SAN JOSE, Desiree Faye V.

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GOLD

Ayala museum's collection of Philippine pre-Hispanic gold jewelry is an amazing

testament to the creativity technical skill and exacting aesthetic of our forefathers.
Earrings, pendants, rings, necklaces, heavy bracelets, braided gold wire belts, death
mask that would announce the wearer's status in the afterlife and in centuries to come.
The examples in the Ayala Museum and in other established collections come from
Butuan, Laguna, Panay, Samar, Leyte, Pangasinan, Bicol and the Cordilleras locations
that map out an archipelago rich in the traditions of personal adornment.

The first Spanish explorers in the Philippines reported that the wealthy and powerful
leaders they encountered more much gold jewelry and adornment these ornaments
worth amazing not only because of their quantity but because they were proof of an
extensive knowledge of mining or panning for gold.

1. GOLD IN IVATANS LIFE

Batanes is known for the breathtaking vistas, the dramatic juxtaposition of mountain
ridges and fast stretches of ocean and rich in mineral and precious metals.
People in Batanes called as Ivatans. Ivatans admires and values the beauty of gold.
The material has never been plentiful in Batanes.

A. Forms of Art

• Jewellery, a wearable sculpture

B. Techniques and Process

• Beating the gold into thin sheets and embossing it with race designs is one
common technique.
• Coiling and Weaving gold wire into a fine mesh for necklaces or belts.
• Lost Walk Technique is another complex technique were employed in the
creation beads which survives today among the T'boli, Bagobo and Maranao. It is
being used to create a multitude of bead design.

C. Location or Places of discoveries/ Ethic group/ Religion

• These provinces have their creation of gold ornaments, which are Butuan,
Laguna, Panay, Samar, Leyte, Pangasinan, Bicol, and Cordillera.
• The source of gold in Batanes is from the reserve in their natural habitat but
some of these are from other places since there was trading between Ivatan and
 to the northern part of Luzon. Probably, the gold that Batanes had is from either
Luzon or part of Taiwan.

D. Cultural Significance

• The Gold to Ivatans Life was very important both historically and culturally since
it is a symbol of their status. Gold was being used as a Dowry during pre-
marriage rituals wherein the man will offer pieces of gold or gold ornaments for
his wife to be. It is a heritage of Ivatans because when you see a lady wearing
this ivatan jewelry anywhere in the Philippines or anywhere in the world you
could easily identify them because the designs are from Batanes. Furthermore, it
is the connection to the ancestors and to their perfection and healing like if the
gold jewelry of a dead person is wrapped in red cloth and pin it to the left side of
a child, it will heal them.

TATTOO

For many young Filipinos, tattoos are no longer bear the stigma they once did nor are
they related simply to beauty. Tattoos had become expressions of a deeper conviction
of social political and even personal beliefs and statements. Among the Kalinga and the
peoples of the Cordillera tattoos are signs of social prestige accorded only to those who
has proven themselves in battle. Tattoos were never bought or commissions but earned.

2. WHANG-OD’S TATTOO (also known as PAGBABATOK)

Whang Od is a butbut Kalinga woman who is somewhere in her 90s has become a
cultural icon, a tourist attraction, and an economy booster. She was the last manwhatok
and has changed all these traditions stated above.

A. Forms of Art

• Painting on body/ body art or tribal art form

B. Techniques and Process

• Whang-od’s tribal tattoo ink is made up of charcoal and water. Once mixed, it is
tapped into the skin using a thorn from a citrus tree either from calamansi or
pomelo. The thorn is then attached to a 12-inch-long bamboo stick and from
there, Whang-od will start tapping it deep into your skin.
• Whang Od uses Siit (a lemon thorn needle) that is attached to the end of a small
bamboo stick and another shorter stick for tapping the thorn into the skin. The ink
she uses is soot mixed with oil that is being rub into the wounds.

C. Location or Places of discoveries/ Ethic group/ Region

 • Cordillera Provinces like Kalinga and Ifugao and municipality of Bontoc.
• Butbut Tribe

D. Cultural Significance

• Tattooed chest and arms denoted the rank of a great warrior a leader one who
had distinguished himself in acts of courage. Among Kalinga Braves it was
customary to get one’s tattoos during the victory feast or Puno when young
warriors could return from a successful war raid were celebrated and honored.
• Kalinga tattoos resemble a vast honeycomb pattern. The design copies the scale
on the skin of the Python a reptile associated with a Kalinga epic hero Banna.
• Maingor a successful warrior of the Kalinga which is responsible for the safety
and well-being of the village. The Wife of a Maingor had a right to wear tattoo
along with her daughters for purposes of beautification to make herself attractive
to warriors or infertility.
• Others underwent the pain of tattooing to prove they possess the qualities of a
woman ready for marriage, strength, character, discipline and fortitude.
• Tattoos are form of rites of passage. It's a symbol for the status of the wearer.
Also, it's a form of talisman (anting-anting).
• Tattoos is a sign of fortitude for the women who wears them. It is one of the most
important embellishment or adornments in the body to become a full social
person in the community.
• You do not become a full person if you don't have tattoos in the community, so it
is an equalizing factor that you must have these tattoos to be part of the
community and to participate in the social events or even the rituals that are
being practiced in the community.

BEADS

Beads are used by the indigenous people of the Philippines tell a fascinating story. The
travel, the trade, and on how imported objects meant for economic exchange became
objects of social and spiritual value.

3. BEADS

A. Forms of Art

• Jewellery, a wearable sculpture

B. Techniques and Process

• Assembling beads, either locally produced or imported, as well as various

accessories made of brass, silver, and other mixable materials.
 • Since other accessories like anklets and bells require the lost wax process to be
made, it is also present in this artwork. These materials are shaped using this
technique by pouring molten metal into a wax mold after it has been formed.
• Stringing and connecting different beads into a variety of accessories and
attaching them to textiles to elevate the design.
C. Location or Places of discoveries/ Ethic group/ Region

• Imported beads are from India, China, Afghanistan, Venice, Spain, Indonesia,
etc., which are then combined with locally made beads.
• Beads are vital for the T'boli, Bagobo, B'laan, Manobo, Mandaya, Matigsalug,
Agusanon, Gaddang, and Kalinga indigenous groups.

D. Cultural Significance

• Their heirlooms made of beads are vital since it connects them with their
ancestors.
• It serves as a beautification in culture of different tribes
• It is vital to the culture since it serves as a medicine for some tribes by powdering
these glass beads and then drinking them to cure stomach aches
• In the culture of Cordillera, necklace made of beads are necessary. The necklace
made of beads that used and wore by the parents at their wedding will also be
used and pass to their daughter or son that proves whether they were getting
married. Hence, it is passed from one generation to another, so it is expensive,
which costs land or rice field.