Details
Description
This very old Bulul is a carved wooden sculpture that was used to guard their rice crop by the Ifugao …
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This very old Bulul is a carved wooden sculpture that was used to guard their rice crop by the Ifugao people of northern Luzon Island in the Philippines. He's an emblematic depiction of the people's ancestors, who lend power by the presence of their spirits. Bulul were formerly used in ceremonies to help with healing and crop production. The priests conducted a ritual to empower the statue.
This particular Bulul has a typical simplified from -- he does not have a loincloth and he's shown squatting on the ground with his arms crossed over his knees. He seems to have been carved from local narra wood. The top of his head shows shallow pitting, darkening and shine from the repeated rubbing of greases during blessings.
I inherited this Bulul in 1982 -- about 45 years ago -- in San Francisco, where there's a large Filipino population, and I don't really know anything about its provenance before that. I'm told that the local shamans on Luzon claim that no Bulul have been used in rituals since sometime in the early sixties. Since this one shows very clear evidence of long-term ceremonial use, it's reasonable to believe that he's much older than that, but I've no proof.
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- Dimensions
- 11ʺW × 11ʺD × 32ʺH
- Styles
- Asian Antique
- Tribal
- Art Subjects
- Figure
- Period
- 1920s
- Country of Origin
- Philippines
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Wood
- Condition
- Good Condition, Unknown, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Tan
- Condition Notes
- The wooden statue shows evidence of the repeated application of grease and oil to its head during ceremonies. The underside … moreThe wooden statue shows evidence of the repeated application of grease and oil to its head during ceremonies. The underside of the bottom has been hollowed out by apparent dry rot, which was long ago entirely stabilized. He rests upon a base stacked to stabilize his erect posture. I have included photographs of both conditions. less
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