The Manunggul Jar

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

 Identify the parts of the Manunggul jar;
 Interpret the significance and symbolisms of the design of the jar;
 Relate the design of the jar with the cultural practices of the early civilization; and
 Illustrate the significance of the discovery of the jar to the history of the Philippines

The Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic burial site in
Manunggul cave of Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point at Palawan dating from 890–710 B.C. The two
prominent figures at the top handle of its cover represent the journey of the soul to the afterlife.
The Manunggul Jar is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest Philippine pre-colonial
artworks ever produced and is a considered a masterpiece. It is denoted a national treasure and it
is designated as item 64-MO-74 by the National Museum of the Philippines. It is now housed at
the Museum of the Filipino People and is one of the most popular exhibits there. It is made from
clay with some sand soil.
The cultural treasure found in the early 1960’s in
Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan is a secondary burial
jar. The upper portion of the jar, as well as the cover is incised
with curvilinear scroll designs and painted with natural iron or
hematite. On top of the jar cover or lid is a boat with two human
figures representing two souls on a voyage to the afterlife. The
boatman is seated behind a figure whose hands are crossed on
the chest. The position of the hands is a traditional Filipino
practice observed when arranging the corpse.

The burial jar which is unrivaled in Southeast Asia and

considered as the work of a master potter, signifies the belief
of early Filipinos in life after death. It is dated to the late
Neolithic Period, about 890-710 B.C.

Discovery of the Jar

The Manunggul Jar was found by Dr. Robert B.
Fox and Miguel Antonio in 1962. It was found alongside the discovery of the remains of Tabon
Man. It was recovered by Dr. Fox in Chamber A of Manunggul Cave in Southwestern Palawan.
Manunggul Cave is one of the Tabon Caves in Lipuun Point. In the expansion, the Tabon
Caves is known to be a site of jar burials with artefacts dating a range from 4250-2000 BP.
Chamber A dates as a Late Neolithic burial site (890-710 BC). Seventy-eight jars and
earthenwares, including the Manunggul Jar, was discovered on the subsurface and surface of
Chamber A. Each artifact varied in design and form but was evidently types of funerary pottery.

First Excavation and Response to Discovery

As mentioned earlier, the first ever excavation that gave way to the discovery of this burial
jar is on the year 1964 by Dr. Robert Fox. During that time, he and his team were excavating the
Tabon Cave Complex, specifically in the Lipuun Point. In Fox’s excavation, it is yet the most
unusual in all angles. The inside of the jar contains human bones which are covered in red paint.
Like the Egyptian burial practice, the jar was also found to be equipped with numerous bracelets.
“... is perhaps unrivaled in Southeast Asia, the work of an artist and a master potter.” — These
words were said by Robert Fox when asked as to how he would describe the jar’s origin, based
from its appearance.

Design of the Jar

The fine lines and complex design of the Manunggul Jar reflect the artistry of the early
Filipinos.

The Manunggul Jar shows that the Filipinos' maritime culture is paramount that it reflected
its ancestors' religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell how souls go to the
next life, aboard boats, pass through the rivers and seas. This belief is connected with
the Austronesian belief of the anito. The fine lines and intricate designs of the Manunggul Jar
reflect the artistry of early Filipinos. These designs are proof of the Filipinos' common heritage
from the Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the diversity of the cultures of the Filipinos.
The upper part of the Manunggul jar, as well as the cover, is carved with curvilinear scroll designs
which are painted with hematite. The depiction of sea-waves on the lid places this Manunggul jar
in the Sa Huỳnh culture pottery tradition. These are people that migrated in an East to West
migration from the Borneo-Palawan area to Southern Vietnam. Early Filipinos believed that a man
is composed of a body, a life force called ginhawa, and a kaluluwa.
This explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar features three faces - the soul, the
boatman, and the boat itself. The faces of the figures and on the prow of the boat have eyes and
mouth rendered in the same style as other artifacts of Southeast Asia of that period. The two human
figures in a boat represent a voyage to the afterlife. The boatman is holding a steering paddle while
the one on his front shows hands crossed on his chest. The steersman's oar is missing its paddle,
as is the mast in the center of the boat, against which the steersman would have braced his feet.
The manner in which the hands of the front figure are folded across the chest is a widespread
practice in the Philippines when arranging the corpse. The cover of Manunggul Jar provides a clear
example of a cultural link between the archeological past and the ethnographic present. It also
signifies the belief of ancient Filipinos in life after death.
The Manunggul Jar tells us of our connections with our Southeast Asian neighbors. The
design is a proof of our common heritage from our Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the
diversity of the cultures of the Philippine peoples.5 Traces of their culture and beliefs can still be
seen in different parts of the country and from different Philippine ethno-linguistic groups,
reminding us that there can be a basis for the so-called “imagined community” called the Filipino
nation.
The Manunggul Jar tells us of how important the waters were to our ancestors. Before the
internet, the telephone, the telegram, and the plane, the seas and the rivers were their conduit of
trade, information and communication.6 In the Philippine archipelago, that, according to Peter
Bellwood, the Southeast Asians first developed a sophisticated maritime culture which made
possible the spread of the Austronesian-speaking peoples to the Pacific Islands as far Madagascar
in Africa and Easter Island near South America.Our ships—the balanghay, the paraw, the caracoa,
and the like—were considered marvelous technological advances by our neighbors that they
respected us and made us partners in trade, these neighbors including the imperial Chinese.
The Manunggul Jar shows that our maritime culture is so paramount to us that it reflected
our ancestor’s religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell us of how souls go
to the next life aboard boats, passing through the rivers and seas. The belief is very much connected
with the Austronesia belief in the anito. Our ancestors believed that man is composed of the body,
the life force called the ginhawa, and the kaluluwa. The kaluluwa, after death, can return to earth
to exist in nature to guide their descendants. This explains why the design of the cover of the
Manunggul Jar features three faces, those of the soul, of the boat driver, and of the boat itself. For
them, even things from nature have souls, have lives of their own. That’s why our ancestors
respected nature more than those who thought that it can be used for the ends of man.

Source: https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Collections/Archaeo/Manunggul.htm

Learning Activity: Map Analysis

Requirements:
1. Given the map below, extracted from Google Earth, the Tabon Caves in the Lipuun Point of
Palawan where the Manunggul Jar was discovered are facing the South China Sea and the
Spratly Islands. Below the Palawan peninsula is the island of Borneo. Do you find any
relationship between the symbolism of the design of the jar and the surrounding environment?
What do you think is the source of inspiration in such design given its environment?
2. Using your own analysis of the map, formulate your own theory of the possible role of the
Palawan peninsula in the history of civilization in the early Philippines.
 Map generated from Google Earth

Palawan
Peninsula

Lipuun
Manunggul, Tabon Point,
Caves