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Special Meeting
During a special meeting of the membership of the Wilhelm G. Solheim II
Foundation for Philippine Archaeology held on the 23rd of July
2003 at the Offices of the U.P. Archaeological Studies Program at Palma
Hall, U.P., the Articles and By-Laws of the Foundation were amended by
those present in the meeting.
Nine (9) Trustees were
also elected to the Board. From among themselves, the trustees elected
the following as officers of the Foundation:
President: Cynthia O. Valdes
Vice-President:
Gregorio L. Magdaraog
Secretary: Victor J.
Paz
Treasurer: Dolorlina
S. Solheim
Consultant for Finance: Gloria Cotoco
It was also resolved
that the bank signatories of the accounts of the Foundation would be the
President and the Treasurer with the Vice-President and Secretary as
alternates.
Dr. Wilhelm (Bill) G.
Solheim after whom the Foundation has been named will hold the position of
Chairman Emeritus. He will serve as Adviser in a non-voting capacity
except as tie-breaker in case of a deadlock in the Board.
Board of Trustees:
Cynthia O. Valdes, President
Allison I. Diem
Danilo B. Galang
Gregorio
L. Magdaraog
Alfred F. Pawlik
Victor J. Paz
Dolorlina S. Solheim
Eliza
R. Valtos
Johnny Wilson.
_____________________________
Bill’s Notes
It has been suggested that I write a brief report for each of our
Quarterly Bulletins on the activities of the Foundation. This is,
obviously, my first “Note”:
The
primary purpose of the Foundation is to organize and set up a first class
field/research station in Palawan in connection with the Ille Rock Shelter
and Cave. Our program would include not only archaeology but also such
subjects as botany, zoology, geology, climatology, soil science, etc.
The
site was first visited in May of 1998. Since that time there have been
several other programs at the site, some of only three days duration,
others for up to a month. These have been financially supported by
several different sources (Archaeological Studies Program of the
University of the Philippines, National Museum, Philippine Rural
Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) Southeast Asian Institute of Culture and
Environment, Inc. (SEAICE), Ten Knots Development Inc. and Jonathan
Kress.)
Most of
our members probably know little, if anything, about the Ille Rock Shelter
and Cave. I am at this time writing the first preliminary report on the
site and our activities there.
Why all
of this for Ille Rock Shelter? When I first came up a short rise and saw
the size and situation of the platform in front of the rock shelter, I
felt immediately that I had NEVER seen personally or in any publication
such a potential prehistoric site likely to extend well back into the
Pleistocene.
We have
excavated test trenches in two areas. From the shallower excavations we
have received C14 dates of slightly over 10,000 years ago for the bottom.
Hopefully, this date and several confirming dates can be communicated
further and with more detail by the end of the year.
More
information about this project can be yours if you wish by contacting me
by e-mail. When I finish my Preliminary Report on the site, it will also
be made available to the general public.
All the
best, aloha,
1 September 2003
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Overseas
Archaeology
The Ba
Civilization of Sichuan Province in China
A
bronze ding tripod at least 2,000 Years
old was excavated in Sichuan Province.
At this site was found the
largest number of relics related to the Ba People ever excavated.
News of the
discovery of a burial belonging to the ancient Ba people of Sichuan
province made headlines in newspapers and magazines around China early
last month.
Who were the Ba people?
Chen Zujun, an archaeologist affiliated with the Sichuan Provincial Research
Institute of Archaeology said that the Ba people may have lived during the
Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period
(475-221 BC). He believes they did not mysteriously disappear or become
extinct as some reports have claimed.
Chen thinks that these people
were conquered by the Qin Kingdom that ruled parts of present day Sichuan
during that time. They just gradually intermarried with the rest of the
population and “mixed with the people in Central China to become
mainstream Han Chinese,” according to Chen.
At the site, Chen and his
colleagues unearthed three human skeletons, one of them male, seven bronze
vessels, bronze weaponry such as spears, daggers and swords, pottery
pieces and fragments of wild boar jawbones and teeth, among more than 600
artifacts found.
Chen believes that only a few
of the items are typical of the Ba culture. Some of them correspond more
to the styles of the Shu and Chu cultures that flourished in Hubei and
Hunan provinces about 2,000 years ago. It appears that some kind of
sacrificial ritual was held at the site before the pit was covered. All
of the bronze vessels found were sacrificial vessels.
Chen has interpreted
the multiplicity of artifacts to mean that the Ba people interacted with
their neighbors and perhaps the outside world.
