YANCEY REPORT (CPAR) .pptx

1. PRE-CONQUEST

2. I. Pre-Conquest In art historical terms, we refer to art before the coming of the first colonizers as “ pre-conquest ” . In stylistic terms, we refer to it as “indigenous” to emphasize the idea that our ancestors have been making art even before colonization. It is also described in cultural terms as “ pre-colonial ” as a term to use for the general way of life before colonization.

3. Was there “art” before colonization?

4. Prior to colonization, art of the ancient Filipinos were woven into the fabric of everyday life. They do not refer to “art” as we do today, that is, as an expression of an individual, and seen largely in museums and concert halls. They did not distinguish forms into different categories like music, theater, visual arts, etc. Everyday expressions were all integrated within rituals that marked significant moments in a community’s life, like planting and harvesting. Rites of passage, funerary ceremonies, weddings, among others.

5. Our ancestors, just like all others in the world during those times, were hunter-gatherers. Before there were cities and large monuments, the pre-colonial Filipino hunted food and game that were shared among members of a community in a gathering where they told stories about the hunt. They imitated the movement of animals and prey, and the sounds that they made.

6. Many of these rituals, which can consider as the earliest forms of theater are still alive in the various regions. Officiated by a shaman or mumbaki , the cañao also involves animal sacrifice, where the entrails are read through a process of divination that is performed either for healing, to announce the birth of a child, or a coming of age, during wakes, weddings, and burial ceremonies. In Lake Lanao in Mindanao, a Kashawang ritual to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting is still observed and performed. This ritual involves a reenactment of the pact made by the ancestors of the community and the unseen spirits that inhabit the lake.

7. SHAMAN OR MUMBAKI KASHAWANG RITUAL

8. In Palawan, the Tagbanwa believe that every thirteenth moon, three goddesses descend from heaven to bless the planting of rice. The shamans go into a trance amidst ritual chanting and dancing and are believed to be taken over by the goddesses themselves.

9. Long before the coming of the Spaniards, the pre-colonial peoples of the Philippines already possessed a varied and vibrant musical culture. The country’s indigenous cultures through the existence of ethnic musical instruments such as pipes, flutes, zithers, drums , various sting instruments like the kudyapi a three stringed guitar, the kulintang-an array of bossed gongs, the gansa or flat gong , bamboo percussion instruments, and the agong -a large bossed gong.

10. The Pangalay from the sulu archipelago is mimetic of the movement of seabirds, the Mandayas’kinabua , the banog-banog of the Higaonon and the B’laan communities, and the man- manok of the Bagobos of Mindanao imitate the movements of predatory birds. The talip dance of the Ifugaos is used in courtship and is mimetic of the movements of wild fowls, while the inamong of the Matigsalugs , and the Kadaliwas dance of the T’bolis present the comedic movements of monkeys. The Tinikling , a popular Tagalog Folk Dance often showcased for tourists, is evocative of the movements of the crane, balancing itself on stilt-like legs or flitting away from the clutches of bamboo traps.

11. Pre-colonial Filipinos have been making images before colonization. This is exemplified by the country’s rich tradition in carving. People of Cordilleras carve the bulul , regarded as a granary God that plays an important role in rituals. The anthropomorphic bulul also appears in containers, bowls, and spoons. The Ifugaos also produce the hagabi , a wooden bench that marks the socioeconomic status of the owner. On the other hand, Christianized communities in Laguna and Pampanga are known for carving santos or sculptures of saints as well as other wooden sculptures of secular or non-religious orientation.

12. HAGABI BULUL

13. Paete , Laguna is recognized for its carving tradition; and the town of Betis, Pampanga remains active today despite the many challenges posed to contemporary practice. In the Southern Philippines, curvilinear decorations called the okir (termed ukkil / in Tausug/ Samal / Badjao ) are employed in woodcarving. Sensuous figures sometimes painted in primary colors follow the basic designs of the mythical sarimanok , the naga or serpent, and the pako rabong or fern.

14. Elaborate okir designs can also be found in the panolong or protruding beams of the sultan’s house called the torogan . The ubiquity of okir is evident in its diverse applications, from ornamentation in musical instruments and sheaths; to grave markers called sunduk , as well as marking for ceremonial boats.

15. Figure 2.1. Manunggul Jar Some of the most ancient forms are made out of terracotta. The Manunggul Jar , discovered at Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan is dated to the late Neolithic period (870-710 BC). It is a secondary burial vessel, where buried and exhumed bones are placed. Glazed with reddish hematite and incised with curvilinear designs, it has two anthropomorphic or human forms atop the lid: a boatman paddling to transport his deceased charge, whose journey through water is interpreted as a metaphor of travel to the afterlife .

