Resource Spotlight | “In the Shape of Tradition: Indigenous Art of the Northern Philippines” by Eric Moltzau Anderson

 

Two runners displaying their wares, early 1900s. Postcard.
© Eric Moltzau Anderson

 
 
 

IN THE SHAPE OF TRADITION

Indigenous Art of the Northern Philippines

 

by Eric Moltzau Anderson

 
 
 
 

Published by C. Zwartenkot Art Books.

 

A priest with a punamhan during a harvest ritual. Photograph by R. F. Barton, courtesy of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Berkeley, cat. #13-2912

A canyaw organized by the Americans, Kiangan, 1911. Photograph by R.F. Barton, courtesy of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Berkeley, cat. #13-2996.

 
 

In the Shape of Tradition: Indigenous Art of the Northern Philippines is the first far-reaching comprehensive publication since 1890 to focus entirely on Northern Luzon indigenous art.

Thanks to the helpful assistance of most knowledgeable contributors, the result of their extensive field work is now conveyed to hopefully instill further insight into Philippine art, history and culture facilitating a more profound understanding of a complex cultural remnant.

Dealing with the traditional cultures of the Isneg, Itneg, Kalinga, Gaddang, Bontoc, Kankanay, Ifugao, Ibaloy, Ilongot, and Negrito, the subject is treated in a broad sense, covering spectacular artistic achievements in order to establish an impression of range and a basis for comparison.

This publication is illustrated with c.500 mostly previously unpublished objects acquired by ethnographic museums all over the world. Tribal art dealers including Alain Schoffel, Alex Arthur, Thomas Murray, Rudolf Kratochwill, Maria Closa, and Floy Quintos have also contributed by making their collections accessible. Several hundred historical black and white photographs have been added to the book by the author.

Important participating museums are: the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden; the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Madrid; the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle; the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna; the National Museum of the Philippines, Manila; the Museum für Volkerkunde, Dresden; the Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac, Paris; and others.

Contributing authors are: Otto van der Muijzenberg, Roberto Maramba, David Baradas, Henry Beyer, and Ramon E. J. Silvestre.

 
 
 

Ifugao rectangular shields as photographed in the Hapao valley in c. 1890. The rectangular Ifugao shield is basically shaped to stand behind in order to take the punishment. It is blackened, and during processions, such as the himong vengeance ceremony, painted with white motifs. Source: A.B. Meyer and A. Schadenberg, 1891.

Ifugao pronged shields, photographed in Hapao Valley and less mound-shaped than the Bontoc and Kalinga shields. (Source: A.B. Meyer and A. Schadenberg, 1891).

A Bontoc pronged shield. Here the prongs have a flat profile. A.E. Jenks mentions that he saw a variation to this shield in Bagnen. (Source: A.E. Jenks, 1905).

 

Ritual Bowl | Ifugao | Luzon
© The Field Museum of Natural History

Bontoc Box | Luzon
© The Field Museum of Natural History

Small Spoon with Paired Figures | Kankanay | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Ritual Bowl with Human Figure | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Small Spoon | Ifugao | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Bulul Figure | Ifugao | Luzon
Ex. George Ortiz

Ritual Bowl | Ifugao | Luzon
© musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac

Figure | Kankanay | Luzon
© Museo Nacional de Antropología

Tangkil | Warrior’s Adornment | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Bulul Figure | Ifugao | Luzon
© Alain Schoffel Collection

Bulul Figure | Ifugao | Luzon
Ex. George Ortiz

Carved Wooden Box | Ifugao | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Bulul Figure | Ifugao | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Bulul Figure | Ifugao | Luzon
© Yale University Art Gallery

Anthropomorphic Bowl | Ifugao | Luzon
© Alain Schoffel Collection

War Shield | Kalinga | Luzon
© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

Spoon | Kalangulya | Luzon
© The Field Museum of Natural History

Wine Server | Kankanay | Luzon
© Museo Nacional de Antropología

Iklop | Warrior’s Helmet | Luzon
© The British Museum

 
 

Watch Native Life in the Philippines (1913)

 

A reel of the film "Native Life in the Philippines" (1913) produced by Dean C. Worcester and photographed by Charles Martin. It may be that the footage here has been re-assembled and cut by unknown parties over the years. The footage for this film was in 2011 restored under a grant by the NFPF.

All rights are reserved by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum)

 
 
 
 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. Art of the Ancestors does not receive a commission should any of our readers purchase the aforementioned book. Art of the Ancestors is a strictly non-commercial educational platform and has no vested interest in the professional activities of the author listed above.