Episode 1: Between the Earth and the Sky: Early Philippine Shelters and Vernacular Heritage

Summary

Episode 1, between the Earth and the Sky, takes us on a journey through the early architectural heritage of the Philippines. This documentary beautifully explores how the natural environment influenced the various forms of early Filipino shelters, from cave dwellings, and arboreal treehouses, to the magnificent rice terraces. It showcases the evolution of Filipino architecture, highlighting the pervasive influence of the Austronesian culture in the building heritage. As we transition from the utilitarian cave shelters to more sophisticated structures like the bahay kubo and the more permanent stone houses of Batanes, the episode emphasizes the adaptability and ingenuity of Filipino engineering and cultural expression.

Highlights

• Discover how early Filipinos used caves as natural shelters 🏞️
• Learn about the defensive architecture of the Ivatan settlers 🛡️
• Explore the Austronesian influence on Filipino homes 🌊
• Uncover the ingenious design of the bahay kubo 🏠
• Dive into the engineering marvel that is the rice terraces 🌾
• Appreciate the resilience of Filipino architecture to natural calamities 🌪️

Key Takeaways

• Philippine architecture evolved from primitive to sophisticated through time ⏳
• Natural landscapes played a crucial role in shaping early shelters 🏞️
• The bahay kubo is an iconic representation of traditional Filipino homes 🏠
• Austronesian cultural influence is prominent in Philippine architecture 🌊
• Adaptability is key to Filipino architectural heritage 🔑
• Rice terraces show Filipino engineering prowess 🌾

Overview

The documentary opens with a musical drift into the roots of Philippine architecture, highlighting its diversity from primeval natural shelters to intricate designs reflecting various cultural influences. Our journey begins with the early Filipinos relying on caves as protective shelters against nature’s wrath. These caverns, with minimal need for modification, became the sanctuary for prehistoric families, illustrating an innate connection between Philippine habitats and their environment.

As the narrative unfolds, we move from caves to more inventive structures. We witness the Ivatan's defensive strongholds in Batanes, carved directly into rugged landscapes, showcasing a keen sense of defensive architecture. The arrival of stone tools marks a structural revolution, inspiring creations like temporary windbreaks and the iconic bahay kubo. These dwellings not only imply cultural facets but also portray a savvy adaptation to the tropical climate.

