ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) - Blaan women, unmindful of the heat of the sun, witness the 20th foundation anniversary program of their barangay with some guests from the lowlands. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Village people
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) - Blaan women, unmindful of the heat of the sun, witness the 20th foundation anniversary program of their barangay with some guests from the lowlands. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Blaan youth
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) – The Blaan youth entertains guests with their traditional dance during the 20th foundation anniversary program Wednesday, April 23, of barangay Datal Anggas. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Blaan performers
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) – The Dakita dance group performs Wednesday, April 23, during the 20th foundation anniversary program of barangay Datal Anggas, once a village rarely reached by government services and provincial officials due to its difficult terrain and rebel influence. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Village token
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) – Gov. Migs Dominguez and Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon each receive a token from barangay captain Caris Salimama (center) of Datal Anggas Wednesday, April 23, during their visit and in time for the barangay's 20th foundation anniversary. Also in Photo is Lt. Col. Manuel Sequitin, 66th Infantry Battalion commander. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Vice Gov. Steve
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) - Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon encourages village residents to plant coffee as he assures them of a ready market. He also promised government's assistance in the fast and efficient delivery of their products to the market by assigning one all-weather truck in this far-flung village. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Photo ops
ALABEL, Sarangani (April 24, 2008) – Gov. Migs Dominguez and Vice Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon are flanked by military and civilian officials with village people Wednesday, April 23, in a photo opportunity at barangay Datal Anggas, the capital town's most remote village. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Cave yields breast-shaped potsherd
MAITUM, Sarangani (April 18, 2008) – Archaeologists digging test pits inside a newly-discovered cave have found potsherds shaped like a woman's breast and a portion of an elbow, similar to anthropomorphic artifacts found in nearby Ayob Cave in 1991 which were carbon-dated to nearly 2000 years ago.
The five-person team from the National Museum also recovered Wednesday (April 16) human and animal bones at the cave in sitio Sagel accidentally uncovered by quarry workers on April 5.
The team has taken soil samples to further study its alkalinity that could have affected the disintegration of the bones.
"We are digging two test pits, about 78 cm. and 20 cm. deep, but the flooring could still be two meters below," team leader Nida Cuevas said.
"What is there is an academic, cultural, scientific evidence at 'yung mga belief systems kung papaano ni-remember ang mga patay noong una."
Cuevas conducted an archaeological study on the gender signified by the artifacts of anthropomorphic secondary burial jars found in Ayob Cave. These jars are now exhibited at the National Museum.
Some significant features and identifications Cuevas found in the jars are the heads, breasts, teeth, and genitals.
Using ethnographic analogy of the natives in the Philippines and in other Southeast Asian countries, these features determine the gender of the person shaped in the burial jars, Cuevas said.
"Kayo lang dito sa Maitum ang meron magandang ganitong collection," said National Museum researcher Alexandra de Leon.
"Religious beliefs and tradition. These are the aspects which we hope to discover that the evidence on the artifacts can provide," she added.
Ayob Cave is about 600 meters away from the newly-discovered cave and both are found on the same hillside in barangay Pinol. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/RGP)
The five-person team from the National Museum also recovered Wednesday (April 16) human and animal bones at the cave in sitio Sagel accidentally uncovered by quarry workers on April 5.
The team has taken soil samples to further study its alkalinity that could have affected the disintegration of the bones.
"We are digging two test pits, about 78 cm. and 20 cm. deep, but the flooring could still be two meters below," team leader Nida Cuevas said.
"What is there is an academic, cultural, scientific evidence at 'yung mga belief systems kung papaano ni-remember ang mga patay noong una."
Cuevas conducted an archaeological study on the gender signified by the artifacts of anthropomorphic secondary burial jars found in Ayob Cave. These jars are now exhibited at the National Museum.
Some significant features and identifications Cuevas found in the jars are the heads, breasts, teeth, and genitals.
Using ethnographic analogy of the natives in the Philippines and in other Southeast Asian countries, these features determine the gender of the person shaped in the burial jars, Cuevas said.
"Kayo lang dito sa Maitum ang meron magandang ganitong collection," said National Museum researcher Alexandra de Leon.
"Religious beliefs and tradition. These are the aspects which we hope to discover that the evidence on the artifacts can provide," she added.
Ayob Cave is about 600 meters away from the newly-discovered cave and both are found on the same hillside in barangay Pinol. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE/RGP)
Bones
MAITUM, Sarangani (April 18, 2008) – A human or animal bone taken from a test pit inside Sagel Cave is examined by National Museum researcher Alexandra de Leon during the second day of excavation Thursday, April 17. Two test pits have yielded potsherds similar to man-shaped artifacts found in another cave in barangay Pinol in 1991 which were carbon-dated to nearly 2000 years ago. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Breast
MAITUM, Sarangani (April 18, 2008) – This part of a woman's breast is among the potsherds gathered Wednesday, April 16, from test pits inside Sagel Cave. Also among the potsherds are a portion of an elbow similar to anthropomorphic secondary burial jars found in Ayob Cave in barangay Pinol in 1991 which were carbon-dated to nearly 2000 years ago. (Photo by Elizabeth R. Palma Gil/MAITUM INFORMATION OFFICE)
CAve potsherds
MAITUM, Sarangani (April 18, 2008) - National Museum researcher Alexandra de Leon lays down potsherds and human and animal bones collected Thursday, April 17, from test pits inside Sagel Cave. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)
Media briefing
MAITUM, Sarangani (April 18, 2008) – Reporters get a crash course on archaeology from National Museum researcher Alexandra de Leon at the Maitum town hall Thursday, April 17. De Leon, who will receive her MA in Archaeology degree from UP on April 27, is part of the five-person National Museum team doing a "preliminary study and assessment" of the newly-discovered cave in sitio Sagel, barangay Pinol. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)