The Manunggul Jar: Lesson 3

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES
BRENT HOSPITAL AND COLLEGES INCORPORATED

R.T. LIM Boulevard, Zamboanga City- Philippines 7000
General Education Department
Readings in Philippine History
LESSON 3:The Manunggul Jar
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
• Identify the parts of the Manunggul jar
• Interpret the significance and symbolisms of the design of the jar
• Relate the design of the jar with the cultural practices of the early civilization
• Illustrate the significance of the discovery of the jar to the history of the Philippines
The Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic burial site in
Manunggul cave of Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point at Palawan dating from 890–710 B.C. The
two prominent figures at the top handle of its cover represent the journey of the soul to the
afterlife. The Manunggul Jar is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest Philippine pre-
colonial artworks ever produced and is a considered a masterpiece. It is denoted a national
treasure and it is designated as item 64-MO-74 by the National Museum of the Philippines. It
is now housed at the Museum of the Filipino People and is one of the most popular exhibits
there. It is made from clay with some sand soil.
The cultural treasure found in the early 1960’s in Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan is a
secondary burial jar. The upper portion of the jar, as well as the cover is incised with curvilinear scroll
designs and painted with natural iron or hematite. On top of the jar cover or lid is a boat with two human
figures representing two souls on a voyage to the afterlife. The boatman is seated behind a figure whose
hands are crossed on the chest. The position of the hands is a traditional Filipino practice observed when
arranging the corpse.
The burial jar which is unrivaled in Southeast Asia and considered as the work of a master potter,
signifies the belief of early Filipinos in life after death. It is dated to the late Neolithic Period, about 890-
710 B.C.
Discovery of the Jar
The Manunggul Jar was found by Dr. Robert B. Fox and Miguel Antonio in 1962. It was found
alongside the discovery of the remains of Tabon Man. It was recovered by Dr. Fox in Chamber A of
Manunggul Cave in Southwestern Palawan. Manunggul Cave is one of the Tabon Caves in Lipuun Point.
In the expansion, the Tabon Caves is known to be a site of jar burials with artefacts dating a range from
4250-2000 BP. Chamber A dates as a Late Neolithic burial site (890-710 BC). Seventy-eight jars and
earthenwares, including the Manunggul Jar, was discovered on the subsurface and surface of Chamber A.
Each artifact varied in design and form but was evidently types of funerary pottery.
First Excavation and Response to Discovery
As mentioned earlier, the first ever excavation that gave way to the discovery of this burial jar is
on the year 1964 by Dr. Robert Fox. During that time, he and his team were excavating the Tabon Cave
Complex, specifically in the Lipuun Point. In Fox’s excavation, it is yet the most unusual in all angles.
The inside of the jar contains human bones which are covered in red paint. Like the Egyptian burial
practice, the jar was also found to be equipped with numerous bracelets. “... is perhaps unrivaled in
Southeast Asia, the work of an artist and a master potter.” — These words were said by Robert Fox when
asked as to how he would describe the jar’s origin, based from its appearance.
Mr. Joy U. Sumalinog READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | The Manunggul Jar

BHCI- Instructor
Design of the Jar
The fine lines and complex design of the Manunggul Jar reflect the artistry of the early Filipinos.
The Manunggul Jar shows that the Filipinos' maritime culture is paramount that it reflected its
ancestors' religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell how souls go to the next life,
aboard boats, pass through the rivers and seas. This belief is connected with the Austronesian belief of the
anito. The fine lines and intricate designs of the Manunggul Jar reflect the artistry of early Filipinos.
These designs are proof of the Filipinos' common heritage from the Austronesian-speaking ancestors
despite the diversity of the cultures of the Filipinos.
The upper part of the Manunggul jar, as well as the cover, is carved with curvilinear scroll
designs which are painted with hematite. The depiction of sea-waves on the lid places this Manunggul jar
in the Sa Huỳnh culture pottery tradition. These are people that migrated in an East to West migration
from the Borneo-Palawan area to Southern Vietnam. Early Filipinos believed that a man is composed of a
body, a life force called ginhawa, and a kaluluwa.
This explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar features three faces - the soul, the
boatman, and the boat itself. The faces of the figures and on the prow of the boat have eyes and mouth
rendered in the same style as other artifacts of Southeast Asia of that period. The two human figures in a
boat represent a voyage to the afterlife. The boatman is holding a steering paddle while the one on his
front shows hands crossed on his chest. The steersman's oar is missing its paddle, as is the mast in the
center of the boat, against which the steersman would have braced his feet. The manner in which the
hands of the front figure are folded across the chest is a widespread practice in the Philippines when
arranging the corpse. The cover of Manunggul Jar provides a clear example of a cultural link between the
archeological past and the ethnographic present. It also signifies the belief of ancient Filipinos in life after
death.
The Manunggul Jar tells us of our connections with our Southeast Asian neighbors. The design is
a proof of our common heritage from our Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the diversity of the
cultures of the Philippine peoples.5 Traces of their culture and beliefs can still be seen in different parts of
the country and from different Philippine ethno-linguistic groups, reminding us that there can be a basis
for the so-called “imagined community” called the Filipino nation.
The Manunggul Jar tells us of how important the waters were to our ancestors. Before the
internet, the telephone, the telegram, and the plane, the seas and the rivers were their conduit of trade,
information and communication.6 In the Philippine archipelago, that, according to Peter Bellwood, the
Southeast Asians first developed a sophisticated maritime culture which made possible the spread of the
Austronesian-speaking peoples to the Pacific Islands as far Madagascar in Africa and Easter Island near
South America.Our ships—the balanghay, the paraw, the caracoa, and the like—were considered
marvelous technological advances by our neighbors that they respected us and made us partners in trade,
these neighbors including the imperial Chinese.
The Manunggul Jar shows that our maritime culture is so paramount to us that it reflected our
ancestor’s religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell us of how souls go to the next
life aboard boats, passing through the rivers and seas. The belief is very much connected with the
Austronesia belief in the anito. Our ancestors believed that man is composed of the body, the life force
called the ginhawa, and the kaluluwa. The kaluluwa, after death, can return to earth to exist in nature to
guide their descendants. This explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar features three
faces, those of the soul, of the boat driver, and of the boat itself. For them, even things from nature have
souls, have lives of their own. That’s why our ancestors respected nature more than those who thought
that it can be used for the ends of man.
Source: https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Collections/Archaeo/Manunggul.htm
Mr. Joy U. Sumalinog READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | The Manunggul Jar

BHCI- Instructor

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EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

BRENT HOSPITAL AND COLLEGES INCORPORATED

LESSON 3:The Manunggul Jar

Mr. Joy U. Sumalinog READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | The Manunggul Jar

Mr. Joy U. Sumalinog READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | The Manunggul Jar

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