Moreover, the documentary paints a vivid picture of how vernacular architecture serves as a living testament to Filipino heritage. From the rice terraces’ ability to outperform even the Great Wall in stone volume to the Austronesian houses’ aquatic adaptations, each structure signals a story of resilience and innovation. This narrative is not only an exploration of structures but a journey through the culture’s historical and environmental narrative.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Philippine Architecture In the chapter "Introduction to Philippine Architecture," the discussion begins with an exploration of the wide range of expressions, forms, types, styles, and historical periods inherent in Philippine architecture.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Cave Dwellings and Early Settlers This chapter explores the fundamental role of caves as dwellings for early settlers in the Philippines. It highlights how these natural formations provided essential shelter and protection for the primitive communities against environmental elements such as wind and rain, functioning as vital refuges for survival.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Stone Tools and Early Constructive Technology This chapter explores the use of natural shelters and the minimal construction efforts needed for early human habitation. Early humans often selected dwellings that were already in existence, such as caves, which offered structural stability from surrounding earth or rock formations. However, some modifications were necessary to ensure the shelter's safety from predators, marking the beginning of constructive technology with minimal site work.
• 04:30 - 06:00: Lean-to and Arboreal Shelters This chapter delves into the history of early human shelters specifically focusing on those built by the Pleistocene people in the Philippines. It discusses the use of natural shelters like caves and the evolution of arboreal and lean-to shelters.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras The chapter titled 'Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras' discusses the prehistoric habitation of families over a period of 30,000 years, focusing on the Tabon Cave Complex in Southwest Palawan. This complex spans 138 hectares and features rugged cliffs and deep slopes with over 200 caverns. The text also alludes to other examples of cave shelters and rock-hewn architecture in the region.
• 07:00 - 10:30: Austronesian Influence and Bahay Kubo The chapter titled 'Austronesian Influence and Bahay Kubo' discusses the historical habitation of early Filipinos. It highlights the presence of petroglyphs found in a rock shelter in Angono, Rizal, offering evidence of ancient Filipinos' attempts to decorate their homes.
• 10:30 - 15:00: Structural Features and Adaptations This chapter delves into the architectural and defensive strategies utilized by the early Ivatan settlers. It highlights the citadels of Savidug Batanes, known as ‘idjang,’ showcasing the advanced defensive engineering where hard limestone formations were carved to create vertical walls. These structural designs serve as a testament to the ingenuity and adaptation skills of the Ivatan people in utilizing natural formations for safeguarding their community.
• 18:00 - 24:30: Mountain Dwellings and Earthquake Adaptations This chapter delves into the earliest advancements in architecture as our ancestors transitioned from living in caves to creating shelters. Utilizing stone tools for cutting various materials such as plant stems and wood, they pioneered a fibro constructive technology. This technological leap enabled the construction of provisional, tent-like shelters built primarily with wood, marking a significant shift in how they adapted to their environmental challenges, including those posed by earthquakes.
• 25:00 - 28:30: Introduction of Islam and Mosque Architecture The chapter dives into the origins and fundamental principles of Islamic architecture, especially focusing on the architectural elements and symbolism in Mosque structures. It draws comparisons with indigenous architectural practices in regions like the Philippines to emphasize universal building principles, such as using natural materials and simple structural forms, like the lean-to windbreak, serving as a protective shelter. This sets the stage for a deeper exploration of mosque architecture and its evolution across different cultures and climates.
• 28:30 - 33:00: Stilted Houses and Maritime Architecture ## Chapter Summary The chapter titled 'Stilted Houses and Maritime Architecture' explores various structures that are integral to the nomadic lifestyle of the Ita people. One such structure is the 'lean-to', a transient form of architecture. Additionally, the chapter highlights the arboreal shelter or treehouse, showcasing how these architectural institutions are crafted by nature itself. These architectural designs exemplify the adaptation of architecture to suit the Itas' way of life, emphasizing adaptability and natural integration into the environment.
• 33:00 - 36:00: Torogan and Communal Architecture Treehouses are traditionally built in regions prone to intertribal conflicts and raids, offering protection by being elevated in tree branches, often between 20 to 60 feet above the ground, to safeguard against both animal and human threats.
• 37:00 - 40:00: Conclusion on Vernacular Architecture The chapter discusses the vernacular architecture of the rice terraces in the Cordilleras, highlighting them as a masterpiece of pre-modern engineering and megalithic architecture. It explains how these terraces were transformed by human activity to support pond field agriculture, and notes that the landscape was originally covered in woodland.

