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The Asian in Philippine Art

By Alice G. Guillermo

Bagong Umaga, 1980 Acrylic by Edgar Fernandez

JLt is a common tendency, inconsidering Philippine art in its Asiancontext, to embark on a nostalgia tripto the past — so often is our conceptof the Asian temporal rather thanspatial or geographical. And while thefoundation of our culture and sensi-bility which is Asian goes back tothe precolonial period, because ofcenturies of colonization, we tend toregard it as part of an irretrievablepast rather than considering theAsian in us, or more particularly, theSoutheast Asia in us, an everpresentand continuing reality.

Before the coming of the Spa-niards, the Southeast Asian regionenjoyed a fluidity of movement amongits populations. The flourishing tradebetween commercial outposts in theSultanate of Sulu, Mindoro and otherPhilippine ports with Malacca andthe Moluccas or Spice Island createdregional networks of communicationand exchange, commercial as well ascultural. Centres of political organiza-tion which were the Hinduized king-doms of Sri-Vishaya and Madjapahitin Sumatra and Java must have madetheir presence felt in the SouthernPhilippines. With the Islamization ofthe Malay Peninsula and the entirearchipelago, Islam also spread to thesouth and on the eve of colonization,began to hold sway in the Manilaarea. The mobility of the peoples inthe form of island-hopping by meansof boats, which were the primarymeans of transportation, continuedup to the colonial era. With thecoming of the Spaniards, their sub-sequent control of trade and theirsetting up of national boundaries, theFilipinos were cut off from the largercommunications they had previouslyenjoyed with the rest of SoutheastAsia.

Our indigenous cultural tradi-tions, like our Philippine languages,are derived from the larger SoutheastAsian context at the same time thatthey are local adaptations and varia-tions. Evidences of archaeology trace

them to Southeast Asian culturalcomplexes, Dongson bronze andKalanay pottery. At present, the termindigenous art is applicable to threeareas: precolonial art particularly inartifacts, ethnic art, and folk art,

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differentiations which imply theinfluence of colonization.

As cultural interest often dwellslingeringly on the almost five cen-turies of Spanish rule, it is easy tooverlook the fact that the precolonialperiod consists of thousands of years,during which we were shaping ourbasic character as a Southeast Asianpeople. Our knowledge of our pre-historic past is based on the archaeo-logical evidence of fossils and artifacts;the oral tradition of epics, myths, andlegends; Asian records and traveloguessuch as those of Chau Ju-kua (12thand 13th centuries) and Wang Ta-Yuan(14 th century), and the colonialaccounts on Spanish contact. Com-parative studies of excavated artifactssuch as tools, pottery, bronze imple-ments and vessels, boats, as well astextile fragments point to a sharedregional culture that dates back to theNeolithic. The Tabon Man, as we allknow, is assigned by carbon-14 datingto a time threshold of 22,000 yearsago. Epics, legends, myths, and folk-tales likewise tell us of the animisticworld view, the social life, culture andvalues of the early Filipinos. Asidefrom these, there are the Chinese andSpanish accounts that shed light onprecolonial Philippines. While therecords of the conquistadores andfriars are written from the colonialpoint of view, still it is possible topiece together from these, whileshifting through western prejudices,a picture of our ancestors.

Our indigenous traditions havebeen preserved by what are officiallycalled "cultural communities" orformerly "ethnic minorities" — termswhich hardly do justice to the people,because these were groups in no wayessentially different from the otherethnic groups in the country beforethe arrival of the Spaniards. It wasthey, however, who resisted the coloni-zation process by putting up armed

resistance or by fleeing to the hills.William Henry Scott calls them theindependent Filipinos of unhispanizedPhilippines. Their artistic productions,which continue the indigenous tradi-tions, loosely fall under the term"ethnic art" This includes the art ofthe Cordillera groups in the north,the Islamized Marañaos, Maguin-danaos, Tausugs and Samáis in thesouth, as well as that of the T'boli,Mangyans, Tagbanuas, and Bagobos.

