Red Group- HUMSS 3

Members:
Steph Garcia
Alexandra Perez
Alexandria Sandoval
Arvi Medios
Angelo Joseph Villanueva

Written Report on Islamic Colonial Arts

Summary of Material Given

Islam was already well entenched in the southern philippines, it continues to be culturally dominant and
strong. They gained signifcant grounding in Sulu as early as the 13th century. Aside from introducing
holy texts like the holy book of Quran and building a house of prayer, Natives from Zamboanga and
Yakans from Basilan were converted to Islam with teachers and practitioners coming from nearby
regions.

Abubakar- recognized for building religious schools, also knows as the "madrasa" that facilitated the
teaching of arabic writing.

The belief of Filipino Muslims is that they belong to an "ummah" or a community of believers. Isalamic
Faith is the doctrine of "tawhid" or unity of God. This emphasizes the impermance of nature and
incomprehensible greatness and the divune being. We can relate the 2 aspects of reality. One is the
Object Perceived by the ordinary sense, the other is The Sense of Nothingness, a space or a void empty
of all things. In Islamis art, we will find that the interior of mosques are covered with patterning in the
form relief to draw the attention away from concrete objects, unlike other religious traditions which
uses icon, in Islam divine mercy is expressed through abstract forms and patterns for the believer to
engage in mental concentration.

Islamic art is characterized by designs of flowers, plant forms and geometric designs. It is used in
calligraphy, architecture painting, clothing and other forms of fine art. As Islam spread around the
world, this distinct form of art has become an integral part of the identity of its followers, including the
Philippines.

In the 13th century, traders and missionaries have introduced the religion of Islam in the Philippines.
Islamic art combined with ethnic culture and produced a Filipino Muslim art that reflects the ethnic
background and Islamic identity of the people. During the Spanish colonization and American
occupation, Islam has been concentrated mostly in the South but this did not halt the flourishing of
Islamic art.

(All links and sources used down below)

Literature

Moro literature embraces the whole range of oral and written expression of Moro culture, including
religious and ritual literature, folk literature such as legends, myths, epics and folktales, and the
symbolic speech of courtship, proverbs, and riddles. Poems, songs, and ballads are also included.

Islamic religious and ritual literature includes the adhan (call to prayer),salat (ritual prayer),
and du’a (supplicatory prayer) which are universal in Islam. It also includes handbooks on prayer, basic
beliefs, khutbah(sermons), tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), and tasawwuf (literature focusing on the Prophet
Mohammad). Hadis is Tausug religious oral literature on locally produced commentaries on specific
items of Muslim tradition and jurisprudence.

Darangen (epic poetry) may be the best known poetic narrative of the Maranao. It consists of 25
episodes about Prince Bantugen, a godlike hero embodying physical prowess, beauty and intelligence.

A notable Muslim Filipino fiction writer is Ibrahim Jubaira who has been respected and admired in the
national and international communities. His stories have provided Christians a look into the lives, hearts
and dreams of Muslim Filipinos.

Architecture

“A feature of Islamic architecture is that the interior space of buildings is more

impressive than the outside”
The Islamic Architectures is commonly known for its huge mosques and domes, calligraphy, and
geometric designs, byzantine central plan or arab plan, high and massive walls, small openings or
windows, roofs that are flat, gently pitched or with domes, columns that are structural and decorative,
geometric shapes or figurative plants in decorations, and ornaments with intricate and repetitive arabic
writings.

In religion, Islamic Architecture mainly follows the Qur’an. It gives respect to their God, Allah and to
their religion beliefs. Islamic Architecture is more on towers, arches, domes, design, and bright colors.
Islamic architecture has simplicity of arrangement and structure could give rise to so many diverse
shapes and decorations. Many of which carry the seeds of structural developments.
Nowadays, Islamic Architecture has influenced the architecture of the Philippines. Most of the
influences they brought to the Philippines are the mosques or domes and their famous geometric
designs. These geometric designs adapted in some structures and buildings found in our country.
Mosques in the Philippines have a common architectural feature that is similar with its Southeast Asian
neighbours. It is made of light materials such as wood, bamboo and cogon grass and was used in the
building of the early types of mosques but these light materials did not last long.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Masjid, Cotabato City, Philippines

Capitol of Sulu, municipality of Jolo

Golden Mosque of Quiapo, Philippines

Music

Music is another important part of the culture. However, it should be noted that there is a distinction
between music for rituals, which is basically vocal without instruments, and music for entertainment.