Episode 1: Between the Earth and the Sky: Early Philippine Shelters and Vernacular Heritage Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] philippine architecture covers a myriad of expressions forms types styles and periods
• 00:30 - 01:00 its primeval expression resided in [Music] nature for the early filipinos who were defenseless before the violence of wind and rain the cave was a refuge
• 01:00 - 01:30 a place of dwelling [Music] for the most part the said shelter had always been there ready for use but it needed to be reclaimed and made safe from predators constructing cave dwellings only required minimal sight work and modification as the shelters took advantage of the structural properties of earth or rock formation in the caverns
• 01:30 - 02:00 the earliest dwellers of caves in the philippines were the pleistocene people offsprings of the ice age [Music] perhaps the largest cave dwelt in by
• 02:00 - 02:30 prehistoric families periodically for 30 000 years is the tabon cave complex in southwest palawan it is 138 hectares of rugged cliffs and deep slopes the cliffs and slopes around the area are punctured with more than 200 caverns there are other examples of cave shelters and rock hewn architecture
• 02:30 - 03:00 that were once inhabited by early [Music] filipinos [Music] the petroglyphs in a rock shelter in angono rizal provides evidence of the ancient filipino's effort to embellish his habitation
• 03:00 - 03:30 [Music] the mountaintop citadels of savidugbatanes known as idjang is a testimony to the sophisticated defensive engineering of the early ivatan settlers who carved the hard limestone formation to create vertical walls
• 03:30 - 04:00 emerging from the caves our ancestors initiated the first architectural revolution with the invention of stone tools for cutting fabulous materials plant stems and wood a fibro constructive technology [Music] this technology helped develop the temporary tent-like shelters made of wooden
• 04:00 - 04:30 skeleton and vegetative or animal skin in the philippines this fundamental act of building is epitomized by the lean-to windbreak or the windscreen which is structurally anchored by a pole or stick at an angle on the ground
• 04:30 - 05:00 the lean too is the early dwelling of the ita this transient architecture is an inalienable aspect of their nomadic lifestyle [Music] another architectural institution fashioned by nature is the arboreal shelter or the treehouse
• 05:00 - 05:30 treehouses are usually found in areas where violent intertribal conflict and nocturnal raids are frequent these houses are perched in the forked branches of trees 20 or 40 or even 60 feet above the ground to protect residents from animals and human enemies
• 05:30 - 06:00 [Music] the rice terraces of the cordilleras is a masterpiece of pre-modern engineering and megalithic architecture altered by human hands to accommodate pond field agriculture the original landscape was once covered with woodland
• 06:00 - 06:30 the amount of stones used by the ifogao in constructing the system of stone walls canals dams reservoirs of the terraces is estimated to far exceed in bulk those used in building the pyramids or the great wall of china [Music] the terrace network spans the provinces of cordillera's mountain province
• 06:30 - 07:00 including ifugao and areas of abra the walls reach up to a height of 6 meters and in some cases 16 meters configured in a range of shape and gradient every terrace construction in the ifugao highlands contains three basic elements
• 07:00 - 07:30 terror space the embankment and the soil body the cultures of southeast asia are descended from a common ancestry based on affiliation with the austronesian family of language
• 07:30 - 08:00 the austronesian culture is characterized by a worldview defined by a waterborne lifestyle which manifests itself in the vernacular architecture in the philippines this architecture professes a strong allegiance to a greater austronesian building heritage the archetypal austronesian house consists
• 08:00 - 08:30 of an architectural system of a raised wooden structure typically consisting of a rectangular structure elevated on posts with a thatched pitch roof these architectural features are contingent on a monsoonal and aquatic-based way of life as settlement patterns have a direct connection to bodies of water because water is a means of
• 08:30 - 09:00 transportation communities were developed along sheltered bays coastal areas and mouths of rivers [Music] the features of austronation dwelling are best embodied by the baje kupo the term translates literally to cube
• 09:00 - 09:30 house suggesting that the height of the wall is equal to its width the house posts mark out an approximately square interior space the lineal dimension is three to four meters the house is constructed using wooden structural components configured in the post and lintel framework
• 09:30 - 10:00 supporting a steeply pitched thatched roof the dwelling is distinguished by a living floor raised on sturdy stilt foundations with a voluminous well-ventilated roof cavity above providing a straightforward solution to the environmental problems imposed by the humid tropical climate with seasonal monsoon rains [Music]
