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Undas 2021 (Lapida)

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

Undas (Lapida)

  • November 1 – Undas (Lapida) A

  • November 1 – Undas (Lapida) B

  • November 1 – Undas (Lapida) C

In the observance of #Undas2021 with our Filipino brothers and sisters today, All Saint’s Day, our #MuseumFromHome series features an important burial element —the lapida.

Undas generally refers to the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day every 1st and 2nd day of November, respectively. Filipino Christians gather with their families in cemeteries to pray and pay tribute to their departed loved ones. Family members clean the nitso (grave) a few days before the observance. They prepare the cleaning materials and equipment and locate the grave of their loved ones, which could be a challenging task in public cemeteries due to overcrowding. That is why burial markers, known as lapida or headstones/ tombstones, are of great importance in finding the grave of the dead family members.

Lapida are commonly made of marble slab bearing information about the deceased—the complete name, and dates of birth and death—engraved on its surface, serving as a permanent marker on the grave of the dead. Some markers include the title of the deceased, or even figures indicating the time of death, a prayer, epitaph, among others. Aside from marble, the lapida can also be made from cement, ceramic tile, or granite.

Burial spaces inside old churches is common in the Philippines, as internment inside and/or in crypts were practices during the early times, one reason is due to the belief that souls of the departed must be blessed with constant prayers—a church is the perfect place. People who were interred inside old churches were often bishops, high-ranking government officials, and prominent figures of the community—mostly members of wealthy families. The altar and floor serve as burial grounds and, in some instances, lapida may also be found along church walls, a constant reminder of the influence of the interred individual. The said practice is a way of honoring the person, making their legacy known to the younger generation and showing that they had the privilege to have a place of worship as a final destination.

As we remember our dearly departed this Undas season, #KeepSafe and be mindful in following the IATF rules related to this event as well as safety and health protocols. Check on the works of Dr. Grace Barretto-Tesoro on grave markers in the country for an in-depth look into the topic.

#Undas2021

#Lapida 

#GraveMarkers

#PhilippineCultureAndTradition

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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Chinese Blue and White Wares (Pandanan)

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

Chinese Blue and White Wares (Pandanan)

  • Revised_Chinese Blue and Whites Poster 01

  • Diver exposing a Chinese blue and white porcelain dish. Photo by G. Fournier

  • Diver examining a Chinese blue and white bowl. Photo by G. Fournier

Today’s #MaritimeMonday features the Chinese blue and white porcelain that were found in the Pandanan shipwreck, off the shores of Pandanan Island, southern Palawan. The vessel was accidentally discovered by a pearl farm diver, who was looking for a missing pearl basket and instead found stoneware jars at a depth of more than 40 m below sea surface level.

The trade vessel sunk between the middle to the late 15th CE (Common Era) and yielded more than 4,700 objects with a dominant ceramic cargo along with iron, glass, wood, stone, and organic remains. More than 70% of the ceramic cargo came from the kilns of Northern and Central Vietnam. At least 40 pieces of Chinese blue and white porcelain were recovered, among them were dishes, jarlets, and bowls. The most significant of the blue and white porcelain objects is a big bowl dated to Yuan Dynasty Period (1279–1368 CE). It is more than 100 years older than the rest of the cargo, and designated as a National Cultural Treasure. To learn more about the Pandanan blue and white porcelain bowl, please see: https://tinyurl.com/4dvsdawt.

The rest of the Chinese blue and white porcelain pieces were dated to the so-called Interregnum Period (1436–1464 CE) and produced by the kilns at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. This is based on the similarity of the artistic styles of artefacts found in dated Chinese tombs, as well as fragments from the kilns sites at Jingdezhen and excavated pieces from an area near the Ming imperial palace in Nanjing. These wares include dishes with mythical animal themes (unicorns, phoenix, and qilin) and floral designs. The limited quantity of the Chinese ceramics with less than 4% of the ceramic cargo, reflects the scarcity of Chinese ceramics during this period due to the prohibition of maritime trade in China. The substantial presence of ceramics from Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar also indicate that these countries filled this Chinese ceramic export vacuum. 

The #NationalMuseumPH is now open to the public with limited capacity. You may book your appointment through this website. Monitor our social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for further announcements. In the meantime, you may watch the virtual tour of the upgraded ‘300 Years of Maritime Trade in the Philippines’ exhibition here: https://tinyurl.com/300YearsOfMaritimeTradePH.