We also see the continuity of theindigenous artistic traditions in thefolk art of the Christianized Filipinosof the rural areas. Folk art has a Christian and colonial componentwhich ethnic art does not have — aswitness the numerous artistic expres-sions that revolve around fiestas. Thesymbolism of the parol is Christian,and so is the subject of the belen andthe tinapay ni San Nicolas. It is wellto note, however, that the borderlinebetween ethnic and folk art is blurred,as in the case of baskets and hats,although folk art production of thesehas a generally "domesticated" qualitythat distinguishes them from, say, thebaskets of ethnic art which may in-corporate long tufts of hair andbands of intricated beadwork.

On the eve of Spanish coloniza-tion, indigenous artistic values hadbecome clearly established, valueswhich prevailed on the whole, in therest of Southeast Asia, and whichmoreover contrasted sharply with thevalues introduced by the west.

As in the rest of Southeast Asia,the art forms of precolonial Philip-pines flowed into each other withoutany strict categorization of forms. Artwas, first of all, a total human andcollective experience, an expression ofreligion and ritual. Dance, song,proto-theatreand ritual objects createda total atmosphere linked with the

times of planting and harvesting, withinitiation rites, weddings, burials, andwith shaman healing rituals. Theforms of art existed in relation to a heightened religious experience cen-tering around the shaman-bard-artist.

In this context, art was essen-tially social in character; the artists asbard and shaman had an importantsocial role as intermediary betweenhis society and the gods of nature aswell as the ancestral deities. Art playsthe primary role in social events suchas harvest festivals, weddings, burialsand healing rituals. Because of this,art contributed greatly to socialcohesiveness and group solidarity.Ensuring the survival of their com-munality in ritual, it bound togetherfamily, clan and tribe in a commonand collective experience. Even today,our indigenous art draws much of itsvitality from kinship ties. We observe,for instance, how the present-dayjeepneys and even buses reflect familyand domestic values in bringing in thefeatures of a traditional living roomor sala in the crocheted curtains,hangings and painted landscapes.Strong kinship values are also ex-pressed in the names emblazoned onjeepneys and boats — values traceableto the early baranganic communities.

Art was likewise accessible to allbecause it was continually producedfor the ritual and daily needs of thecommunity. The making of culturalobjects involved entire families as wellas generations of families. In SoutheastAsia, some of the greatest artisticexpressions retain this popular cha-racter, as in the wayang of Indonesia,the woodcuts of Japan, the kites andpaper cut-outs of China. In the earlyclassless societies of the country,material culture was the property ofall and did not possess an elitistcharacter. With the emergence of theIslamic sultanates of the south and

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Tulungan, 1978 Oil by Jose Blanco

the petty plutocracies of the north(W.H. Scott's categories) which at-tended the development of surplus pro-duction and the growing distinctionbetween a labouring and a landowningleisure class, art began to acquire a status character as it began to servethe interests of the local ruling classesfor power and aggrandisement. Forinstance, certain colours and types ofmalong became reserved for theruling elite. Likewise, the possessionof the sarimanok and exquisite okir woodcarving also distinguished thisclass. This also became true for theCordillera peoples for whom thehagabi, for instance, is a seat of socialrank.

Art too, and artistic design,aside from being related to ritual, wasintegrated with the functional aspectof material culture. It is the pottery,the metalware in bronze, brass andprecious metal, the fine woodcarvingthat attest to the high level of ourprehispanic culture. Art was truly an

integral part of life and the socialenvironment was strongly markedwith the native sense of design. Artproduced for pure contemplation oraesthetic delectation was yet unknown.