(News
Report from the Arts and Culture Section of the China Daily, July 28,2003)
Hukay
Journal of the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies
Program
Volume 5, January to June 2003. Editor: Grace Barretto.
Hukay is now a refereed journal
with resident Publication Referees composed of local archaeologists and
visiting professors who comment on the contributed articles. A network of
international scholars from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia and
Australia also belong to this pool of referees who may be tapped for
future publications.
Among the authors
for this issue:
Rey Santiago,
long time researcher of the Archaeology
Division of the National Museum, who has had extensive experience
with beads as he has been handling
the National Museum Collection of Beads
since the time of Dr. Robert B. Fox,
has written an article on “Techniques in
Classifying Beads Recovered from
Archaeological Sites”. Included in the
article are 12 pages of Bead Types from
Philippine Archaeological Sites.
Marie Grace
Pamela G. Faylona, UP ASP
Graduate Student and Test Pit Editor has written “A Preliminary Study on
Shells from Ille Rock Shelter”. Shells have been the most predominant
archaeological material recovered at Ille Rockshelter. Shells are
interesting, according to Grace, as humans have utilized them as “food,
money, jewelry, decoration and tools.”
Wilhelm G.
Solheim II reviews Jesus T.
Peralta’s article entitled “Breathing into Clay” (Philippine Prehistory)
for the “Tiaoqui Collection: Pre-hispanic Philippine Pottery at the Ateneo
de Manila University, Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
He found a problem
with the dating presented for the first entry of man into the Philippines,
the dating of the beginning of the Neolithic in the Philippines, as well
as the dating of the beginning of pottery manufactured in the
Philippines. Solheim disagrees with several other early datings of
pottery that author Peralta presents. He however finds Peralta’s
generalizations about Philippine pottery (forms and decoration) and its
relationships outside the Philippines to be well presented.
Solheim deems well
done the presentation of the Tiaoqui collection. He thought it unique in
that “it includes many plain pots of the cooking variety that are seldom
illustrated in archaeological reports.” He thinks there have so far been
few studies of this type of pottery which he calls “nice in their
simplicity”.
Brown Bag Sessions
Highly spirited discussions take
place every Wednesday over a packed lunch at the headquarters of the U.P.
Archaeological Studies Program at Palma Hall Basement. Regulars at these
sessions are Bill Solheim, Bill Longacre, Alfred Pawlik, Yoyong Magdaraog,
Johnny Wilson, Danny Galang, Allison Diem, Cynthia Valdes and graduate
students of the U.P. ASP such as Grace Barretto, Jun Cayron and Leee Neri.
Dr. Victor Paz, Director of the U.P. ASP, moderates the proceedings and
usually chooses a lead discussant for the day.
During a Brown Bag Session at U.P. with Yoyong, Alfred,
Bill, Cynthia and Allison
Forthcoming Publications
We
hope to publish for general distribution, the Preliminary Report of Dr.
Bill Solheim on the Ille Rockshelter. Early next year, we also plan to
reproduce the article of Dr. Solheim entitled “Philippine Prehistory” as
published in the catalogue “People and Art of the Philippines”.
Join Us!
Up to the end of
December 2003, you can still be a Founding Member of the Solheim
Foundation. The main qualification is interest in archaeology,
anthropology and its related sciences. The joining fee is Php 1,000 or
more. The more you give the closer we will get to realizing our goals for
Philippine archaeology. Contact any member of the Board or pay directly to
the Membership Committee composed of Allison I. Diem and Eliza Romualdez
Valtos. Membership forms are available at the U.P. Archaeological Studies
Program c/o Aida or Board Secretary Dr. Victor Paz.
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Quarterly Bulletin
Volume II, No. 1
Jan-March 2004
Board Meeting
During the Meeting held 17 February 2004 at the offices of the U.P.
Archaeological Studies Program, the Board of Directors formalized the
appointment of Messrs. Danilo Galang and Leee Neri as Asst. Treasurer and
Asst. Membership Chairperson respectively. We thank them for accepting the
positions.
Chairman’s
Report
Dr. Bill Solheim
informed the Board, that during their brief stay at El Nido in Palawan, he
and his wife have managed to institute some minor adjustments to make
their home more comfortable. They are looking forward to the arrival of
visitors in May of this year. The pathway to Ille Rock Shelter is right
now impassable. The Board set aside the amount of Php. 5,000 for fixing
the path. Some appropriate terracing with rocks can be done to make it
more permanent.
