Ukit Sa Banga by B. Comandante Jr. PhD

UKIT sa BANGAOrietal Ceramic Society of the Philippines

North Forbes, Makati- October 25, 2011

UKIT sa BANGA: Ancient Clay Inscriptions

Oriental Ceramic Society of the Philippines

October 25,2011

In the 1950s, after the end of

World War II, as the country

gradually returned to normalcy,

Archaeological work and

research resumed with the

Americans Robert B. Fox and

Wilhelm G. Solheim II and their

Filipino associates and

students: E. Arsenio Manuel,

Avelino Legaspi, Alfredo E.

Evangelista, and Jesus T.

Peralta.

Our ancestors had an early concept Our ancestors had an early concept

of of ““Life after deathLife after death”” as depicted on as depicted on

the Manuggul Jar. It was found in the Manuggul Jar. It was found in

Lipuun point, Quezon, Palawan. Lipuun point, Quezon, Palawan.

Artes de las Pilipinas 2009

Philipine National Museum

The mythical symbolism of birds in

Philippine folk literature is closely

related to origins and creation

stories. Such imagery reflects a

possible total world view of the

people from birth to death ang

perhaps a “re-birth” into the

afterlife.

UP Archaeologiical Studies Program

15

Acharcado : Laua pc : estar el camino por las

muchas aguas, nasalaua 8.ac.

estar a la gunado el camino ansi, nagcacalaua

9. aver muchos charcos ansi,

nagcacalaua mandin ytong daan, siempre esta

acharcado este camino.

Acharcado : Bulosan pp : camino por gran

lluvia, nabubulosan 8.ac. estar el

camino acharcado ansi, o por pasar agua por el

a la larga, nagcacabolosan 9.

estar muy acharcado.

oil

wick

© Comandante 2011

• The Manunggul Jar is a National

Treasure of the Philippines. It is

designated item 64-MO-74 in the

National Museum .

• Discovered on March 1964 by Victor

Decalan and Hans Kasten (National

Museum/US Peace Corps).

• The Jar was recovered at Chamber A

of Manunggul Cave (dated 890 - 710

BC).

• It is part of Tabon Cave Complex in

Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan

• Excavations at Tabon by Robert Fox

began in1962.

National Museum:

Archaeology Division

Artes de las Pilipinas 2009

The Manunggul jar portrait is on

the 1000 Philippine peso bill.

The style of decoration (depiction

of sea-waves) places this jar in

the Sa-huýnh-Kalanay Pottery

tradition of Southern Vietnam.

(Solheim 1981)

Ship-of-the-dead

Methodology:

1

2

3

4

Form Circle Lines

Jar Lid

Reading Directions: Baseline Datum

Case 1

�Line on Top (original)- X

�Rotated 180 degrees -Y

Case 2

�Line at Bottom (original)- V

�Rotated 180 degrees -W

X

Y

V

W

Reading Starting Point

Original Manunggul Jar: (Height 66.5 cm; approx diameter 52 cm)

Kaban ng Lahi Gallery, National Museum, Manila

Replica

Line 1

Line 1 Line 2

Line 1 Counterclockwise reading

P t O pa ta u From Vocabulario de

Lengua Tagala: San

Buena Ventura 1613

Segunda Parte p. 686

Interpreting the script as m U “ma u” was

dropped due to the absence of the word in

the 1613 San Buena Ventura dictionary.

pdO pa da u or pa ra u (parao – Visayan for boat) is another posibility and a

clockwise reading will yield dlO da la u or

da la u (dalao or visitar in Spanish).

1.Onesto : Patao pc : en todos su acto, y trato, patavang loob, persona onesta en

todas sus cosas; tavong patao ang loob sicovan, es hombre muy onesto fulano.

SB 1613 Pahina 454

(in all his act, and deal; in all his things; is a very honest wo/man).

2.Onesto : Tintin pc : de cuerpo y obras; matintin ang loob, ad : el tal; matintin cang

loob, eres onesto. (body and works; you honest).

Pa ta u or pa ta o - Spanish – Onesto, Pescar, Maca

A d O – a da u

adau = arau

arau = arao

Line 1 Clockwise reading

Figure on Right :

From Vocabulario de

Lengua Tagala: San

Buena Ventura 1613

Segunda Parte p. 624

©2009 Comandante All Rights Reserved