New Age Hub

The updated expedition that led to the retrieval of the Bolinao skull is one of the most important days of Philippine archeology since they have unearthed a well-preserved artifact along with some Early Ming Dynasty ornaments. The skull belonged to a person who lived in the 1400s or the last century before the Spanish occupation.

Gold has been a status symbol even during the pre-Hispanic period. Filipinos who can still remember the lessons on Philippine history still remember our caste system or social hierarchy. The skull probably belongs to a maharlika or a nobleman. The remains with Ming Dynasty ceramics implied that he might be a trader who once traded with Chinese merchants.

The practice of pusad involves the crafting of these gold ornaments on the teeth of noblemen. A manunusad or the Prehispanic dental worker trained to put these gold ornaments on the teeth of noblemen who want to flaunt their status.

An artifact known as The Bolinao Skull was recovered from feelings Archaeological Site in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Teeth with gold ornaments were found in 67 skulls which is associated with trade ware ceramics attributed to the Early Ming Dynasty (15th century AD). The gold scales were observed to be on the buccal surface of the upper and lower incisor and canine teeth. The skull is now located at the National Museum of the Philippines.


It is said that the process of pamamumusad is very painful that only noble warriors would endure during the procedure of smelting pieces of gold and putting the smelted gold on the teeth one by one until it forms a fish scale pattern. A fitting induction rite for a warrior.

Image: Pinoy Culture

There are only a few artifacts of this caliber that showcased how rich the Prehispanic Filipinos are. The most sought after book in this matter is  Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino: And Other Essays in Philippine History a book written by William Henry Scott.

 In this book, Mr. Scott chronicled the rich culture of the Philippines even before the Spanish conquistadors took over. You can watch other archeological discoveries in the video below.

Copyright of IFY Books

With the rise of several malls in our country, often differing in architectural styles and feels, it is but natural to wonder what exactly did malls looked like before. Were the structures of the buildings then similar to what we have today? What were the popular outlets back then? What were the in-demand services? Most of all, how did these malls look?



While the styles of the malls back then were not entirely different and new to the eyes of mallgoers today, one particular mall in the Metro arguably stood out from the rest. We know San Juan City’s Greenhills Shopping District today to be one of the popular hotspots for shopping affordable clothes and interesting finds. The Shopping District now houses several shopping malls including Promenade Greenhills as well as the seasoned Shoppesville.

Image: Redditor: u/antoniocampagnolo

One of the first establishments in the Shopping Center was Virra Mall. The name sounds unfamiliar? For shopping citizens of today, they may know Virra Mall now as the V Mall. Back in the 1970s, Virra Mall was one of the trendiest and hippest places to be, with people from nearby places flocking to get good deals particularly on purchases for their hobbies.



Although different malls were housed in Greenhill’s shopping complex, the interior of Virra Mall back then is what separated it from the other malls. The interior of the mall was very futuristic and the architecture of the building was way ahead of its time with Architect José María Zaragoza as its designer. Maybe it is even better than most of the malls today. The outside has a unique shape, and on the inside, the elevators and escalators were just magnificent.

If we’re going to compare the elevators between Virra Malls’ and today’s malls, the elevator on Virra Mall is just innovative. The design is very futuristic, even during its time. Ever watched the film Back to the Future? Virra Mall had the same feel to it. When using the mall’s elevator or escalator, you can’t help but think that you are in fact entering another dimension.

Retrofuturism - this is what the style and architecture of Virra Mall back then was all about. Retrofuturism is basically a creative style wherein people of the past and present envision what it is like to be in the future. It is the perfect mix of that nostalgic retro vibes coupled with the use of futuristic technology as the people back then envision what the future holds.

Image: Pinterest-Philippines

The shopping mall housed a lot of tenants. The usual products were very affordable. There were also a lot of fast-food chains mallgoers could choose from. However, when Greenhills District Center renewed its lease in 2002, many malls were not able to continue their lease. It was initially planned that they would down the remaining malls due to the rise of malls in Metro Manila, but they decided against it.


Unfortunately, the Virra Mall that was built in 1975 was demolished. The mall was reopened up in the latter half of 2005 and was renamed as V Mall. It is a shame that the architecture of the new mall is not the same as before, still, looking back at the old Virra Mall surely brings back priceless sentimental memories from the 70s.