• 10:00 - 10:30 pile foundations have several advantages in a tropical climate piles raise the living floor above the mud and flood waters which occur during seasonal monsoon rains while providing excellent underfloor ventilation in hot weather the underfloor space known as silon is often used for storage or as a corral for domestic animals
• 10:30 - 11:00 it can also provide a shaded daytime workspace for tasks such as weaving and basketry in many areas house posts simply rest on top of foundation stones rather than being driven directly into the ground this ensures that the building has enough flexibility to survive earthquakes in this seismically active region
• 11:00 - 11:30 at the same time should one wish to move house the entire structure can literally be picked up and carried to a new site until recently these houses were constructed entirely of botanic building materials timber bamboo thatch and fibers
• 11:30 - 12:00 assembled without the use of nails a quintessential method of construction is exemplified by vertical house posts and horizontal tie beams that provide a load-bearing structure to which floors walls and roof are later attached the main framework usually a box frame is fabricated using sophisticated jointing techniques
• 12:00 - 12:30 while the walls roof and other non-load bearing elements are typically secured by wooden pegs and vegetative fiber lashing [Music] the frame is usually first put together on the ground and then taken apart to be reassembled again in a place on top of the posts the walls of vernacular structures are
• 12:30 - 13:00 made of light windscreen which provides protection from the elements and secures privacy for the residents [Music] the walls may consist of matting palm leaves folded round a lath and stitched together with a strip of rattan flattened or plated bamboo panels as well as wooden boards and panels depending on the use and status
• 13:00 - 13:30 of the building in the bahay kubo wall sidings may be of nipah or sawali the sawali uses bamboo that has been split flattened and cut into strips that are woven together in herringbone design which makes the house like a basket windows of the awning type have nipper or palm window lid that can either slide from
• 13:30 - 14:00 side to side or be pushed out by a pole there are usually no ceilings or room divisions [Music] sawali walls may divide the interior space into rooms with open doorways internally the raised floor consists of the most essential compartments a single multi-functional space
• 14:00 - 14:30 whose use transforms throughout the day to fit the daily routine of the household or a two to three unit quarter consisting of a living and sleeping area a kitchen or storage room and an open gallery at the front or rear of the house called balcon or batalan respectively the gallery serves as an anti-room or
• 14:30 - 15:00 lounging area when located at the rear it is used for keeping water jars or used as a place for bathing as the household members increase or when the family ascends the social ladder extensions are added to the basic form of the house behind the house near the batalan is a kitchen which has a separate roof
• 15:00 - 15:30 and window with a hanging slatted rack called bangera for drying dishes and kitchen utensils the liquid kitchen slop is poured through the interstices of the split bamboo lath floor the most distinctive feature of the austronesian vernacular architectural form is the extended line
• 15:30 - 16:00 of the roof often with outward sloping gables forming elegant saddleback curves although philippine vernacular houses generally lack the graceful curve characteristic of the saddleback roofs of the architecture of the minangkabau in sumatra their hip roofs are closely related to the saddleback type as in most southeast asia the roof is the dominant architectural feature of
• 16:00 - 16:30 most dwellings in some cases the house is mostly a roof as seen in the pyramidal roof of an ifugao dwelling and an older baha'i kubo [Music] vernacular dwellings are thatched a generic name for any roof covering made of dead plant material other than wood grasses and palm leaves
• 16:30 - 17:00 are the most widely used traditional materials despite its combustibility thatch is watertight and may last more than a century when effectively laid out so that water runs off the entire surface consistently cross gable finials which hold the rafters together at the ridge are an ever-present feature
• 17:00 - 17:30 of southeast asian roofs the ornamented ones are made by crossed poles that meet at the apex of the roof although the tausog sullan roof is decorated at either end of the house by a horn or crescent-shaped tajuk pasong which is usually a stylized manuk manuk or bird or naga or dragon design with swirling fern-like ukil carving
• 17:30 - 18:00 naga sanskrit for serpent represents the austronesian cosmological model in many philippine islamic artifacts as well as the universality of water in the daily life of asia pacific [Applause] in the monsoon beaten botanist islands
• 18:00 - 18:30 the dwellings are designed and built not only to withstand the battering of the most severe of storms sea sprays gusts and rains they are also built to overcome devastating earthquakes with knowledge of processing lime for building the ivatans are able to construct their more familiar houses made of stone and mortar known as
• 18:30 - 19:00 calicanto the most common type is a one-story house with a partially submerged basement used as storage referred to as sinadumparan or maituab depending on the roof configuration two-story houses are called raku very thick stone and lime masonry are topped
• 19:00 - 19:30 with gable or hip roof an elaborately crafted truss system with a combination of bamboo reed rattan and kogan roof cover wooden post and lintel frameworks are implanted in the walls a meter thick kogun thatch sharply slopes down and is heavily
• 19:30 - 20:00 fastened onto a ceiling the fourth windowless wall faces the direction of the strongest typhoon winds as the house is oriented north south a big roof called panpe made of strong ropes fastened securely to the ground via strong pigs or large stone anchors is thrown
• 20:00 - 20:30 over the entire roof during typhoons in the altitudes of the mountain province the vernacular houses although varying in size and shape were designed primarily to shield the cold weather william henry scott classifies houses in these highland regions into the
• 20:30 - 21:00 northern and southern strains the northern strain consists of houses made by the ismeg and kalinga while the southern strain are houses constructed by the ifugao montok ibaloy [Music] houses of the northern strain are characterized by a rectangular plan
• 21:00 - 21:30 covered by a high gable roof the roof framing is independent of the floor framework and the floor and all of its legs can be removed leaving the roof still upright or vice versa an example is the snag house called binuron [Music] with its floor and roof supported by
• 21:30 - 22:00 completely different sets of posts the squarish house elongates into a rectangle with a roof that is bowed into the shape of a boat turned upside down the adoption of boat architecture in the design of the house may be attributed to the fact that the snake's domain is the only region in the corviliera with a navigable river
• 22:00 - 22:30 and a boat building tradition the kalinga construct octagonal houses having three divided floorings the center being the lowest [Music]
• 22:30 - 23:00 the kalinga dwelling is the only philippine vernacular form that assumes an eight-sided plan [Music] generally the cordillera houses at the southern strain have square plans with either a pyramidal or conical roof resting on the top of
• 23:00 - 23:30 the walls of the house the house is a box supported by posts reaching no higher than the floor joints the windowless ifogao house or fale for instance appears to be a pyramid of thatch resting on four posts the infergal house is in fact a three level structure the first level consists of the stone
• 23:30 - 24:00 pavement whose perimeter coincides with the edge of the eaves posts and girders a wooden cylindrical disk the halipan or rat guard is fitted on each of the four posts rising 1.2 to 1.8 meters from the ground [Music] the second level is the house cage
• 24:00 - 24:30 consisting of the room frame walls and floor and encloses a floor area of about 12 to 15 square meters the interior walls inclined to give a spherical dimension inside [Music] the pyramidal roof protected with layers of thatch constitutes the third level
• 24:30 - 25:00 the ifugao process of house building may take as long as two years the house mostly of hand-tuned wood may be assembled and dismantled within a day [Music]
• 25:00 - 25:30 islam was established in sulu in the 14th century and in the rest of mindanao in the 15th century being a religion based on congregational worship it required a permanent and separate architecture two types of mosques developed in the
• 25:30 - 26:00 philippines the masjid and the smaller langal in tauzog and yacan or rangar the masjid is associated with any place of worship that includes a bulbous dome and a minaret as an architectural element unlike the langal it is a large and more
• 26:00 - 26:30 permanent structure built on stone foundations often to be found near a river or a body of water where the faithful perform rituals of ablution on the other hand the landal which means to meet refers to a small prayer house built with light and semi-permanent materials the langal is found mostly in rural
• 26:30 - 27:00 areas for the convenience of the worshipers who live far from the masjid the masjid was originally a multi-tiered bamboo or wooden structure reminiscent of the chinese pagoda or the javanese temple with a roof consisting of three ascending layers of flared pyramidal roofs separated by gaps to allow direct air and light into
• 27:00 - 27:30 the building the oldest standing mosque in the philippines found in too big indonesia island tawitawi is a prototype of the multi-layered roof of the pagoda style mosque with a square plan this mosque built in 1380 under the auspices of sheikh karim ul mahdum has undergone
• 27:30 - 28:00 several reconstructions only the huge e-pill posts remain from the original structure later mosques were rendered in a style approximating middle eastern models this mosque style built of reinforced concrete features an onion-shaped dome on squinches and tall minarets
• 28:00 - 28:30 arabic geometric designs and quranic inscription have replaced the traditional okir designs in some mosques the golden mosque in chiapo manila notable for its gilded dome combines modern mosque design with stylized and colorful maranao okeer patterns and like all mosques is oriented towards mecca