Kulintang (brass gongs), kagandang (war drums), ceremonial dances and kambaioka (singers or chanters
of improvised poetic compositions) are played on various occasions. The gabbang is similar to a
xylophone, while suling and saunay are wind instruments. The biyula is a string instrument, and the
kulintangan is an ensemble of gongs and drums. The kudyapi is a two-stringed lute plucked to make
beautiful sounds. The kubing (jew’s harp) is made of bamboo and believed to make words and tell
stories, if the audience could understand the language of music.

Moro musicality is also seen in songs and dances. For the Tausug, there are songs called kissa which tell
about the love of datus and princesses, while heroic songs are contained in parang sibil. The Maranao
kandidiagao is a melodious lament over the dead.

There are five major types of songs for the Maranao. The kambaiok is the free rhythmic rendering of the
baiok, which is improvised poetry. Kandarangen is accompanied by a gong or other similar instruments.
Kadikir is sung by singers in slow, free rhythm and speaks of verses from the Qur’an and Maranao
compositions with topics on Islam, morals, life, and death. Kandomana is a combination of styles of
Kandarangen and Kadikir. Lastly, kapranon is a song of private sentimentality sung softly

Visual Arts

In the Philippines, Muslim painting in general has not been studied. In research, Muslim figurative paint-
ing itself makes for an exciting topic as it is wrapped in art issues of the so-called religious prohibition
and of the status of Muslim painters in changing times.

Philippine Muslim painting is not a popular and developed art. In the past, a traditional painting
expression was done on boras (rattan mat) by Simunul Sama ladies who used enamel paint to fill the
space with a variety of designs.
Initially, boras designs were purely geometrical but as a result of pilgrimage to Mecca, new designs such
as the Ka’aba temple in Mecca, Arabic kufic calligraphy and figurative burraq were integrated into boras
designs by the arriving pilgrims. The burraq is believed to be the miraculous creature that transported
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) to heaven. It is pictured as a winged white horse with a woman’s face,
which travels at the speed of light.
Because of the scarcity of rattan as raw material for boras and compounded by the human dislocation
caused by the war brought in Mindanao, boras painting in Simunul has ceased to be practiced as early as
the ‘70s.

Dance

Most Moro dances relate to pre-Islamic history. Pagipat (7 days) and pangubad (3 days) are animistic
rituals for healing, while sagaian is a war dance. The most popular dance common to the Maguindanao
and Maranao is singkil which has been interpreted by dance troupes over time.
The Maranao version of singkil is a female dance solo, as Maranao custom does not allow men and
women to dance together. The dance speaks of a princess trying to escape from an earthquake by
running and leaping on shaking stones and trying not to get her feet caught. The Maguindanao version
shows a prince and princess in a contest in relation to his proposal for marriage.

Contemporary Arts

Contemporary Philippine Muslim painters are few, and struggling to free themselves from the influence
of western painting tradition. They derive inspiration and experiment with the local Muslim ethnic art
forms and designs. These contemporary Muslim painters are beneficiaries of alternative art ideas and
methods inspired by Islam. In the Philippines, Muslims are not mindful of any Islamic comment or
provocation regarding art figures. They have been accustomed to these images on posters, magazines
and signboards displayed around. Many of their houses are adorned with family pictures.
Other forms of contemporary Islamic arts:

 Ukir (Maranao) or ukkil (Tausug) means to carve or engrave

 Moro artistry is applied to woodworking, from decorative carving to boat-building to house

architecture and construction

 Skill and artistry in metalwork is applied to tools, weapons, jewelry, and brassware

 Clothweaving and matweaving are important crafts for Moros.

Sources/Links used:

https://openthedorr.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/islamic-architecture/

http://www.muslimmindanao.ph/muslim_arts.html

http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/115/islamic-art-in-the-philippines

https://maemarin.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/islamic-and-philippine-architecture/