Membership Committee
The types of membership shall be:
Honorary: Archaeologists of note who may be so designated
by the Board.
Sustaining: Members who render financial support; they may
or may participate actively in the activities of the Foundation.
Regular: Members who actively participate in the activities
of the Foundation.
Associate Members: Members from the academe who may be
either students or teaching staff.
Institutional: Corporations
or institutions that render financial support to the Foundation; may or
may not participate in the Foundation’s activities.
Overseas Members: Foreign Individuals who support the
Vision and Goals of the Foundation and contribute voluntary financial
support.
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting and
Despedida for DAAD Visiting Professor and Lecturer Dr. Alfred F.
Pawlik has been set for the 18th
(Thursday) of March 2004 at 12:30 P.M. at the Balay Kalinaw
(House of Peace), U.P. Campus (directions to the site on Page
9). Elections will be held for nine positions in the Board. Please
submit nominations to the COMELEC headed by Mrs. Allison Diem with Mr.
Leee Neri, Co-Chair. Lunch will be served.
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Articles
The 1922 Guthe Collection at the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
By: Cynthia O. Valdes
Background
Dean Worcester was an alumnus of the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In the early 1920s, he was based in
the Visayan Islands in the Philippines as a businessman. He succeeded in
raising funds for the conduct of an extensive collection of artifacts in
the Philippines. It was decided that ceramics be the focus of this
collection. At that time, there was already widespread interest in
ceramic wares that even then were turning up here and there in the
islands. To facilitate the collection, activities were confined to
southern Philippines (Visayas and Mindanao). Worcester made his yacht
available as headquarters of the project.
A young archaeologist by the name of
Carl Eugen Guthe from the University of Michigan was placed in charge of
the expedition. He insisted that a Museum of Anthropology be established
at the University to house the results of his collecting activities.
The Collection
Dr. Guthe collected a range of artifacts comprising trade ceramics (9th
to early 20th centuries), locally produced earthenwares, iron
implements, bracelets in shell and glass, including semi-precious stone
beads and gold ornaments. Some of the artifacts were recovered from
graves and/or burial sites. Several of them were purchased from agents
who brought them to Guthe.
In archaeological parlance, Guthe’s
methods may be termed “exploratory”. Mostly, villages and other
informants told the team about possible sites that they then visited,
taking notes and obtaining representative specimen. Guthe reported that
extended excavations were only undertaken on sites that showed more
promise. Guthe noted that there were limestone caves in almost every other
island in the Visayas. In fact, they found more than a hundred caves.
Although they managed to collect specimen, there was little other
information they could gather as the sites had previously been “disturbed”
by looters as well as foraging animals.
What the Collection Tells Us
Guthe carefully recorded his finds
citing where specific objects had been obtained. He named the following
categories: C – caves, G-graves (individual graves), B-burial sites
(group burials, M-for miscellaneous purchases or donations. Artifacts
brought back to the University of Michigan were mostly trade ceramics
(including earthenware pottery). The foreign ceramics include Chinese,
Thai, Vietnamese and some Khmer specimen. The earthenwares were locally
made. The collection includes non-ceramic material such as gold
ornaments, shell and glass bracelets; semi-precious stone beads as well as
iron implements.
The collection tells us that during
the pre-Hispanic period, burial in caves was a pretty common practice by
natives of southern Philippines. Guthe himself had this to say about
caves as burial sites: “From a cursory inspection of the material obtained
from caves, it is at once apparent that throughout the entire southern
Philippines, the natives at one time buried their dead in caves, supplying
them with ornaments, weapons, and vessels, and probably with the
perishable examples of material culture which have since disappeared” (Guthe
1927, in: W.G. Solheim, Archaeology of Central Philippines, A Study
Chiefly of the Iron Age and Its Relationships, 2002, page 63).
Cynthia Valdes visited the Museum of
Anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in May-June 2002.
She thanks Carla Sinopoli, current Curator of the Museum for her
hospitality and the courtesies of her office.
The following Solheim
Foundation Bulletin volumes are now available as PDF-Files.
They will open in a new browser window by clicking on the following links:
SF Bulletin Vol.
II No. 2
SF Bulletin Vol.
II No. 3
SF Bulletin Vol.
VI No. 1
SF Bulletin Vol.
VI No. 2
SF Bulletin Vol.
V No. 1
SF Bulletin Vol.
V No. 2
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