16. Another type of anthropomorphic burial jars was produced during the Meta Age (5 BC-225 AD). It was found in Ayub Cave in Maitum , Saranggani Province. The human figure is more pronounced in these jars, with the lid taking the form of a head and the base, its body. On the other hand, other forms of pottery that remain is use are the palayok for cooking, and containers such as the banga and tapayan for fermenting food or keeping liquids. The traditional pagbuburnay in Vigan thrives and is currently valued in Ilocos as part of its creative industry.

17. Another cherished living tradition is weaving. According to Respicio , textile weaving has a long history that Philippine ethnolinguistic groups have a rich textile weaving tradition. Textiles are not only functional , they also impart knowledge about people’s belief system: the reverence for spirits and nature, criteria for the beautiful, and their societies 'sociopolitical structures. In traditional weaving, the fibers are gathered from plants like cotton, abaca, and pineapple leaves while the pigments are extracted from clay, roots, and leaves of plants. A backstrap loom or a pedal loom is used to weave designs that hold special meaning for a particular cultural group. Example of woven textiles include the pis siyabit , a headpiece woven by the Tausug of Sulu and malong with exquisite tapestry panels called Langkit woven by the Maranao of Lanao del Sur.

18. Aside from textiles, other forms of weaving include mat and basket weaving. The colorful double-layered tepo mat of the Sama of Tawi-Tawi made of pandan leaves is a remarkable example of a mundane or everyday object with high artistic value. In Itbayat , Batanes, ovaloid baskets made of nito and bamboo are used as a head sling to carry harvests. Weaving techniques are also applied in creating tools for agricultural purposes. In the Ilocos region, sturdy bamboo strips are woven to create fish traps called bubo .

19. Figure 2.2. Pintados The tendency toward ornamentation could also be seen in the way early Filipinos adorned their bodies, In the 16 th century, the illustrated manuscript called the Boxer Codex featured representations of various ethnolinguistics groups. An upper class Tagalog couple was portrayed wearing while the Visayans are shown fully covered in tattoo, corroborating early accounts that referred to the Visayas as “Islas de los Pintados”. Aside from its aesthetic function, tattoos were valued because it was believed to protect the individual from evil spirits, and in some cases, it was considered as a badge of maturity and bravery. Shared by other regions in Southeast Asia and New Zealand, other Philippine ethnolinguistic groups which practiced tattooing include the Kalinga, Kankanay , Ibaloy , and Ifugao. Aside from bodily inscriptions, jewelry is also believed to make the wearer more attractive to the opposite sex inasmuch as it is considered pleasing to the Gods.

20. Textured designs of rhombuses, spirals, circles, and tendrils swarm over the exterior of functional containers. The design is achieved through a special technique of metal casting called the Lost wax or Cire perdue process which involves the use of moulds filled with liquified metal that eventually hardens. The removal of the mold reveals the design in relief. Others vessels that employ the same techniques are the brass kendi and the gadur , which are used in ceremonies and are cherished as status symbols or as heirloom pieces. The kendi is a vessel used for pouring liquids. It has a round body with no handle; while the gadur is a container wit a tapered top, a round body, and a flared base.

21. II. ISLAMIC COLONIAL (13 TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT)

22. How did Islam influence art before the coming of Spanish colonizers?

23. Even before the coming of Spanish colonizers, Islam was already well-entrenched in Southern Philippines, where it continues to be culturally dominant and strong. Islam was said to have gained significant grounding in Sulu as early as the 13 th century. Aside from introducing holy texts via the holy book of Quran and building a house of prayer, Abubakar was recognized for building a religious school, also known as the madrasa that facilitated the teaching of Arabic writing in the 16 th century. Natives from Zamboanga and Yakans from Basilan were converted to Islam, with teachers coming from Jolo , Sulu, and other practitioners from nearby regions like Brunie .

24. As the Islamization process in Mindanao strengthened, Islam became the driving force that enable the natives to resist centuries of Spanish colonization. Islam was embraced as a religion and as a way of life by the peoples of Mindanao, among them, the Tausug, Maranao, Maguindanao, Yakan , Samal , Badjao , to name a few; as well as some areas in Palawan.

25. What are the main beliefs of Islam that Influence the ways art is made and interpreted?

26. Filipino Muslims recognized that they belong to an ummah or a community of believers. Central to the Islamic faith is the doctrine of Tawhid or unity of God. This belief emphasizes the impermanence of nature and the incomprehensible greatness of the divine Being. According to Prof. Abraham Sakili , we can then relate this with two aspects of reality. One is the object perceived by the ordinary sense, while the other is the sense of nothingness, a space or a void empty of all thing; to evoke that God is above and beyond all things.

27. In Islamic art, we can observed how artists are influenced by the notion of the Tawhid. Considering the goal of negating materiality, we will find that the interior of mosques are covered with elaborate patterning in the form of reliefs to draw the attention away from the concrete object, in other words, away from human forms and nature “toward the contemplation of the divine”. Unlike other religious traditions which make use of icons, is Islam, divine unity is expressed through abstract forms and patterns that compel the believes to engage in mental concentration.

28. THANK YOU! GOD BLESS US!