Museum-hopping with new friends

Val's friends, Natasha and Dwaine (and their relatives, Veronica and Melissa), visited the Philippines when our schedules were at their most hectic: Val was prepping for his meeting in Montpellier while I was finishing up my presentation and my deliverables in preparation for my conference in Bangkok and my trip to the US. For some reason, however, we were able to work our schedules around their visit and we went to the National Museum on their last weekend in Manila.

It was a good idea too because the National Museum was recently renovated and visitors weren't required to pay fees anymore. I wanted to show them Juan Luna's Spolarium and the Manansala murals in the Art Gallery but the queue was incredibly long! I couldn't believe my eyes! But this also elated my spirit because at least, Filipinos are now going to the National Museum... I really don't care if they're just taking photos to post on Instagram; they are actually in the museum and they might pick up a thing or two about Philippine history.

Anyway, we ended up in the Anthropology wing because the Natural History wing also had a very long line of visitors.

It's an interesting pick because Anthropology is the study of cultures and I'm with a Beninois, a Jamaican, and Trinidadians and Tobagonians. A visit to the Anthropology wing is a good way to give them a sneak peek at what Filipino culture is about. Val has been around for a long time already so he knows more about my culture; his perspective was going to be interesting because he sees my culture as an outsider (but he's been embedded for some time). For the others, it's just an "introductory course".

Our first stop was the exhibit on ivory trade and the Philippines. To me, the ivory trade has always been about elephant and rhino poaching. I didn't realise that people also hunted down birds and other mammals for their ivory. Plus, the Philippines (a strategically located trading post) has been on the path of the ivory trade for a long time.

                 

For instance, antique figurines made of ivory have been discovered, indicating that ivory trade was going on even before the Spaniards showed up.

What's sad, however, was that ivory trade is still going on despite the campaigns to stop the killing of animal sources. A part of the exhibit showed efforts of the Philippine government to curb the illegal trade by destroying smuggled ivory in public. Some items were kept for conservation purposes, ending up as part of the exhibit.

Aside from the ivory trade, which shows how the Philippines has been linked with other nations since pre-history, there were also exhibits about the different tribes in the country and artefacts that showed their cultures. In Palawan, the Manunggul jar was excavated near the Tabon man. This jar is lauded as a national treasure. It shows evidence of Filipinos' maritime culture and indicates that prehistoric Filipinos believed in afterlife; going there is by boat. Moreover, the Manunggul jar further strengthens the Philippines' links with other Southeast Asian countries due to the similarity in styles of art from the same period.

One of the richest and strongest links with Southeast Asia, at least in my opinion, is the culture that lives in the southern part of the Philippines: Mindanao art is less influenced by the western colonisers and is more similar to that of Indonesia and Malaysia. This is strongly indicated by the musical instruments (like the kulintang) and the intricate woodwork of the container of this instrument.

There were a few paintings that show the agricultural life of one of the tribes. What struck me was the richness in the fabrics that the women were wearing and the ornateness of their jewellery. 

But the better way to see these clothes was to actually look at the real thing; not the painting. I am absolutely blown away by the tribal attire. These are clothes that I could wear! These actually reminded me of several Filipino designers who promote local designs. 

Being a fan of simple jewellery, I have to admit that I don't think that I'll wear the intricate beadwork as necklaces and bracelets. 

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go to the other exhibits and really immerse ourselves in the other aspects of Philippine culture. As Val and I led our visitors outside, we were talking excitedly about returning to see the rest of the exhibits, and maybe see the other wings too.