Topic 2: Appreciating the Philippine Indigenous Art

Time Allotment: 3 hours

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this topic, you will be able to:
a. ain familiarity on the different indigenous art forms, materials and sources in the
country;
b. create written outputs highlighting the characteristics and uses of the indigenous
artworks from the locality; and
c show appreciation of the indigenous art of the Filipinos by creating artworks using
the designs or motifs of the Filipino indigenous art.

Activating Prior Learning

Write a one-liner statement about various indigenous arts that can be
found in your locality or province. Statement can be about basketry, wood carving,
jewelry making, pottery, weaving, mat-making and others. Write as many
statements as you can in three minutes. Share your ideas to the class.

Presentation of Content
Read the passage and try to answer the following questions for the discussion.
1. What are the indigenous arts that are still practiced in your locality today?
2. What are the uses of these indigenous arts in the community today?

Philippine Indigenous Art, Uncovered

As Filipinos, how well do we know about our indigenous art? Do we still see traces
of our indigenous designs and motifs in our contemporary arts?
The Philippine’s unique topography and diverse cultural environment with the
distribution of mixed and indigenous groups resulted to cultural heterogeneity. The
climate (wet or dry), location (sitio, barrio, or poblacion, cities), topography
(mountains, plains, riverbanks, coast) religion of various beliefs and sects, and
membership to cultural groups from all over the country, all of these have
influences in the material culture that are produced including art. Philippine
material culture consists of wide array of utilitarian and ceremonial objects (Dela
Cruz, 1988). Many forms combine aesthetic concerns with utilitarian purposes
(Baesa-Pagay, et al.,2003) including pottery, basketry, mat-making, jewelry, metal
works, textile weaving and carving. These are the indigenous art of the Filipinos
which are surviving up to this time.
Indigenous art are created by the people in the community which often uses
materials found in the locality. These are art forms are still created in the
community and have survived as industries for the locals.
In the succeeding part of this module, let us rediscover the Philippine indigenous
arts that are still surviving today and try to see where these can fit in our daily lives
as Filipinos living in the contemporary world.

Pottery
Pottery is one of the oldest arts which combine design and function (Guillermo,
1989). The Manunggul Jar, a burial jar, excavated in Palawan is an artwork having
its design of two men rowing a boat expressing the beliefs of Filipinos that spirits
of the dead travel to the afterlife which is also expressed in the Filipino expression
“sumakabilang buhay”. More of these burial jars were also excavated in Cagayan
Valley and other parts of the country.
Clay pots for Filipinos have many uses in the home and in other daily activities.
Clay pots and jars in different shapes and sizes are used for food preparation and
storage while plates and bowls are used for serving food.
Manunggul Jar Samples of pots crafted by Filipinos
.nationalmuseum.gov.ph. https://www.slideshare.net/danshiernans/art-of-luzon-
highlands?next_slideshow=1

Basketry and Mat-making

Basketry is known to be older that pottery tradition but because it is highly
perishable, most of artifacts cannot be found in museum displays. With the
abundance of materials such as bamboo,
rattan, pandanus, nito and other
materials in the country, this is done in
almost all parts of the country. Mats are
used to sleep on or to wrap the deads.
While baskets of different shapes and
sizes are used for activities in the
household and in the economic
activities of the Filipinos. This artform
has survived even today and designs,
colors and uses vary from one place to
another.
Mat weaving has been a
source of income for
Filipino women. Woven
mats are used to create other
products such as purse,
bags, and decors. The finest
products of our weavers are
exported around the world
introduced by our Filipino
artists abroad. Today,
weaving as an indigenous
art continues to flourish and
create its mark not only in
the country but in the Mats of different designs are used to create other
international market as products for export.
well. https://wovenph.com/pages/about-us

Carving
The carving tradition in wood and metal has existed a long time ago when our
ancestors learned to use small hand tools to engrave and carve details in wood and
metal. The earliest pieces of
materials with carvings are
found in on the boat-shaped
coffins in Palawan. Later,
carvings were found in
gold, wood, and ivory in the
highlands and lowlands of
Luzon and Mindanao. Even
boats used by our ancestors
were decorated with
intricate carvings.
Carvings has utilitarian,
ornamental and even A sample of a wood-carved retablo placed in church altars
ritualistic functions in the https://i0.wp.com/wanderingbakya.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/retablo.
Philippine society. The jpg

carvers of Paete, Laguna carried on this long tradition of wood carving in the
country and they are known for their masterpieces which include religious icons
and others. This tradition exists today and displays the skills and love for work and
diligence of our Filipino carvers.
Left: Lepa boat of Badjau is a houseboat for traveling where
Intricate carved design called okil adds beauty to it.
https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Collections/Ethno
/Boat.html
Right: Religious icons are carved in Paete, Laguna
showcasing the expertise of their artists and artisans
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1111371/wood-carving-art-alive-in-paete

Weaving
Textile weaving is one of the
indigenous arts that Filipinos have
grown up with. Different indigenous
group all over the country produce
their piece of textile embellished with
intricate geometric design, symbols
and color. Tapis, malong, abel are
some pieces of textile which shows
that this indigenous art is still
surviving. Colorful, vibrant and
varied designs show how refined and
Weavers showcase their skills as they weave intricate design in
skilled the Filipinos are. Geometric textile Source: https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/weaving-the-
designs are commonly used by threads-of-filipino-heritage

indigenous groups in weaving textile.

 Unit 5: Taking a Glimpse of Art History

Left: Ifugao cotton blanket called kinuttiyan woven by women

Center: BAgobo trouser called sawal weaved from abaca cloth
Right: Tausug’s head covering called pis siyabit is woven with
geometric pattern
https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/
Jewelry
Jewelry is example of an indigenous art made only for adornment. In the Filipino
culture it also reveals the status of the wearer in the community. In Mindanao, the
datu and his family wear various jewelry with intricate design made of beads and
even precious metals that symbolizes their high stature in the community. Even
warriors and women members of the community create their own jewelry for
adornment which actually symbolizes their activities and accomplishments in the
community. Hunters and warriors may use beads, animal bones, wood and metal
for making their jewelry.

Natives wear their jewelry during tribal

A young member of indigenous group wears
gatherings
jewelry made of beads in contrasting colors
Source:https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippi
Source:http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.co
nes/articles/a-guide-to-the-indigenous-tribes-
m/people/ethnic-groups-in-the-
of-the-philippines/
philippines/bagobo/