the maritime contact and healthy relationships between regions in Southeast Asia.

#MANAMo

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Article by Nida Cuevas. Images by Timothy James Vitales | NMP Archaeology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Birth Anniversaries of Nena Saguil and Impy Pilapil

The #NationalMuseumPH joins today’s observance of the International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICC). Ghost nets are not supernatural events happening in the ocean, but legitimately scary. A ghost net is a fishing net that was lost or abandoned in the ocean. It can travel vast distances from their point of origin. 

Every year, an estimated 640,000 to 800,000 tons of fishing gear is lost at sea and exerts an uncertain impact on marine species contributing to 20% of ocean plastic globally. Discarded fishing nets are made up of plastic, which breaks up into microplastics over time and ends up in the digestive tracts of marine life, which is hazardous for animals and humans alike. It not only entraps fish, they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals, and more.

Discarded fishing nets left to drift continue to trap everything in its path unattended for years or even decades, killing huge numbers of commercially valuable and threatened species, presenting a major problem for the health of our oceans and marine life.  These marine animals are often unable to detect them by sight or sonar, and swim into the nets. Our coral reefs are also not spared from ghost nets, which render them exposed to disease, breakage, and blockage of much-needed sunlight.

Ghost nets represent an ongoing connection between humanity’s management of its marine resources and ocean health. One solution to address this problem is to encourage fishing communities to recycle worn-out nets and traps. There are NGO’s that profit from recycling ghost nets into carpet tiles, sustainable skateboards, famous games like Jenga and frisbee, sunglasses, clothings, nylon yarn and others. 

As stewards of the sea, we need to follow the 3 R’s – Reuse, Redo, and Recycle our everyday trash and not throw them in the streets and drainage canals because it always ends up in the sea.

Text by the NMP Zoology Division / Images by Roger Dolorosa and Christopher Paleracio

© National Museum of the Philippines (2022)

The National Museum of the Philippines is honored to receive a recently created inabel masterpiece from Manlilikha ng Bayan Magdalena “Nana Daleng” Gamayo on the occasion of her 98th birthday on 13 August 2022. The framed inabel was turned over by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Executive Council, through its representative Dr. Edwin V. Antonio, to NMP Deputy Director-General for Museums Jorell M. Legaspi last 30 August 2022. Adorned with sinankurus (cross) design, the textile piece is now part of the GAMABA Special Collection.

MB Magdalena Gamayo was conferred with the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan award in 2012 for her excellent contribution to the cultural heritage of the country as a master textile weaver. Republic Act No. 7355 or Manlilikha ng Bayan Act of 1992 was enacted to preserve and promote Philippine traditional arts, whether visual, performing, or literary, for their cultural value. It also honors and supports traditional artists for their contribution to the national heritage. The work of a Manlilikha ng Bayan is presumed to be an Important Cultural Property, second to National Cultural Treasure, the highest category of cultural property through Republic Act No. 10066, also known as the National Heritage Act of 2009. 

We are excited to welcome you back to the National Museum of Anthropology soon! Stay tuned to our social media pages for the latest updates on our collections and exhibitions.

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#GAMABA

#ManlilikhaNgBayan

#MagdalenaGamayo

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

It’s Fish Conservation Week! Meet Arayu, the Ivatan gold.

Did you know that for 2 months each year, mataw fisherfolks go out to sea in search of Common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus)?

Locally known to Ivantans as arayu, it is a migratory fish that passes by the inner shores of Batanes during dry seasons.  It is widely known in the country as dorado (Spanish for gold), or internationally as mahi-mahi and is a favorite game fish. Arayu inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and is highly migratory. They can be found in shallow waters to 85 meters deep and are a prized game and commercial fish worldwide. 

Mataw fishers seize the seasonal opportunity of angling arayu, a tradition that is passed on to many generations of Ivatans. Around April and May, an abundance of arayu and several species of flying fish enter the calmer nearshore waters, which makes angling easier. Families move closer to their vanua or port for the duration of this season, leaving behind their farms momentarily. Their daily catch is processed for filleting and drying to extend the shelf life of the fish meant as a reserve during leaner months. These dried goods are distributed among the community after the closure of mataw fishing season, where priority is given to locals, and only the excess is sold to non-Ivatans. 

This short time span of traditional fishing has an unintended positive impact on the management of fishing for these migratory species, where the prohibition of commercial fishing and implementation of a closed season allows for the recovery of remaining wild populations in the sea.

What we can learn from this traditional way of fishing is that harvesting from our seas can be sustainable. Science-based management of our natural resources will benefit both the environment and the people who rely on these resources for sustenance. As individuals, we can contribute to protecting our marine resources simply by limiting our waste generation, joining coastal cleanups, and not polluting the environment.

#NationalMuseumPH

#59thFishConservationWeek

Text and poster by Jasmin Meren of NMP Zoology Division.

Happy Grandparent’s Day! Have you been to our museums with your lolo and lola?

This #ArtStrollSunday and in celebration of Grandparents’ Day, we are featuring a 1947 oil painting entitled “Portrait of an Old Woman” by Araceli Limcaco-Dans from the National Fine Arts Collection.

This work, currently on exhibit at The Early 20^th Century Philippine Portrait Hall (Gallery IX) of the National Museum of Fine Arts was painted by the artist in 1947 when she was a freshman at the University of the Philippines’ School of Fine Arts. She was trained by Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino who eventually became our country’s first declared National Artists for Painting and Sculpture, respectively.  The “Portrait of an Old Woman” was registered as a government property in 1948, the year after this painting was completed. The National Fine Arts Collection currently has one other work of the artist,”Yakap ng Kapayapaan” (2003, acrylic on canvas) which she generously gave as a Gift to the Nation through the #NationalMuseumPH in 2016. 

Araceli Limcaco-Dans was born in Manila in 1929. Aside from being a prolific artist, Dans is also an art educator and held top positions in art organizations. After completing her studies, she joined the Philippine Women’s University’s and was the first director of its Institute of Fine Arts and Design which she headed until 1963. She also set up the art program of the Ateneo Grade School. From 1972 to 1973, Dans was also elected as vice president of the Arts Association of the Philippines, and eventually, its director in 1981-1983. In 2018, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit in Malacañan Palace. 

We are open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Tuesdays-Sundays. Come and view this painting and more with your lolos and lolas! 

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#AraceliDans

Text and photo by NMP Fine Arts Division.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines