PRE-SPANISH COLONIAL

ART IN THE PHILIPPINES

PRE-SPANISH PERIOD

• Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, ancient Filipinos were living in
scattered barangays and ruled by different chieftains. Although, they were
living separately, they were similar in many ways, their religion, mode of
dressing, houses, system of government and marriage practices, in short,
they were refined and civilized; they possessed a distinct culture that
distinguish them from other race.
WAVES OF MIGRATION
• The Philippines was once connected to Mainland Asia by land bridges
which gradually sank in the China sea, as a result of constant leveling work
of ocean waves.
It was through these bridges that the first inhabitants came over to the
Philippines.
According to the migration theory, our country was settled by three kinds
of people: Negritos, Indonesians, Malays.
INTRODUCTION OF METAL

• The earliest use of metal in the Philippines was the use of

copper for ornamentation, not tools. Even when copper and
bronze tools became common, they were often used side by
side with stone tools. Metals only became the dominant
material for tools late in this era, leading to a new phase in
cultural development.
INTRODUCTION OF IRON

• Iron age finds in Philippines also point to the existence of trade

between Tamil Nadu and the Philippine Islands during the 9th
and 10th centuries B.C. When iron was introduced to the
Philippines, it became the preferred material for tools and
largely ended the use of stone tools.
JEWELRY, METAL WORKS, AND MINING

• Mines dating back to at least 1,000 B.C. have been found in the
Philippines. The Filipinos also made jewelry of carnelian, agate
and other precious stones, and of course, they were known for
their coveted pearl industry. For some reason, Filipinos rarely
seemed to have made agricultural tools from metal.
SIGNIFICANT ARTWORKS AND ARTISTS
• MUSIC
• ARCHITECTURE
• SCULPTURES
• POTTERY
• WOOD CARVING
• WEAVING
• PAINTINGS
• NOTABLE ARTWORKS AND ARTISTS
 MUSIC

• The ancient Filipinos had music practically for all • Cymbals (Plantiles)

occasions, every phase of life from birth to death. • Nose Flutes, Bamboo
mouth organ (Afiw)
• Brass Gong (Gangsa)
• Natives were without a doubt, music-lovers. Each
community had their own sets of musical • Flute (Bansic)

instrument. In the account of Pigafetta, the official • Long Drum (Solibao)

historian of Magellan Expedition, women from • Bamboo Harp (Subing)
Cebu were harmoniously playing: • Water Whisle (Pasiyak)
• Guitar (buktot)
• Xylophone (Agong)
• Drum (Tugo)
ARCHITECTURE

• The ancient Filipinos had first dwelt in caves and has learned the art of
architecture as
they move and hunt for food.

• Example:
1. Lean-to
2. Tausug House
3. Torogan
4. Bale
SCULPTURE

• The ancient Filipinos had attained a high artistic level through pottery, jewelry
and wood-
carving.

• Examples:
1. Bul-ul
2. Sarimanok
3. Hagabi
POTTERY

• Palayok - a clay pot used as the traditional food preparation container.

• Manunggul Jar - a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic burial site in
the
Manunggul cave of the Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point in Palawan.
WOOD CARVING

• Ukkil etched on coral gives a grave distinctive marker known as Sunduk.

• Its shape indicates the gender of the deceased:
• Hexagonal posts – Male
• Flat combs - Female
WEAVING

• Weaving means to make cloth and other objects

• Threads or strands of material are passed under and over each other
• Example:
1. Malong with Okir Designs
PAINTINGS

• The ancient Filipinos had expressed paintings through tattoos and cave carvings.
• Example:
• Silup
• Petroglyphs
 • These gold masks were buried with the dead to go along with
them to the spirit world. These gold masks were buried with the
DEATH MASKS dead to go along with them to the spirit world. They believed that
once they are ferried over a spiritual river to the afterlife,
those who
wore gold and are covered with tattoos are recognized by the
ancestors and deities. They are supposed to wear these in order to
be accepted. The masks usually covered the eyes, nose and mouth
and are delicately decorated depending on social status.
EARRINGS

• This earrings is called

the Uod
 EARRINGS

• This is an earring depicting the mythical garuda, a bird

like creature which is found in Hindu and Buddhist
mythology. Both men and women wore earrings at
that time.
• Men were required to have one or two holes per
love while women had three to four. Panika is the
common term for the rings worn in the lower
lobe. Some of these rings were hollow and others
were solid gold. In a burial cave in Lekak, Cotabato,
among the ceramic heads, they found that one had
elongated earlobe holes. It was meant to be heavy so
that the it would pull the earlobe to the shoulders.
 • Necklaces at that time where in the form of strands,
chokers, and collars, that ranged from precious stones
to gold beads.