#ChineseBlueAndWhitePorcelain

#PandananShipwreck

#MuseumFromHome

#StaySafeStayHome

#BeatCOVID19

Poster and text by the Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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17th to Early 20th Century National Fine Arts Collection

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

This week’s #ArtStrollSunday series focusing on the 17th to early 20th century art from the National Fine Arts Collection features Pablo Amorsolo y Cueto’s “Philippine Charity Sweepstakes” (1938) to commemorate the institutionalization of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office on October 30, 1934.

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was created under Philippine Legislature Act No. 4130, approved on October 30, 1934, by then President Manuel Quezon. Since its institutionalization, the PCSO has become an important charity arm of the government to provide funds to promote public health and general welfare. The government had already started raising funds in 1932 through the National Charity Sweepstakes, which supported the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation and the Philippine Tuberculosis Society. Later, with the establishment of the PCSO, the early beneficiaries expanded to include the National Federation of Women’s Clubs, Association de Damas de Filipinas, Gota de Leche, Asilo Para Invalidos de Los Veteranos de la Revolucion, Associate of Manila and the Provinces, Philippine Council of Boy Scouts of America, and Child Welfare Center. Other organizations engaged in charity, health services, and the welfare of indigent Filipinos also benefitted from the institution.  

Pablo Amorsolo’s oil on canvas painting entitled “Philippine Charity Sweepstakes” (1938) depicts the sectors of the society that were supported by the PCSO during its early days, such as women, boy scouts, war veterans, youth, and indigent communities. They are painted in the foreground by the foot of a towering figure of a woman dressed in Filipiniana with arms stretched wide. In the background are figures of horse racing and an edifice that bears the name Quezon Memorial.

Pablo Amorsolo y Cueto (1898-1945) was born in Daet, Camarines Norte on June 26, 1898. When his family moved to Manila, he and his older brother, National Artist Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (1892-1972), learned painting from their uncle and genre painter Fabian de la Rosa y Cueto (1869-1937) as an apprentice. Pablo graduated in 1924 from the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts. He worked there as an assistant instructor until the start of World War II. He did editorial illustrations for various magazines such as the Graphic, Tribune, La Vanguardia, Herald, and Manila Times. Besides being a genre painter and portraitist, he also created historical paintings such as “Magellan and the Natives” and “The Discovery of the Philippines (1944). By the end of World War II, he was arrested for engaging in the Kempeitai, a military police force of the Imperial Japanese Army, and sentenced to death by firing squad in the hands of the guerillas. He passed away on February 21, 1945, in Antipolo.

We are now open! To visit the National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), you may book a tour through this website. Please note the guidelines for visiting. You may also view the 360 degrees virtual tour of select NMFA galleries thru this link: https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html. See you at your National Museum!

#ArtStrollSunday

#PabloAmorsolo

#MuseumFromHome

#BeatCOVID19

Text by NMP-FAD

Photo by Bengy Toda

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

Abaknon and their view of the world

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

In the continuing celebration of the National Indigenous Peoples Month, the #NationalMuseumPH features the Abaknon and their belief system and schemes in interpreting their natural world.

The Abaknon group lives in Capul Island, Northern Samar, located between the Bicol peninsula and Samar islands. Their language, Inabaknon, differs from Bicol or Visayan languages. It is grouped within the Sama languages, spoken by people of the Sulu Archipelago, Sabah in Malaysia, and other parts of Indonesia, under the Austronesian language family.

The location of Capul makes it susceptible to typhoons, giving way for the local community to adapt and develop their own system of predictions, many of which are connected to the sea (kalawot). They believe that a lumod (dolphin) seen pushing its body into the water indicates an incoming typhoon. A half pamalangaw (rainbow) or a muddy sea water likewise indicate a bad weather.

Along with the wind system, directions of the sea current, and position of the stars (bituon), the moon (bulan) plays an important role in dictating fishing activity. To the Abaknon paradaying (fisherfolk), there are 4 phases of the moon – kawara orgimata (new moon), kaudto si kawara (first quarter moon), kadayaw (full moon), and kaudto si kadayaw (last quarter moon). Luyô refers to the days in between these phases, and there are 7 luyô from one phase to another. The moon cycle directly affects the tides and the current of the sea (landus).

Two kinds of landus alternate in a day – humugot and tumaob – distinguished by the direction of the flow. A fishing method dependent on the moon as it uses bait by allowing it to be pulled by the landus is pagla’gulo. It starts 4 days before the kadayaw when the humugot is stronger, and lasts until the 3rd night after kadayaw since the current gets weaker afterwards.