• 28:30 - 29:00 the geographic features of sulu and mindanao have encouraged both terrestrial and naval architecture
• 29:00 - 29:30 the houses in different muslim societies in southern philippines are categorized into three land-based stilted dwellings situated along the shoreline oceanic stilt dwellings built completely over the sea and entirely detached from the shoreline and the houseboat which is both home and fishing boat
• 29:30 - 30:00 samal houses are supported by piles driven deep enough for structural anchorage into the reef floor the houses are linked together to the shore and to one another by a network of catwalks and bridges of timber and split bamboo [Music]
• 30:00 - 30:30 the elevation of the house must depend on the maximum high tide level in order to allow the storage of the outrigger boat underneath the house when not in use [Music] for the taos ogs the construction of the
• 30:30 - 31:00 house entails the reenactment of their genesis myth the erection of nine posts is sequenced according to the order of how the human body was supposedly created the post at the center representing the navel is the first to be erected while the other eight posts that represent parts of the human anatomy are placed on the perimeter within a
• 31:00 - 31:30 specific orientation adherence to such sequence are believed to guarantee the sturdiness of the house and the safety of its occupants the taosug house or the baisinoog is a single room partitionless structure equipped with a porch and a separate kitchen a distinguishing feature of the house is the carved wooden finials
• 31:30 - 32:00 placed at one or both ends of the ridge of the gable or hipped roof [Music] the jagran house called luma is a rectangular ridge roofed single room pile structure
• 32:00 - 32:30 raised two meters from the ground the luma has three parts the kokan or tindakan the main house the kusina or kitchen and the pantan or simpay or porch the steep pitch roof sapio is concave and is thatched with either gogun or nipah by tradition
• 32:30 - 33:00 the bajaos are maritime wanderers constantly roving across the channels of tawitawi in groups aboard their houseboats although some have opted to settle on land and use their boats only for fishing
• 33:00 - 33:30 a houseboat has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years structurally a single beam forms the bottom and wooden boards form the body the interior of the houseboat is divided into three major zones for sleeping cooking and fishing tools the boat is balanced by an outrigger or
• 33:30 - 34:00 katig which is anchored to the main structure by a bow-like wooden frame called batangan [Music] with the death of the family head the boat is transformed into a coffin
• 34:00 - 34:30 [Music] the most prominent of the maranao architecture is the torogan the ornate ancestral residence of the dhatu and his extended family literally a place for sleeping the torogen is raised 2 meters above the ground by posts numbering as many as 25 some of which are non-load-bearing at the facade
• 34:30 - 35:00 huge tree trunks are used as posts since the land is prone to earthquake the timber posts are not buried into the ground but stood on rounded boulders which act as rollers that allow the structure to sway with the earth's movements furthermore these boulders prevent direct contact of the post with a ground preventing the wood from rotting or being attacked by
• 35:00 - 35:30 termites the posts at the facade are usually carved and decorated with okir motifs and occasionally contoured like chess pieces the noticeable external feature of the torogan is the decorative panolong a wing-like triangular house beam elaborated by paco rabong or fern designs or naga motif evoking
• 35:30 - 36:00 the buoyant appearance of a royal vessel the motifs are chiseled in high relief and painted with bright hues the side strips facade panels and window frames are lavished in the same fashion [Music]
• 36:00 - 36:30 another example of a communal architecture is the tiboli gunu bong found in the lake cebu area of south cotabato like the maranao torogen it is home to an extended family averaging between 8 to 16 persons [Music] bamboo stilts or timber poles support
• 36:30 - 37:00 the house two meters from the ground with additional poles on the sides to keep it stable tree stumps are also used as post for the inner portion of the house these are laid out on a rectangular plan approximately 14 meters long by eight to nine meters wide [Music]
• 37:00 - 37:30 the lower central space is thus integrated with the elevated side areas the area of honor the sleeping areas and the vestibule the gunu bong is capped by a thatched gable roof which is not very steep [Music]
• 37:30 - 38:00 vernacular architecture is a broad category denoting indigenous ethnic or traditional architecture [Music] majority of vernacular built forms are dwellings whether permanent or makeshift constructed by their owners by communities or by local craftsmen
• 38:00 - 38:30 granaries fortifications places of worship ephemeral and portable structures and contemporary urban shanties all belong to the vernacular lineage undeniably the vernacular architectural tradition is an omnipresent building practice in the country
• 38:30 - 39:00 and remains an accessible architectural idiom to the majority of filipinos [Music]
• 39:00 - 39:30 do [Music]
• 39:30 - 40:00 you