EXERCISES ON EXAMINING PRIMARY DOCUMENTS
B. Manungul Jar
Task: Examining the Manunggul Jar
Instruction: Complete the following concept about
the Manunggul Jar:
A. Discovery of the jar:
The Manunggul jar was one of the numerous jars found in a cave believed to be a burial
site. The Manunggul Jar was found by Dr. Robert B. Fox and Miguel Antonio in 1962. It
was found alongside 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. The Tabon Caves are known to be a site of jar burials with
artefacts dating in a range from 2300 to 50 B.C. (4250-2000 BP). Chamber A dates as
a Late Neolithic burial site (890-710 BC). Seventy-eight jars and earthenware, including
the Manunggul Jar, were discovered on the subsurface and surface of Chamber A.
Each artefact varied in design and form but was evidently a type of funerary pottery.
B. Description of the jar:
The upper part of the Manunggul jar, as well as the cover, is carved with curvilinear
scroll designs (reminiscent of waves on the sea) which are painted with hematite. 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 lid of the
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.
C. Prehistoric belief represented by the jar:
Early Filipinos believed that a man is composed of a body, a life force called ginhawa,
and a kaluluwa. 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.
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 was 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 (soul). The kaluluwa, after death, can
return to earth to exist in nature and guide their descendants. This explained why the
cover of the Manunggul jar featured three faces: the soul, the boat driver, and of the boat
itself. For them, even things from nature have souls and 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.
D. Purpose:
The Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic burial site in the
Manunggul cave. It served as a proof of our common heritage with our Austronesian-
speaking ancestors despite the diversity of cultures of the Philippine peoples. Traces of
their culture and beliefs were seen in different parts of the country and from different
Philippine ethno-linguistic groups.
References:
http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/50/the-manunggul-jar-as-a-vessel-of-history
https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/356939/manunggul-jar-ship-of-the-dead-and-the-
journey-to-afterlife
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manunggul_Jar
https://openroadreview.in/the-manunggul-jar-a-relic-of-philippine-history/
