Pintados Festival

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

The #NationalMuseumPH brings you another colorful celebration in the country—the Pintados Festival celebrated in the Visayas. In the City of Passi in Iloilo, Pintados Festival is held every 3rd week of March but for todays’ #MuseumFromHome series, we focus on the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival in Leyte celebrated every 29th of June, also the Feast Day of Señor Santo Niño de Leyte.

Historical records suggest that the first image of the Child Jesus was brought by Spanish missionaries to the island of Leyte in 1888. The Pintados Festival can be traced back to the formation of Pintados Foundation, Inc. in 1986 by the people of Tacloban, who began organizing religious cultural activities in honor of the Señor Santo Niño. A year later, the first Pintados Festival was held on June 29 and was later merged with the Kasadyaan Festival. As the term kasadya-an in the Visayan language means merriment or happiness, the festival portrays the unique and colorful historical background of Leyte. 

More than just celebrating the feast of the Santo Niño, this festival also commemorates the pre-Spanish tradition of tattooing among warriors locally known as pintados. Spanish Friar, Fr. Ignacio Francisco Alcina S.J., on the other hand, mentioned in “Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas 1668” that almost all Visayans had tattoos except the children and the asug (homosexuals), suggesting that the tradition is not only limited to warriors. 

There are multiple events throughout the celebration of Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival – the Festival of festivals of Leyte, the Ritual Dance Presentation of Pintados and the Pagrayhay (or pagrayhak meaning to celebrate) for the Grand Parade. Various municipalities of the province participate and gather in Tacloban City to join the celebration. For this reason, the festival is said to promote a sense of pride and solidarity as every municipality presents their own local folklore and legends. 

The folk dances presented during the festival depict the pre-Spanish practices of our ancestors, which include worship of idols, and performance of indigenous music and epics. Dancers fill the streets of the city wearing colorful garbs along with intricate body paintings consisting of different shapes, figures and colors, as if one is wearing an armor. The festival concludes with a merry-making or a traditional Filipino fiesta. 

To know more about the tradition of tattooing in the Visayas, check out the featured articles of the National Museum Western Visayas on #Pintados in #KwentongKultura here: https://bit.ly/NMWesternVisayas-Pintados. 

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

Photo courtesy of Mr. Ricky D. Alejo

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

BALOBOK ROCKSHELTER

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

As #CelebrateTheSeaMonth draws to a close this June, this week’s #TrowelTuesday features the Balobok Rockshelter, a prehistoric archaeological site by the sea.

Located in the southeast part of Tawi-Tawi Province, in a cove facing the Sulu Sea at Sanga-Sanga, the Balobok Rockshelter yielded early evidence of human presence in Mindanao as a result of extensive archaeological excavations undertaken by the #NationalMuseumPH. The site is a prehistoric habitation site from 6810–3190 Before Common Era or BCE (8760–5140 years ago), as evidenced by a shell midden that yielded a considerable amount of animal remains in all three of its cultural layers.

The Balobok Rockshelter was accidentally discovered in 1963 by Mr. Assiong Bangali of Tubig Basag Primary School while fishing near the shore. He saw the rockshelter as he took refuge during a sudden downpour. In 1966, Mr. Eric Casino of the #NationalMuseumPH reported the existence of the rockshelter when he visited it during his fieldwork in Cagayan de Sulu Island. His report described the rockshelter as an archaeological site with shell and stone adzes, flaked tools, earthenware sherds, and shell remains. Later that year, a team of archaeologists led by Mr. Casino conducted an initial excavation of the site. This was succeeded with a partial excavation in 1969 by American anthropologist Alexander Spoehr, and a re-excavation in 1992 and 2007 by the #NationalMuseumPH.

Excavated artifacts included polished shell adzes made from the giant clam Tridacna gigas, flake and polished stone tools, red slipped earthenware sherds with lime impressed designs, and animal remains like shells which delivered the site’s radiocarbon dates. These archaeological materials are significant evidence indicating that the Balobok Rockshelter is one of the earliest habitation sites in the region. Their recovery suggests that the site may have played a significant role in the movements of people into the Southwest Pacific and to the Pacific World. 

