Philippine Culture
Indigenous Sculpture
In the north, the indigenous tradition of sculpture survived the zealous proselytizing of the Roman
Catholic Church only among the mountain peoples. The most important type of sculpture, in its quality, quantity and continuing use, are the wooden bulul or bulol carved by Ifugao craftsmen of Mountain
Province, Luzon Often made in pairs, male and female, bulul represent guardian deities and are placed in rice granaries to ensure beautiful rice.
The figures have a religious function that is central in Ifugao life. Carved from wood of the narra tree, the bulul is 300 to 650 mm high. The figure either stands with arms at its sides, hands on stomach and knees often bent, or sits with elbows on knees and hands holding opposite arms. Each statue base is a carved double plinth, possibly referring to the shape of the rice mortar. While some bulul are rough and naively naturalistic, others are carved in smooth stylization with articulated hands and faces. They vary according to the skill of the carvers, who are kinsmen of the patron. Figures similar in appearance to bulul appear in the carved wooden finials of containers, and in the handles of spoons and other Ifugao utensils. While the
Ifugao are known for wood-carving, other pre-Hispanic Philippine tribes carved in limestone to create burial jars, their lids often topped by reproductions of human heads (Mindanao); some carved spoons from the chambered Nautilus shell (Palawan); others embossed gold burial face masks of separate nose
Ceramics
Jars found in burials from the 2nd millennium bc are the earliest-known pottery in the Philippines. A stem dish with a geometric design pierced through the pedestal is a characteristic form. The tradition of unglazed utilitarian earthenware that began in prehistoric times continued until the 9th century ad when production declined as the import of Chinese ceramics increased. There was an
In the north, the indigenous tradition of sculpture survived the zealous proselytizing of the Roman
Catholic Church only among the mountain peoples. The most important type of sculpture, in its quality, quantity and continuing use, are the wooden bulul or bulol carved by Ifugao craftsmen of Mountain
Province, Luzon Often made in pairs, male and female, bulul represent guardian deities and are placed in rice granaries to ensure beautiful rice.
The figures have a religious function that is central in Ifugao life. Carved from wood of the narra tree, the bulul is 300 to 650 mm high. The figure either stands with arms at its sides, hands on stomach and knees often bent, or sits with elbows on knees and hands holding opposite arms. Each statue base is a carved double plinth, possibly referring to the shape of the rice mortar. While some bulul are rough and naively naturalistic, others are carved in smooth stylization with articulated hands and faces. They vary according to the skill of the carvers, who are kinsmen of the patron. Figures similar in appearance to bulul appear in the carved wooden finials of containers, and in the handles of spoons and other Ifugao utensils. While the
Ifugao are known for wood-carving, other pre-Hispanic Philippine tribes carved in limestone to create burial jars, their lids often topped by reproductions of human heads (Mindanao); some carved spoons from the chambered Nautilus shell (Palawan); others embossed gold burial face masks of separate nose
Ceramics
Jars found in burials from the 2nd millennium bc are the earliest-known pottery in the Philippines. A stem dish with a geometric design pierced through the pedestal is a characteristic form. The tradition of unglazed utilitarian earthenware that began in prehistoric times continued until the 9th century ad when production declined as the import of Chinese ceramics increased. There was an