In some later legends, Aman Sinaya is said to have delved into the depths of the ocean, leaving her post as the magistrate of the seas. The replacement, as these stories say, was Amanikable, the patron god of hunters. He was very irritable, as seen by the fact that he sent typhoons to ravage humanity after he discovered that his love, Maganda, was already betrothed to Malakas. Before this, however, he was quite nice, bestowing titles to hunters of great prowess. A notable acquaintance of his is Haik, who, in contrast to his destructive nature, is a sea god who brings serenity to the turbulent waters.

Image: Wazzup Pilipinas

In a society dependent on the back-breaking work of its many peasants, a deity who rewards them for their work is seen as especially important. This brings us to Idianali (also known as “Idiyanale” or “Idianale”), the goddess of labour and good deeds. She is of fluid gender, seen by some cultures as a female deity of animal husbandry, or a male patron of agriculture and crafts. She was also a friend of Bibit, a mischievous “phallic god”, and Lingga, a god of medicine. Her husband - who will be the next one covered, was Dimangan, whose “line of work” was quite close to that of hers - it being good harvests. They had two off-spring, the histrionic Anitum Tabu, and the industrious Dumakulem.



Dimangan, as earlier discussed, is the god of bountiful harvests. To appease him, the natives often sang songs before an important harvest - a tradition that continues to this day in many rural areas. He was often compared to Ikapati, who, like China’s Yellow Emperor Huang-ti, taught humanity agriculture. Notable relations include his three brothers, who were recorded to have equal strength (or at least importance) to him, These are Kalasakas, who hastened the ripening of rice stalks, Damulag, the defender of rice crops from the winds, and Kalasokus, who turned the grains from green to a more yellowish hue.

The native Tagalogs, living in an area much-frequented by monsoons and storms, eventually attributed the natural phenomena to a supernatural source, in the form of one Anitun Tabu. It was said that when there was light rain - “ambon” - she was in a good mood, and when there was a storm, the opposite would be true. Due to this belief, light showers accompanied by the sun became the ideal time for marriage. The practice ended after colonisation when it became associated with heretical beliefs. In many stories which appeared later, she is portrayed as a mediator between hostile spirits. To appease her, the people offered pinipig, pounded rice grains.

A particularly important god to the Tagalogs (as well as many modern-day Filipinos, methinks) was Anagolay, the goddess of lost thing, whose aura was thought to be inherently intertwined with the very fibres of all Creation. This “heavenly aura” is what allowed her to find things with ease. Although she possessed power of an unimaginable scale, she was just and fair, so strong were her convictions that she even refused Anitun Tabu’s offer to marry Dumakulem (without his consent), her one true love. She eventually married him, though, as it was revealed that the deity also secretly loved her.

The concept of a god of war is a familiar concept to many cultures, and the Tagalogs weren’t an exception. Apolaki, the grand-son (or perhaps son) of Bathala, is the god of the sun, wisdom, and war. He is also the patron deity of warriors, but, in stark contrast to his title, was rather amicable in his actions, even apologising to the goddess Mayari after striking one of the latter’s eyes, and agreeing to joint-dominion over the world (this was after Bathala’s sleep). An interesting tidbit of information regarding Apolaki was that he apparently scolded the Tagalogs for “welcoming the devils with the white teeth”. The “white teeth” bit was because of the Tagalogs’ love for black teeth, much like the Japanese of the Heian period.

Image: Pinterest

After reading this brief introduction of the Tagalog deities of old, one hopes that the reader would become more interested in the Philippine mythos, and mythology as a whole, as the primer is by no means a complete analysis of aforementioned subject. Such is the nature of the primer, in that it is not a work of the academe, but of an amateur scholar more well-versed in history than mythology. Do note, however, that there shall be another part, adding on more major gods in the Tagalog pantheon and touching on the more complex themes of the mythos.

WATCH THE VIDEO:

Image: Opera News

After three days and three nights, Bathala came out victorious, ultimately slaying the serpent. Galang Kaluluwa, who eventually became quite a close friend of Bathala, later died of an illness, and was buried alongside Ulilang Kaluluwa. From their graves sprung forth the first coconut tree. Upon inspection, Bathala reminisced about his fallen friend - the coconut reminded him of the Wandering Spirit’s head, the leaves, of his wings, and the firm trunk, of his foe.