• In the Boxer Codex a passage on the Tagalogs

mentions how men “wear many golden chains around
the neck, especially if they are chiefs, because these are
what they value most, and there are some who wear more
than 10 or 12 of these chains…“.“The women carry
NECKLACES much gold jewelry because they are richer than the
Bisayans. Men and women also wear many bracelets and
chains of gold on the arms.They are not used to wearing
them on the legs. Women likewise carry around the neck
golden chains that men do…”.
NECKLACES

• This is called
the Kasikas, dated from the
10-13th century from Surigao
del Sur and is now a
collection in Ayala Museum.
JEWELRY

• Prior to the Spanish colonization, the

Filipino upperclass society, warriors,
common people and slaves wore gold even
to their grave. Of course the intricacy
depends on their social status but imagine
how rich the Philippines was then. It was
part of their everyday clothes. This was
proven through the Boxer Codex
manuscript in gold leaf.
KINNARI

• The Kinnari was excavated in

Surigao at around 1981. It is a
gold artifact that symbolizes
the feminine beauty for it is a
half-woman, half- bird, and a
religious significance for it
encapsulates grace and
accomplishment.
BELTS AND
SASHES
• Aside from the other gold
jewelry discussed prior, our
ancestors also wore gold
belts and sashes. Some of
these were specifically for
ceremonial purposes but
nonetheless it is part of their
everyday clothing as well.
SURIGAO SACRED
THREAD
• This is the Surigao Sacred
Thread. It was excavated on
Surigao del Sur in 1981 and is
believed to be 1000 years old
that weighs more than 4 Kilos.
This were worn by the datas
and rajahs for it symbolizes
power.
PETROGLYPHS

• The Angono Petroglyphs is

known to be dated back from
3000 B.C. It contains 127
human and animal figures
engraved on the rock
wall. Known for being the
oldest work of art in the
Philippines.
MANUNGGUL JAR

• This burial jar was found in the

Manunggul Cave in Palawan and is
believe to be dated as early as 710-
890 BC. It is considered to be a
nationat treasure since it is one of
the most remarkable finds in
ancient pottery. It has
anthropomorphic figures on top as
cover which signifies and
represents the souls sailing
afterward in a death boat.
BAYBAYIN AND RELATED
SCRIPTS
THE BUTUAN IVORY SEAL

• The script used in writing

down the LCI is Kawi, which
originated in Java, and was
used across much of Maritime
Southeast Asia. But in the
13th century or 14th century,
its descendant known in
Tagalog as Babayin
became regular in use.
THE LAGUNA COPPERPLATE
INSCRIPTION

• The inscriptions is said to be

translated that it forgives the
descendants of Namwaran from a
debt of 926.4 grams of gold and
granted by the chief of Tondo and
the authorities of Paila, Binwangan
and Pulilan (specific locations in
Luzon). The words are said to be a
mixture of Old Malay, Old Javanese,
Sanskrit and Old Tagalog.
 THE LAGUNA COPPERPLATE
INSCRIPTION

• Antoon Postma deciphered the text in 1989 at the

National Museum of the Philippines. It was discovered
that it was created in the year 900 A.D. because it was
identified in its contents “Year of Syaka 822, month of
Vausakha”. Because of deciphering the LCI, it was
considered that Philippine’ history began at 1521 to
which Magellan and Antonio Pigafetta, his chronicler,
arrived in the Philippines. Although there were not
much proof of this because pre-colonial records did
not survived to this day to be studied- most of the
writing were done in bamboo or leaves. With this
being said, the LCI is considered to be the earliest
written record of the islands (which later became the
Philippines).
 • Age of Horticulture/ Neolithic Period (6185 to 4400
BC)
PRE-COLONIAL • Metal Age ( 3190 to 190 BC)
ART PERIOD • Iron Age (200 BC to 1000 BC)
OLD STONE AGE (PALEOLITHIC)
ESPINOSA RANCH SITE,
CAGAYAN 16000-8000 BC

• The proof of earliest man’s

presence was recovered from a
ranch site in Cagayan Province-two
flake tools dated about .9 million
years, the oldest man-made object
associated with the fossils of a
proboscidean, a prehistoric
elephant. Other flake tools are
recovered in Tabon Caves, Palawan
and some stone tools in Bolobok
Cave, Sanga-Sanga in Tawi-Tawi.
SHELL BRACELETS AND PENDANTS (NEOLITHIC)
CAGAYAN, PALAWAN, AND SORSOGON 4854 BC
• Shells were fashioned into tools, as
well as ornaments. The oldest known
ornaments made from cone shells
were found in the early 1960’s in the
grave of an adult male in Duyong Cave
in Palawan. A shell disk with a hole in
the center was found next to his right
ear and a disk with a hole by the edge
was found on his chest. The shell
ornaments were dated 4854 B.C.
THE OKIR
(MOTIF)
• Is an artistic cultural heritage of the
Maranaos of Lanao, Philippines. It is
as an artistic design of the Maranao
native inhabitants of southern
Philippines beginning from the early
6th Century C.E. before the
Islamization of the area. Okir is a
design or pattern often rendered
or curved in hardwood, brass, silver
and wall painting in curvilinear lines
and Arabic geometric figures.
PATTERNS OF OKIR USED BY
MARANAO ARTISTS:
1. Matilak (circle)
2. Poyok (bud)
3. Dapal (leaf)
4. Pako (fern or spiral form)
5. Todi (fern leaf with spiral at upper edge)
6. Pako lungat (fern leaf with a cut at one
edge) Other elements found are: Naga, obid-obid
binotoon, kianoko, pakonai and tialitali.
COMMON THEMES OF
OKIR

• Torogan known as the flower

symbol of the ancestral home of
the highest titleholder in a
Maranao village. The prominent
part is panolong, carved beam that
protrudes in the front of the house,
it symbolizes power and prestige.
• Nāga or serpent
• Sarimanok, a chicken-like figure
that carries a fish in its beak.
LINGLING-O (2000 BC – 1000
AD) DUYONG CAVE, PALAWAN

• a kind of ear pendant fashioned

from green nephrite (jade) is the
characteristic trait of the Early
Metal Age. One of the finest jade
ornaments found to date is the
double- headed pendant recovered
from Duyong Cave, Palawan. It is an
example of the superb
craftsmanship of ancient carving in
jade.