In 2008, the Site Development of the Balobok Rockshelter was realized through assistance from the United States Ambassador in the Philippines’ Heritage Conservation Fund. This project was implemented by the #NationalMuseumPH, the Local Government of Bongao, the Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi, with the active participation of the Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi Campus.

The #NationalMuseumPH declared the Balobok Rockshelter as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) by virtue of Museum Declaration No. 24-2016 on December 16, 2016.

Text by Giovanni Bautista, and poster by Timothy James Vitales | NMP ArchaeologyDivision

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

BIRDS OF “OLD” MANILA

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in Uncategorized.

A snapshot of history…

Before the Spaniards invaded Manila, active trade was already taking place along the Pasig River such that rulers of Muslim communities who settled there already imposed custom duties on all commerce passing up the river.  In 1571, the fortress city of Intramuros was founded under the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a spanish conquistador and the first governor-general of the Philippines.  During that time, Manila became the capital of the newly established colony.

As the nation’s capital, Manila has been seriously threatened and even occupied by other foreign powers (i.e. the Chinese in 1574, the Dutch in mid 17th century, and the British in 1762 but was restored back to Spain after the Treaty of Paris in 1763).  Furthermore, Manila was opened to foreign trade in 1832 which was fueled more by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.  It is also during the late 19th century that the height of the Filipino revolution against the spaniards was witnessed especially after the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal in December 1896 – the same year that, the other part of the world is celebrating the discovery of the Philippine eagle.

In 1898, the Americans win the war against the spaniards.  And for at least 4 decades, the Philippines was under U.S. colonial rule.  It was during this period that the US promote social and economic improvement for the city and encourage gradual Filipino political autonomy.  It is also during this period that the famous Bureau of Science was founded (October 26, 1905).  The Bureau houses some 25,000 bird skins collected in more than three decades under the leadership of Richard C. McGregor – who also became the first Chief of the Natural History Division during the American period.  Sadly, all of the collections were destroyed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945.

Shortly after the war, Filipino collectors under the leadership of Dr. Canuto G. Manuel, Curator of the Zoological Collection, Philippine National Museum started to rebuild the Philippine Zoological Collections.  Interestingly, at least 62 birds were first collected in the vicinities of Manila right after the termination of hostilities.

Text by RC Urriza

Layout & graphics by AM Domingo

Photos by AM Domingo and RC Urriza

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Arbor Day

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in Uncategorized.

Arbor Day

  • Deforestation through logging and kaingin (slash and burn faming) contributes to the rapid increase in greenhouse gases that speed up the adverse effects of climate change.

  • Our tropical forest serves as a carbon sink that stores greenhouse gases which are the main cause of climate change. We need to plant native trees in our area to avoid the unnecessary accidental introduction of invasive alien species.

  • A single tree you planted might have an insignificant impact but our collective efforts of planting trees will slowly create a big impact to save our planet Earth.

In the recent trends, climate scientists say it’s ‘now or never’ to climate change’s critical limits which they are struggling to convince and call for action of every political leader to take it seriously. It is a moral responsibility of every nation and us as individuals to take care of our only home, the planet earth. The government must now look for alternative sources of renewable energy, lessen reliance on fossil fuels, and come up with solutions to mitigate climate change.

Planting a tree during #ArborDay is a simple act of commitment to help save our planet Earth. Why should we plant more trees? First, it can combat Climate Change, through photosynthesis, the harmful carbon dioxide from the air is absorbed and stored in the trees. In return, oxygen is released by the trees for us to breathe easily.

Urban trees provide shade, shelter, and a source of food for many native animals residing in the city. Urban trees are good for our mental and physical health and have proven to reduce our stress and anxiety. Trees in the watershed safeguard our water supply during long droughts.