The tree would serve as a valuable resource for the first humans, with the nut serving as food and drink, the wood and leaves as building material, and the fibres as clothes, baskets, and other necessities. The subject of the first humans leads us to the Second Trinity, this one being between Bathala, Aman Sinaya, the patron goddess of fishermen and the oceans, and Amihan (literally “breeze” or “north-east wind), god of the monsoon. 

Image: Aswang Project

As with the First Trinity, Bathala had a rival in the form of Aman Sinaya, who regularly sent typhoons up to High Heaven. Bathala would also retaliate with lightning bolts. In a particularly nasty exchange, Bathala threw boulders down at Aman Sinaya’s domain, thus creating the world’s multitude of islands. Amihan, being the more rational of the bunch, turned himself into a bird and helped mediate the conflict.

The former rivals then agreed to pause hostilities and, as a sign of their new friendship, Bathala planted a seed on the ocean floor, from which the bamboo reed that bore Malakas (“strong”) and Maganda (“beautiful”) sprung. Armed with this knowledge, the reader may now go on to the almost-complete catalogue of Tagalog deities.

About the Author:

An amateur historian with an interest in East Asian and European histories, and a knack for cartography.

Twitter: @Horatio87179500

https://twitter.com/Horatio87179500

WATCH THE VIDEO: 

In 1924, they moved to Shibuya, Tokyo, and everyday the professor would take the train at Shibuya Station to the T.I.U., and every-time he arrived back in Shibuya, without fail Hachiko would be there, waiting for him. This continued up until Mr. Hidesaburo’s untimely death from a cerebral hemorrhage in May, 1925.

Not knowing of his master’s death, Hachiko continued walking to Shibuya Station, waiting for the deceased professor. As he was of Akita blood, he was larger than the average dog, and in such a densely-populated city as Tokyo, he naturally stood out —people were either scared of him or annoyed at his presence, and so they treated him accordingly. This brutish treatment went on for a bit until he had an article written about him in the paper Asahi Shimbun by one of Mr. Hidesaburo’s students, Hirokichi Saito. From then on, commuters started providing hachiko with treats and sustenance as he waited in the train station.

His newfound stardom saw him being recognized by the Japanese as a symbol of the so-called “Nihonggo spirit” of familial loyalty, much akin to the immortalization of the 47 Ronin as paragons of neo-Confucian virtues. The Imperial administration even honored him with a breeding program of the Akita breed, undoubtedly saving it from extinction. Several bronze statues were built in the dog’s likeness, the most well-known of which currently stands at Shibuya Station.

At the time of his death from cancer on March 8, 1935, he was beloved throughout all four of Japan’s four major isles — Honshu, Ezo (Hokkaido), Kyushu, and Shikoku — and so his carcass was stuffed and preserved at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno. Hachiko was so famous that decades after perishing, in 1994 millions tuned in just to listen to his bark on national television, and to this day Japan celebrates his devotion every 8th of March — truly what one may call a “good dog”.

It’s about a five-year-old orphan girl named Heidi, who was raised by her Aunt Deta after her parent’s death. Deta then received a great opportunity to work in Frankfurt and she can no longer accommodate her niece. She then brought Heidi to her cranky and reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Mountain. With Heidi’s delightful innocence and beautiful heart, she was able to soften the old man’s emotion and accepted her happily.
Away from her Aunt’s oppression, Heidi’s life-force soars even more and quickly adapts the heavenly life in the mountain. She then meets her friend Peter, the young goatherd of her grandfather, alongside with his blind grandmother.

While Heidi was living the modest and blissful life, Deta came back to get her and sent to the Sesemann family to accompany the disabled girl Clara. With her cheerful and positive outlook, she gained Clara’s affection and became best friends. In there, Heidi made her stay productive and learn how to read with the help of Clara. But despite Heidi’s ability to adjust in the big city, she got homesick and became pale and thin. It was then decided that she needs to go back home and be reunited with her grandfather and the beautiful mountains. Heidi felt at peace.

Image: Penguin Books Australia