ca.

10th - 13th century Surigao del Sur, Philippines During pre-Hispanic times, foreign merchants traded semi-precious stones in exchange for gold manufactured in Surigao province in the southern Philippines. This 22-carat bracelet inlaid with garnet and turquoise is an excellent specimen and bears witness to the trade networks that plied Island Southeast Asia. Not on display.

5000 - 2000 B.C. Mindanao island, Southern Philippines This piece is an excellent example of a highly retouched flake tool. Found only in the Guri Cave of Lipuun Point, Palawan, central Philippines, this piece is a transitory tool type that breached the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. Not on display.

Ca. Early 20th century Basilan, Sulu Archipelago, Southern Philippines The practice of chewing betel leaf and Areca sp. nut spiked with pounded lime is common in Southeast Asia, where it likely originated. In areas in Mindanao, southern Philippines, offering someone a chew equates to extending a hand in friendship. Containers for betel chew preparations served as part of male and female attire and continue to be regarded as important heirloom property. It was also used as bride wealth. This ceremonial box for betel chewing and tobacco preparation is equipped with cigarette holders and brass ashtrays shaped into birds. A cutter for the nuts, a mortar-and pestle set, and a spatula complete this fine example. Not on display.

2200 B.C. to A.D. 1521 Salansang, South Cotabato, Philippines Pre-historic belief systems have influenced burial practices in pre-Hispanic Philippines when reverence given to the dead was of great importance. After a certain period of time, the remains of the deceased are exhumed, cleaned, and stored in such vessels. It was likely only the wealthy who could undergo secondary burials because the accompanying ceremonies were lavish. In the absence of written records, these urns are valuable testimonies to how society functioned then--their hierarchy, what they valued as commodities, and what they traded, among other practices. While most burial jars found in the Philippines are made of fired clay, these urns are carved from limestone, which make these relatively rare specimens. Not on display.