There existed no strict catego-ries between fine arts and appliedarts, between arts and crafts. The firstsuperior to the second. The reasonwhy much of native artistic produc-tion was relegated, with colonization,to an inferior status was that theindigenous arts, which had beenhighly cultural expressions, becamecut off from their religious and socialmeaning, and became regarded solelyas decorative objects of "pagan"inspiration. In reality, all these indi-genous arts were originally producedwithin the context of myth and re-ligion, of symbolic and social meaning.Thus, the Ifugao and Kalinga blanketsdo not simply weave in the figures ofman, lizard and shield only as decora-tive motifs, but these were meant astalismans for the dead in the journey

to the afterlife. The sarimanok thenaga, the tree of life designs all havemythical origins of a Hindu-Buddhiststrain and signify values related tomaterial abundance, fertility, long life,and protection against evil spirits.With the intimate connection of artand ritual, the making of art, par-ticularly ritualistic objects, was itselfa sacred process. Its products, likewise,were treated with great care andreverence. The ritual for the makingof the kris, for instance involves theinvocation of the gods accompaniedby blood sacrifice, with the obser-vance of safeguard to protect theartist from polluting influences. Likethe shaman and bard, the artists whofashioned objects of ritual assumedthe character of high priests andmediators with the gods.

The indigenous arts, producedfor the immediate community towhich the artist belonged, did nothave the character of a commodity tobe sold. They were first of all objectsof ritual and social meaning, oftenprized heirlooms passed from onegeneration to another and related tothe cult of the ancestors and to tribalpride, given as part of dowry, or, atthe least, exchanged for goods ofequivalent value. At the same time,since much of indigenous art wasmade of fragile, perishable materials,art was a continuous process whereinthe works, like the flowers and fruitsof nature, were continually produced,replaced, and replenished, with art-making having a broad base of com-munity participation. The earlyFilipinos were not concerned with themaking of masterpieces in whichworks are considered as unique,formal, and final statements - anattitude introduced by colonization.

Having its roots in animismwhich worshipped the forces of nature,art was likewise an expression of man's

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relationship with the environmentand his adaptation to local geogra-phical and ecological conditions.Drawn from the environment, it hada distinctly organic character as itreflected a land and riverine culture.This organic quality comes out mostclearly in the widespread use ofbamboo. The Hanunoos, for instance,inscribe their ambahan verses onliving bamboos and improvised ben-ches in the forests. In the TuvvaangEpic, the hero is skilled in the weavingof anklets, the patterns of which arelikened to the eyes of different birds.The epic also reflects the indigenousintimate sense of material in thevarious wood used for spears, shieldsand tools which are appreciated withina mythical context. In the Philippines'native art, all materials are usable inart, with no sense of hierarchy ofmaterials such as exists in the west.Artistic expression is not confined toa limited number of prescribed ma-terials: human and animal hair, bones,teeth, feathers, seeds that are all a partof organic nature have their place. InT'boli jewellery, fine chains of horse-hair alternate with brass links.

Along with the organic natureof artistic production, great impor-tance is placed on the highly skilledwork of the hands, such as we see inour handicraft architecture or in themats of Sulu. Contrary to what wecommonly think, our indigenous arts,folk and ethnic, often show a remark-able complexity in their execution,manifesting a premium placed ondexterity and skill. This is seen in thetree of life applique blankets of theTausug, in the Sulu mats, in thebeadwork of the T'boli, in the beauti-ful blankets of the Cordilleras. In folkart, native woodcarvers like to testtheir skill by carving intricate details,such as chains or feathery fans, froma single bar of wood. The highlydecorative character of much of our

indigenous art does not exist for itselfalone, but is there to give the work a precious, even sacred, quality; suchwill give pleasure to the gods. Thenative house, be it the nipa hut or thebahay na bato, the various conve-yances, horse drawn or engine-po-wered, invariably reflect the love forthe decorative which has, in the courseof time, developed recognizable motifsand styles linking all parts of thecountry. This penchant correspondsto the native musical style in whichthe melody is lavishly ornamentedwith melismatic passages, microtones,and glissandi.

