Nicole Marie G. Atienza Dr.

Hornedo

3POL1 Art Appreciation

Upon seeing the archaeological gold exhibited in the museum, I was really amazed and
puzzled. I was amazed and in a sense that those magnificent pieces are actually in front of me
and seen by my own eyes because in my mind only rich countries can afford to have them and
that it is doubtful for the Philippines to have such a collection. I was also puzzled as to how those
pieces were made. The gold ornaments were highly sophisticated and the details were well
defined. The designs were usually found in nature and attributed to Gods. One design that I
noticed to be common was the sun. Accordingly, our ancestors usually design their gold with the
sun because it represents power and authority since it encompasses everything we see here on
earth. I wonder how were they able to create every single piece displayed there. I knew that a 24
karat gold was soft and in order to make it hard enough to be shaped, it has to be mixed with
other metals like nickel or copper. I also knew that before gold could be transformed into a
useful ornament; it has to undergo a series of difficult processes using machineries and
technology. I say these things in relation to my question as to how they created them. I am very
curious about what were the techniques they used (specially in the case of the belts) and how
were they able to do it without the help of technology unlike today. Just by that thought, I came
to realize that those early people were very civilized and that they have a very progressive
culture. Imagine, even during that time they already knew the value of gold and they have their
own way of creating those things. I can say that they have very artistic hands because of course;
they created the gold ornaments manually.
In relation to this, I watched the documentary of Probe about the archaeological gold to
appreciate more the things that I have seen. According to that documentary, much of the gold in
the exhibit has been excavated way back 1980’s in Surigao and other parts of Mindanao. Experts
agreed upon their findings that the gold ornament’s age dated from 10 to 13th century, which
means they were already buried three hundred years before Magellan came in the Philippines.
The datus and his family wore the gold ornaments of course because it is a symbol of social or
economic status. It gives prestige to the one who wears it therefore; the members of the upper
class must have it. It is very evident that gold is already recognized as a precious metal even
before. It generated conflict among people who wanted to possess it. It is wealth for the family
and a common dowry before marriage.
As for the conclusion, the discovery of the gold gave the Filipinos an ancestral legacy
which all of us can be proud of. It gave us our own identity, which can create a sense of unity
among Filipinos. It made the world know that the Philippines as well as its neighboring countries
had a very rich culture and a progressive civilization even before the colonization began. I
became proud in a sense that my country is not actually poor from the beginning since they have
a rich cultural background and that it proved to the world that we came from a superior kind of
race. The civilization that prospered in the Philippines may also equal those of the other early
civilizations. Others cannot look at us as an inferior race because our ancestors were proven great
people of the early times.