But we must consider choosing the right species of trees to be planted in the right place to avoid possible invasive alien species. We should promote planting native and/or endemic species in our forests to enhance the local biodiversity.

The tree that we planted today might have no visible impact today but as it grows its many ecological services will benefit our future generation far beyond our lifetime. Now is the time for us to start planting a tree.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

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“Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle” workshop

Posted on:  |  rochelle-van reyes Posted in News and Events, Uncategorized.

NMP conducts “Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle” workshop

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In celebration of Philippine eagle week (June 4-10), your National Museum of the Philippines held its first face-to-face workshop on drawing the Philippine eagle last Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at the Vergara and Co Education Rooms at the National Museum of Natural History building.

Merging Art with Science: Drawing the Philippine Eagle workshop’s objective is to raise awareness on the plight of our national bird, and get familiar with its physical features through various references – be it research publications, photos, taxidermy specimens, and art while learning how to draw.

The workshop was attended by 24 participants, ranging from beginners to professional artists, teachers, and students. The workshop began with opening remarks from Zoology Division’s Curator I/OIC Marivene Santos, followed by an inspirational message from Dr. Jayson Ibanez of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc. – National Museum of the Philippines’ long-time collaborator.  Then, Zoology Division’s (ZD) ornithologist, Rolly Urriza gave a short talk about the natural history and conservation status of the Philippine Eagle, after which ZD artists Aissa Domingo, Eddie Codino, and Larie Dianco introduced and told stories about Gemma, Sakura, and Tinuy-an — National Museum’s resident Philippine eagles taxidermy mounts to our participants, and then they demonstrated various drawing techniques and exercises that allowed the participants to observe their subject thoroughly before interpreting it into paper.  

The activity ended with observational drawing, wherein participants could dissect their subjects using simple geometric shapes and moved further into detailing by applying the other techniques they learned during the workshop. The event received positive feedback from the participants and we hope to bring you more similar activities and workshops at your National Museum in the future.

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World Rainforest Day

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

The Philippines has several forest types and one of them is the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest, also known as the Dipterocarp forest. But sadly they are the most affected by the many anthropogenic factors such as logging, kaingin (slash and burn farm), encroachment of settlers, conversion to palm oil plantations, and many others. Much of our remaining large tracts of Dipterocarp forest are found in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Samar Island Natural Park, Palawan, and Mindanao.

The tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is so diverse compared to other forest types because of the vertical layering of a habitat called forest stratification. These different layers are emergent, canopy, understory, and the forest floor. Each layer has its own ecological niche that supports unique sets of flora and fauna. 

Emergent layers are large dominant trees sticking out of the canopy layers, usually large dipterocarp species. These trees are the most preferred nesting sites of the Philippine Eagle which provide protection to its young from predators but sadly there is also the large-bole trees preferred by loggers cut.

The canopy layer forms at the mat of the crown of trees around 60-90 feet above the ground which receives 90% of the sunlight. The canopy layer is home to many epiphytes (orchids, ferns, moss, etc.) and arboreal animals (monkeys, tree frogs, flying lizards, etc.). Many species are yet to be discovered in this area especially the invertebrates (insects, arachnids, etc.) that never go down to the ground.

The understory receives only around 2-15% of the sunlight that breaks through the spaces of the canopy layer. This is dominated by some shade-loving trees, palms, and herbs. Some trees develop flowers directly on their trunk which is called cauliflorous which will more accessible to their pollinators. 

While the forest floor is the darkest zone in the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest but nonetheless it is home to so many unique flora and fauna. It is covered with thick layers of forest litter where many detritivores and heterotrophic are found such as arthropods, fungi, and some plants. This is where we can find the giant flowers of many Rafflesia species found nowhere else.

Our remaining tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is still full of mysteries and surprises. We still have time to do more fieldworks and research to uncover new species and new understanding that is useful to us. Let us protect this forest not only for today but for our future generations to come.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines