Carillo, Condes, Doroja, Esma, Roxas, Yorobe

Group 7

29 April 2016
National Museum Field Visit

Tradeware Ceramics
Ceramics
Ceramics is defined as any inorganic, non-metallic objects prepared from clay and other earth-derived materials that
are shaped and subsequently hardened through heating. Ceramics are known to be intrinsically hard, brittle, heatresistant and corrosion-resistant. They can be classified into Earthenware, Stoneware and Porcelain, in order of
increasing firing temperature, and therefore trade value.
Earthenware/terra-cotta is fired at relatively lower temperatures (1700 to 2100F) and is made of porous clay.
Stoneware is a mixture of clay and feldspar and fired at a temperature ranging from 2220 to 2230. Lastly, Porcelain is
made of kaolin (white clay from China) and feldspar, and then fired at a temperature ranging from 2500 to 2700F.
Porcelain, which has a glass-like finish, is the most expensive because of its durability and strength. It was regarded with
high prestige and was of great demand all over the world during the ceramic age.

Tradeware Ceramics in the Philippines

China
Chinese ceramics were characterized as having a bluish-white/white color (because they were made of kaolin white chinese clay) with blue underglaze.
Jingdezhen porcelain displayed in the museum, characterized by having cobalt oxide colorant and lead glaze (which
account for the bluish-white color of these ceramic materials), date back to as early as the Tang Dynasty. During the
Ming dynasty, the blue and white porcelain was perfected by using cobalt on kaolin. Earlier styles of these ceramic
materials had designs influenced by Islam, with their geometric shapes and Koranic script. This porcelain gave
Jingdezhen an economic boost as the porcelain became very popular.
Most of the ceramics found in the museum date back to the Ming Dynasty (16th century). Bowls and dishes of this
period were usually decorated with dragons or other mythical/symbolic creatures at the center, such as birds, deer, etc.
There are also ceramics that are decorated with scrolls and dashes. One of the ceramic materials found in the museum
was decorated with a lion, a Buddhist symbol of good fortune.
There were also Chingpai ceramics found, an early type of porcelain that date back to the 11th-12th century. An
example of these ceramic materials are the bluish-white/white ewers found in the museum, earlier versions of the later
blue and white Chinese porcelain. Dragon jars were also found in the San Diego shipwreck.
Thailand
Thailand ceramic materials were usually characterized as celadon - having a greenish/brownish glaze. These are
dated back to as early as around 13th to 16th century, mostly from the Sawankhalok or Sukhothai districts. An example of
Thai ceramic materials found in the museum are the large celadon dishes and the two-eared, brown-glazed bottles.
Thailand Siamese jars were also found in the San Diego shipwreck.
Vietnam
Dated back to about the 15th century, Vietnam ceramic materials in the museum are also characterized by the bluish
white/white glaze found in Chinese ceramics. Some of the ceramics found were also brown glazed. In the museum there
were mostly small jars/jarlets, plates, and bowls. Some were decorated with floral designs at the center.
Mexico
Earthenware pots and plates that were traced back to central Mexico were also found in the museum. The designs of
these ceramic materials seem to have a Mediterranean influence, with its spiraling branches, flowers, leaves, roots, etc.
San Diego Shipwreck

There were many ceramic materials found in the San Diego shipwreck that date back to the 16th century. These
were said to be mostly from Burma, and they can be grouped into four types - Spanish Jars, Martaban Jars, Siamese
Jars, and Dragon Jars.
Spanish Jars are round-bottomed, elongated jars that have constricted necks and inverted rims. They were used to
store olives, oils, dried fruits, wine, and tar.
The Martaban Jars in the San Diego ship were believed to be made in Pegu, but found in Burma. These
globular/ovoid jars were either green, dark brown, or black glazed stoneware made of red clay, and were used as storage
for trade goods, water, or wine.
The Siamese jars are globular vessels from Thailand. They could carry up to 300 liters of liquid. The San Diego
cargo had about 124 jars of this type and many similar jars were found even in Malaysia and Indonesia, suggesting the
popularity of this type of jar.
Dragon jars were made in Southern China, and are characterized by the dragon decoration on the
shoulders/handles of the jars, and the wave-like patterns on the jars. This decoration is a representation of one of the
oldest Chinese myths.
Many blue and white bottles (which were said to be used to hold wine) were also found in the shipwreck. These
bottles were decorated with Buddhist/Taoist symbols of immortality, healing, etc (mostly herbs or leaves).

Age of Contact and Trade

The Age of Contact was the period of trading relations with neighboring islands, mostly by Asian traders. The
common sharing of culture like religion and writing was facilitated by the intensive internal trade, principally between
riverine and coastal communities. The age of contact was said to have started at around 1000 A.D., an estimate derived
from the age of oldest archaeological evidences of high-fired ceramics found in the Philippines.
These high fired-ceramics were discovered mainly in Batangas, Butuan, and Laguna de bay area (Rizal and Laguna
province) which are areas that are likely to have had large communities (therefore large markets) and established trading
relations with foreign countries. The findings are ceramics that are either Egyptian, Arab, Persian or Chinese in origin.
This implies that at around 1000 A.D., the natives already had good trading relations with China that even middle-eastern
tradewares reach the Philippines through them.
During the Tang dynasty, traders from all over the world began to recognize the superior quality of high-fired
ceramics from China. There came a greater prestige and demand for these tradewares. As a result, Chang-an, the capital
at that time became one of the centers of international trade. Chinese tradeware ceramics greatly influenced the potting
practices of Filipinos especially those in Rizal, Laguna, Batangas and Butuan. This is evident in the shapes of local
earthenware.
These trading relationships persist to the present because trading with other countries is necessary since a certain
country may have the resources that another country doesnt have, ensuring that the people are constantly being
supplied of the things they both need and want. However, the influence that trading brought goes far more beyond
material goods. Foreign traders brought along with them their culture which we Filipinos have assimilated into our own.
Chinese influence still observable today include the use of porcelain wares, gongs, and other metals, gambling games
such as jueteng and mahjong, dishes such as lumpia, mami, pancit, and the use of words with Chinese etymology like
ate, katay, pansit, and kuya. Along with the Chinese, the Arabs, Hindus, Malays, Spaniards, many others also brought
along with them their culture which affected us to a great extent.

Generic Exhibits
Biodiversity exhibit
The biodiversity exhibit displayed mounts of several species of flora and fauna within the Philippines. Notable
displays were the pressed plant samples and the crab mounts. Many of the plant species displayed were cultivated,
suggesting that plants besides rice were farmed and that earlier societies were highly agricultural; an example of such a

species is Maranta arundinacea (known locally as araru), which is cultivated for its starchy, edible roots. In certain
isolated barrios, the plant is also used for starching cloth.
As for the crab mounts, only one of the three species displayed is common in Philippine waters: that of Ranina
ranina, which is locally known as curacha. This means cockroach, and it is named so due to its hairy legs which
resemble those of the insect. Their prevalence in waters around Sulu and the fact that the species is indigenous to the
location suggest the possibility that it has long been part of the locals diets.

Rice Museum
Rice farming implements used by different ethnic groups in the Philippines were displayed in the exhibit. Included
were harvesting knives of the Isneg, Palawan, Tinguian, and Maranao; mortars and pestles of the Ifugao, Tagbanwa, and
Gaddang; the harrow and plow of the Tagalog; winnowing trays of the Gaddang and Botok; rice baskets of the Botok,
Mangyan, and Tagbanua; rice measures of the Maranao and Palawan, cooking instruments of the Ifugao, Kalinga,
Tagalog, and Maranao; the pinipig container of the Maranao; rice wine cups of the Ifugao; and others. In another part of
the exhibit, an interactive display detailed the different techniques and terminologies used by the Ibaloi, Ilocano,
Kapampangan, and Tagalog.
From Luzon to Mindanao, Filipinos created tools for harvesting, dehusking, cooking, storing, and eating rice. Other
products such as wine, straw, chaff, and flour also came from palay. The exhibit showed the central role of palay in the
lives of Filipinos, no matter what area of the Philippines.

The Weaving Room

The gallery shows the features of the many ethnolinguistic groups in the country. In the weaving room, textile items
collected by anthropologists are stored and displayed inside cabinets with series of drawers. These include baskets,
textiles, personal accessories and clothing. The museum also displayed a number of looms from all over the northern and
southern provinces of the Philippines.
Displayed in glass cases were garments that men used to wear in the province for special occasions. The Tagakaolo
upper garment made of abaca is decorated with numerous platelets. In addition, the saul, the Blaan upper garment, is
decorated with sequins, beads, and geometric weaving patterns. Ifugao grooms use the ulo di kang-o during wedding
ceremonies, a headpiece consisting of a blue cloth that wraps around a hornbill beak which symbolizes a good omen.
The Bagobo use the process of dyeing to add patterns to their clothing. The traditional sawal or trousers that Bagobo
men wore is made out of tritik-dyed abaca cloth. First, intricate embroidery and dyeing process is done. Afterwards, the
embroidery is removed to show the undyed sections of the cloth. Like the Bagobo, the Ifugao also use the process of
dyeing to add patterns to their cloths. The Kinuttiyan, the Ifugao cotton blanket found in the municipalities of Banaue, is
woven using the back strap loom. Commercialized threads of cotton are used and dyed for this process. The natural dyes
that were extracted from legumes and indigenous plants such as hawili (Elaecarpus pendulus) and boluc (Acalypha
stipulacea). The Kinuttiyan specimen at the museum has patterns of anthropomorphic creatures etched at the middle
part of the cloth. It was said to have been used as a covering for an Ifugao corpse.
It can be observed that our early ancestors frequently used cloth for burial purposes. For instance, the Banton cloth
is the earliest known warp ikat (also called tie-resist dyeing) textile in the Southeast Asia region. It was described to be
found in a wooden coffin in Romblon, and surprisingly, it also contained pieces of ceramics. This special cloth is created
by arranging abaca on a frame, and then dyeing and drying them. Afterwards, the threads are set-up on a loom for
weaving.
Aside from all the clothing displayed in the gallery, there were also baskets and containers manually woven by the
Filipinos from the province. One such example is the bakuta, also called the Mandaya Basket. This is a long, cylindrical
basket made of rattan and strips of bamboo. It was said to have been used as a container for betel chew.

Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ceramics
http://digitaleducation.net/epa-web/visual-artsftpottery/
https://www.mint.com/barter-system-history-the-past-and-present#sthash.rXW1HhE5.dpuf
https://ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090702020712AAQeJ0g
http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/the-ceramic-age/
http://www.stuartxchange.com/Araro
http://blogs.wsj.com/indonesiarealtime/2014/03/14/food-fridays-a-crabby-cockroach-from-the-philippines/