Showing posts with label Maranao. Show all posts

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The Philippine Brassware

Posted on Wednesday, 5 November 2014



The Philippine Brassware
By Apolinario Villalobos

The Maranaos of Lanao find brass as a good object on which they express themselves artistically. Be it on a lampstands, “gong”, plant holders, jars, ash trays, and food trays, the Maranao brass artist whose deft hands have been made sensitive by years of experience, imprint his personal expression of the “okir” and “naga” art forms.

Equated with the southern culture which in itself is exotic, the brassware is usually considered as an object that could enliven any living room, office, restaurant corners, or hotel lobby. Those who visit Marawi City, Jolo, Zamboanga City or Cotabato City, always see to it that they have a brass item with them as a souvenir to be brought home. Not only are the brassware kept for their decorative value, but also for their cultural significance.

While brasscraft is a waning source of income for some families in other Muslim provinces as product outlets, in southern Lanao, particularly, Tugaya, locals still consider it otherwise, on which they still rely for a living. Here, some of the artisans still use the crude centuries-old foundry and casting methods. Despite the crudeness of the craft in Tugaya, the cottage industry is struggling for its perpetuation.

It is said that the craft was brought in Tugaya by a local trader, Maruhom Maulia, who got the knowledge from his trading trips to Tampasok, Sabah, where brass and bronze items were manufactured. Eventually, he fell in love and married the Sultan’s daughter.

According to Dr. Manitua Saber, an authority on Islamic arts, the techniques used by the artisans of Tugaya are, similar to those being used in Bali, Sumatra and Brunei. Furthermore, he said that the technology could have found its way to Southeast Asia by way of China or India, in 1,000 A.D.

There are two processes practiced by the Maranao artisans, such as, the stamping and drip wax techniques. It is interesting to note that the tools which the artisans use are also made by them, usually out of the local materials.

In the stamping technique, brass plates are incised using a home-made compass for the purpose of indicating the size.  Several plain plates which are tied together are etched or punched with intricate designs of “naga” or “okir”, or both, before they formed into the desired item. Brassware produced out of this method, are cheaper compared to the drip wax technique which is more tedious, involving more time and processes. The latter, actually, revolves around the “mold” technique, and though crude, needs several phases to complete the process.

The brassware comes in many forms and uses. Those who are not familiar with the use of the items, would resort to just one thing – use them as decorative accessories in homes and offices. It is not surprising therefore, to find homes whose tables in the living room are accented with brass betel nut containers, open flat iron, small gongs or kulentang set and urns.
In Pasay City, brass and bronze items from the small ash trays and betel nut containers to big jars and urns can be found at the Philtrade Center, beside the World Trade Center, along Roxas Boulevard. Similar items can also be found in the Ermita district of Manila and the Islamic Center in Quiapo. As there is much difficulty in determining the antiquity of an item that might catch one’s fancy, it is suggested that it be purchased based on its exquisiteness…just always remember to haggle.




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Sarimanok: Its Legend and Significance to Filipino Culture

Posted on Wednesday, 6 August 2014



SARIMANOK: Its Legend and Significance
To Filipino Culture
By Apolinario Villalobos

Since time immemorial, birds have been among the objects of worship and inspiration for artistic expression of people around the world, and their treatment varies according to the culture of those who venerate them. It might be because of its ability to fly which for the people of long ago is a rare power given to the chosen few by the Supreme Being for some important reasons.

From southern Philippines, the legendary “sarimanok” extended its influence beyond the Muslim world to embrace the whole country which at present uses it as one of its national symbols.

The “sarimanok” became the central point around which many tales have been fabricated. A story is about how it was used by a prince in going to the moon to marry a princess. As the legend would relate, a Maranao prince fell in love with a princess from the moon, and who would come down to earth every Friday to bathe in a scented well.

One Friday night, the prince chanced upon her while taking her usual bath in the perfumed well. The prince was captivated by her beauty that he immediately  fell in love with her. But the princess was not an earthling, a problem which for the prince was so great that he had sleepless nights, thinking about it. To marry her, he had to go to the moon, and this worried him the more.

One day, in his palace, while he was deep in his thoughts and unable to blurt out his heartaches, he toyed with one of the carvings, in the form of a bird. Unconsciously, and due to extreme melancholy, he talked to the bird and challenged it to carry him to the moon.

At that instance, the lifeless object slowly breathed with life and grew into an enormous size. The prince was stunned and unable to run away. The bird indicated to him to ride on its back which he just did. No sooner was he securely positioned on its feathered back than the big bird took to the air towards the moon. Since that day on, the prince and bird were seen no more.

Another legend would say that the “sarimanok” is a messenger of the Sultan of Lanao. The fish which it carries with its claws is considered as his helper, especially, on trips over the bodies of water. The small fish that it occasionally carries with its beak represents the message of the Sultan.

Still another legend was related by A. V. Hartendorp, a writer who supports origins of things with legends. According to him, a certain sultan of Lanao had a daughter whose name was Sari. The sultan, one day, gave a party on her birthday which was held under a “balite tree”. As the festivities progressed, a rooster suddenly appeared and the people wondered at its beauty. Then, it disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and Sari disappeared with it. For many years, the sultan and his people waited for the girl’s return, until they gave up their hope of ever seeing her again. The sultan asked an artist to carve a rooster for him that would look as much as possible like the beautiful bird which carried his daughter away.

According to Abdulmari Imao, one of the authorities on Muslim culture, “okir” which forms part of the “sarimanok” designs, has its origin in the Middle East. It was between 1200 and 1380, during which the Sulu archipelago was Islamized that the said art form was introduced. Later on, as the Islamization moved on towards the mainland of Mindanao, particularly the Lanao area, the said art form was also introduced. It is presumed that they were first seen on the fabrics brought by the Arab missionaries with them. Since then, “okir” and “naga” designs were used on the necklines of robes, turbans, malong, kopya, book margins, architecture, wood carvings and brassware.

The Maranaos of Lanao provinces consider the “sarimanok” as a symbol of affluence. The bird is so regarded with respect that in many ways, it has symbolized the Maranao before it has been given due nationwide recognition. Its bright colors characterize the Maranao’s temperament and the abstract lines represent their nearness to the Supreme Being. It is in fact an integral part of the Muslim culture that a “torogan” or royal house is not complete without it.

The bird motif which before was confined only within the interest of anthropologists has also caught the attention of artists and enterprising people who perceived its uniqueness and attractive attributes. Hotel owners who want their establishment to exude an exotic air is never without even just a huge replica of the bird in brass, wordcarving or painting. Restaurants in Manila that serve Muslim foods, or which carry a Muslim name always has a painting of the bird on their signboard. But the most significant of all its symbolic use was during the Miss Universe pageant held in Manila way back in 1974, and the first International Monetary Fund and World Bank Conference, later. Those instances brought the “sarimanok” to the world’s attention.

With sarimanok’s elevation to a national symbol, it has somehow helped bridge the gap among the varied cultures of this archipelagic country. It not only stands now for the southern culture, but also that of the northern and central regions which incidentally have a related myth about a bird which was responsible in bringing to the world the first man and woman, by pecking open the bamboo in which they were encased.