The formal qualities of indigen-ous art themselves reflect socialvalues. Much of our native art isbased on the curvilinear line, as in theokir woodcarving, the Tagalog script,as well as in music and chanting,signifying a ritualistic elaboration and

an indirection that opposes the straight-forward or direct. The arts of thenorth, however, the bulul and therelated woodcarving, in general,possess a stern and geometric charac-ter possibly reflective of the morerigorous geographical conditions ofthe highlands.

In ethnic art, colors are pro-duced from organic dyes that give a distinct charm and come in combina-tions different from that of the Chris-tianized lowlands. They likewiseretain a religious and social symbolismand significance. Folk art reveals inbright, high-saturation primary andsecondary hues, such as are seen in thePaete paper mache animals. Brightcolors in folk arts are expressive ofsocial warmth and gregariousness, aswell as joy in a fertile environment.Bright is vivid or matingkad, a positivevalue signifying life and intensity; pale

Dogfight, 1979 Oil by Ang Kiukok

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Infusion of Arts and Culture, 1983 Acrylic by Bertoldo Manta

is mapusyaw, a negative value signi-fying lack. Scholars have pointed outthat the indigenous sense of colour isintimately bound up with the sense oftonal value.

In indigenous art, one sees thefilling up of entire space followingregular patterns of alternation andrepetition, although motifs apparentlygeometric may be stylized figures ofdiverse creatures of land, air and water,and as such possessing religious andritualistic significance. The indigenousapproach to space signifies the valuegiven to fertility, abundance and gre-gariousness, a Southeast Asian qualitywith possibly Indian influence.

The artistic values which we drawfrom the Asian traditions are a con-tinuing reality in our native arts andform an essential part of our self-definition as Filipinos and SoutheastAsians. It is our continual obligation,as it is at the same time a pleasure, tobe keenly aware of these traditions andto resuscitate them in the present, notmerely as alternative values to those of

the west, but as our original and au-thentic values. This awareness acquiresa political dimension in that it shapesour definition of ourselves as a distinctpeople vis-a-vis the west. At the sametime, we relate ourselves with the restof the Southeast Asian region as thematrix of our culture in similarstruggles against economic and cul-tural impositions. Thus, we seek tomove towards an art which resumesand continues a meaningful com-munication with the Southeast Asian,and more broadly, the Asian com-munity to which we have alwaysbelonged. ®

G L O S S A R Y

Ambahan

Literary verses inscribed in bamboosand improvised benches done by the Hanunoosin the forest.

Bahay na BatoA Filipino house made of stones, or

literally, a concrete house. Usually the term isused by the rural folks to describe the houseof the rich.

Baranganic

The adjective form of the word barangay,a village.

BelenThe Filipino version of the holy family.

Statuettes depicting the birth of Jesus Christare set in a landscape, including, the three wisekings who came to offer some gifts to the newlyborn child Jesus.

BululCarved concentrated figure in wood,

used by the Ifugao tribe in ceremonial festi-vities.

HagabiA big wooden bench carved from a huge

trunk of a tree.

Hanunoos

An ethnic tribe in Mindoro, a southernisland in the Philippines.

JeepneyA passenger vehicle, the Phillippines

adopted and improved from the World War IImilitary jeeps, now popularly used.

KrisA Filipino Muslim ceremonial blade

weapon. This weapon is also common in otherSoutheast Asian countries.

Malong

A tubular garment worn by both sexesin the southern part of the Philippines.

NagaA mythical dragon or serpent usually

seen in the royal houses of Mindanao. It is alsoknown in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

OkirA Maranao ornamental motif composed

of geometrical and floral designs.

Parol

A Filipino lantern usually exhibitedduring the Christmas season in the Philippines.

Sarimanok

A legendary mythical bird mentioned inthe Maranao epic as a messenger bird with a mystical power.

Tinapay ni San Nicolas

Bread of Saint Nicolas

TuwaangA literary epic of mythical stories

narrated by an ethnic minority in the Phi-lippines.

WayangA traditional puppet show common in

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.