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.
3. I. PRE-CONQUEST
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.
4. I. PRE-CONQUEST PERIOD
(6185 TO 1520 A.D.)
Age of Horticulture / Neolithic Period (6185 to 4000 B.C.)
Metal Age (3190 to 190 B.C.)
Iron Age (200 TO 1000 B.C)
- Art, in this period is considered as a ritual that marked significant
moments in a community’s life. (Planting, Harvesting, Rites of Passage,
Funerary Ceremonies, Weddings and others.)
- This is the period where earliest forms of ritual, music, dance, theater
and even literature started to bloom.
5. PRE-COLONIAL ART FORMS
- Pre-colonial traditional art have started out as fishing, planting,
harvesting or any ritual use in communal gatherings. Later on different
forms of art started to emerge such as:
Pottery
Weaving
Carving
Tattoo
Jewelry
Metal Crafts
6. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Many of these rituals, which we can consider as
the earliest forms of theater are still alive in the
various regions:
Mayvanuvanua in Batanes, a similar ritual
known as Cañao or Kanyaw is found in the
Cordillera Autonomous Region.
7. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Kashawing ritual to ensure abundance during
rice planting and harvesting is still observed
and performed.
In Palawan, the Tagbanwa believe that every
thirteenth moon, three goddesses descend
from heaven to bless the planting of rice.
8. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Long before the coming of the Spaniards, the
pre-colonial peoples of the Philippines already
possessed a varied and vibrant musical culture.
kudyapi a three stringed guitar
the kulintang—an array of bossed gongs
the gansa or flat gong
11. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Different Native Dance Forms:
Pangalay from the Sulu archipelago is mimetic
of the movement of seabirds,
the Mandayas’kinabua
the banog-banog of the Higaonon and of the
B’laan communities
12. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Different Native Dance Forms:
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
13. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Different Native Dance Forms:
kadaliwas dance of the T’bolis represent 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.
14. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Country’s rich tradition in carving such as:
People of the Cordilleras carve the bulul,
regarded as a granary god that plays an
important role in rituals.
The Ifugaos also produce the hagabi, a
wooden bench that marks the socioeconomic
status of the owner
15. I. PRE-CONQUEST
In the Southern Philippines, curvilinear
decorations called the okir (termed ukkil in
Tausug/Samal/Badjao) are employed in
woodcarving
okir designs can also be found in the panolong
or protruding beams of the sultan’s house
called the torogan
17. MOST NOTABLE ART WORKS
The Manunggul Jar, discovered at Manunggul Cave, Lipuun
Point, Palawan is dated to the late Neolithic period
(890–710 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. Another type of anthropomorphic burial jars was produced during the
Metal 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.
18. Maitum Jar
-found in Ayub Cave in Maitum, Saranggani
province. Also a burial vessel.
Palayok
Banga
Tapayan
Lingling-O
-One of the finest jade ornaments found to date
the double-headed ear pendant recovered from
Duyong Cave from Palawan.
20. I. PRE-CONQUEST
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 systems: the reverence for spirits
and nature, criteria for the beautiful, and their
societies sociopolitical structures.
21. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Examples of woven textiles:
pis siyabit, a headpiece woven by the Tausug of
Sulu
malong with exquisite tapestry panels called
langkit woven by the Maranao of Lanao del Sur
The colorful double-layered tepo mat of the
Sama of Tawi-Tawi made of pandan leaves
22. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Examples of woven textiles:
In Itbayat, Batanes, ovaloid baskets made of nito
and bamboo are used as a head sling to carry
harvests
24. I. PRE-CONQUEST
In the 16th century, the illustrated
manuscript called the Boxer Codex
featured representations of various
ethnolinguistic groups. An upper
class Tagalog couple was portrayed wearing gold
jewelry while the Visayans are shown fully covered in
tattoo, corroborating early accounts that referred to
the Visayas as “Islas de los Pintados.”
25. I. PRE-CONQUEST
Examples of jewelries:
The T’boli in particular are known to wear
brass chains, bells, and colorful beads to
complete their elaborate ensemble.
lotoans or betel nut boxes of various shapes,
made of brass or bronze produced chiefly by
the Maranao of Lanao del Sur