They also believe that lunar eclipse (bakunawa) occurs because the moon is swallowed by a snake, that is why old folks would command the snake to let go of the moon. During an eclipse, pregnant women are neither allowed to enter nor leave the house, and are advised to stay wherever they are until the eclipse is over; otherwise, this will lead to a miscarriage.

Predictions using the natural environment remain a vital part of community life despite having modern devices, and should not be disregarded as it carries traditional knowledge passed on through several generations. Follow the #NationalMuseumPH and learn more from our #MuseumFromHome series.

#Abaknon

#Ethnoastronomy

#MuseumsAndGalleriesMonth2021

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

Panay Bukidnon and their continuing belief system related to their subsistence activities

Posted on:  |  Resty National Museum Posted in Uncategorized.

Panay Bukidnon and their continuing belief system related to their subsistence activities

  • IP-Month-Panay-Bukidnon-B

  • IP-Month-Panay-Bukidnon-A

  • IP-Month-Panay-Bukidnon-C-1

As the #NationalMuseumPH continues to celebrate the National Indigenous Peoples Month, our #MuseumFromHome features the Panay Bukidnon inhabiting the highlands of Panay Island in Western Visayas and their continuing belief system related to their subsistence activities. 

The Panay Bukidnon traditionally depended on kaingin or shifting cultivation, supplemented by hunting, fishing, and local trade. In particular, agricultural production is guided by signs and omens, such as phases of the moon which are often anticipated as basis of when and what to plant. It is believed that the ugsad (full moon) and lati (3 days before and after new moon) affect the produce from the planted crops. The third day after new moon is also called himatayon when it is a waning crescent.

During lati, they plant root crops such as balinghoy (cassava) and kamote (sweet potato). Called hanulod, this is considered a good time to plant root crops and other tubers as it is believed that they would bear big tubers to harvest. Hamonga or planting of beans like latoy (string beans) and monggo (mung beans) also assures them good yield.

The Panay Bukidnon also awaits the ugsad. Bananas are best planted during hambot (day after full moon) since it induces the growth of more saha (banana sucker). Paminhi (sowing of rice) must also be done during ugsad. Rice planted with lots of muro-puro or bitoon (stars) at night are believed to yield good harvest.

Successful fishing is also guaranteed during lati. Panolo (fishing at night) is best done during this period since fish like sili (eel), urang (shrimp), and kagang (crab) are abundant in the river and are easily caught at night.

From 2017 to 2019, the Ethnology and Botany and National Herbarium Divisions, and NM Western Visayas Regional Museum documented the cultural and natural heritage of the communities in Calinog, Iloilo. In October 2020, NM Western Visayas held an online film screening, director’s talk, and lectures on the Pátok (The Mountain Carvers), which discussed the rice terracing tradition of the Iraynon Bukidnon of San Remigio, Antique and underscored the importance of their ancestral lands to their way of life.

Over the course of generations, our indigenous peoples have developed sets of knowledge on preserving and protecting our natural resources. These cultural traditions and knowledge enable us to stay connected to our indigenous heritage and understand our place in this world. Let us continue supporting the keepers of our heritage. Happy National Indigenous Peoples Month! 

#IndigenousPeoplesMonth

#PanayBukidnon

#MuseumsAndGalleriesMonth

Text and Posters by the NMP Ethnology Division and NM Western Visayas Regional Museum

©The National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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The Fluorescent Minerals

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

Did you know that minerals glow in the dark? For today’s #DignayanBiyernes, let us learn the reason behind it.

All minerals can reflect light but about 15% have the interesting property known as fluorescence. Fluorescence or glow, occurs when “activators” or specific impurities are present within the minerals. A single specimen may exhibit at least one color, spectacularly displayed when illuminated with the appropriate ultraviolet (UV) light wavelength in the dark. Minerals, when subjected to different UV wavelengths, respond by showing different colors. 

Fluorescence is used in mineralogy, mining, and petrology. Geologists sometimes use UV light when prospecting or searching for a particular mineral, examining for indicators of oil thermal maturity in oil and gas drills and cores, and tracing ore-bearing rocks in underground mines.  Fluorescence, however, is an unpredictable property, hence it is rarely or not routinely used in mineral identification.

If you want to see these amazing glowing minerals, you may book a tour at the National Museum of Natural History through this website.

#MuseumFromHome

#NationalMuseumPH

Text and image by the NMP Geology and Paleontology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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