NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sumcab Este, Cabanatuan City

College of Architecture

DISCUSSION IN ARTS
APPRECIATION

Nina Lei T. Datu

BS ARCHITECTURE 1 – C

December 2019
 PRE HISPANIC ART

“Pre-Hispanic” as the name suggests is the period before the colonization of the Spanish people of our
homeland, the Philippines. This was before the unadulterated impositions of the colonizers destroyed,
remodeled and re-birth the know culture of the Philippines.

Pre-Hispanic corrugates or encloses the period where the Negritos, the Indonesians, and the Malays
flourished in our homeland. They are also the sources of our currently practice festivals like the Ati-atihan
Festival and the Maragtas chronicle. The culture was strictly of the Southeast Asian type and the people
lived humbly and primitively. People where very close to nature as studies and old tales have found about.
The people back then practiced animism which is the worship of nature and spirits and these where
represented in their art.

The music back then is what we may call no as “tribal” music. Ancient Filipinos had music for all occasions;
everything, from the birth of a child to the death of a loved one due to old age or war. The natives were
without a doubt, music-lovers. Each community had their own sets of musical instruments. According to
Pigafetta, the official historian f Magellan’s expedition, the women of Cebu were harmoniously playing
cymbals called Platiles, bamboo flutes called Aphiw, brass gongs called Gansa and many more of the likes.

In the line of Architecture, Filipinos heavily dwelled in caves and a lot of cave paintings were discovered
of these location. Architecture was learnt later on to they adapt to the community’s habits of hunting for
food. The early shelters are called “Lean-to” which is basically a portable shelter that was both a roof and
a wall at the same time; these were popular shelters for the nomadic lifestyle of the Negritos. Other
examples of ancient house designs is the Tausug House in Sulu, the Torogan or the shelter of the Maranao
Datus, Sultans or leaders, and the Ifugao Bale.

Ancient Filipinos where also popular for the trinkets and sculptures, as well as jewelry and wood carving.
Art back then was heavily influenced by their animistic religion, a big representation of this is the Bul-ul.
The Bul-ul is a carved Anito sculpture from the race of Ifugaos. It represents Ancestral Spirit and granary
of gods; they are the “Guardians of the Harvest”.

As for clothing and body ornamentation. Filipinos were all bout weaving. A popular design that is still
representation to this day is the Maranao’s Okir design; a general term for both for the scroll and geometric
type of pattern. As for body ornamentation, Filipino’s back then were big on inking their bodies. Tattoos
weren’t only for beauty, they held great meaning for Filipino’s back then. Tattoos were symbolic of honor,
dignity, strength and life’s journey.

Pre-Hispanic Art was rich and representational. It showed Filipinos in light for individualism.