Maitum opens diorama of archaelogical discovery

MAITUM, Sarangani (May 5, 2009) – The National Museum of the Philippines, local officials and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts opened for public viewing Tuesday, May 5, a diorama of archeological finds with a miniature replica of Ayub Cave where anthropomorphic secondary burial jars were found.

The exhibit at the municipal hall coincides with the May 4-7 celebration of the town’s 50th foundation anniversary and its Binuyugan Festival.

Called “Diorama of the Treasures of Maitum”, the exhibit shows replicas of burial jars dug in 1991 by a National Museum team led by Dr. Eusebio Dizon and Rey Santiago at Ayub Cave in barangay Pinol.

The original artifacts are now preserved at the National Museum.

“These treasures were declared as important cultural property by the National Museum,” Mayor Elsie Perrett said. “Every Maitumian should be very proud of this.”

By declaring the Pinol Cave formation and the surrounding area of Maitum as an “important cultural property,” a National Museum resolution said “the archaeological sites in Pinol and surrounding area are in need of protection from treasure hunting and illegal excavation and should be preserved for the present and future generation of Filipinos.”

“For this we are truly grateful and we promise to protect this treasure,” Perrett said.

“We are continually looking for non-renewable cultural resources that we have to protect and preserve,” said Maharlika Cuevas, Director III of the National Museum.

“Our role in the National Museum is to give proper attention to our cultural treasures like this,” Cuevas added.

A symposium that followed the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the diorama was packed by teachers from Mindanao State University and local teachers.

Dizon and Santiago wrote in their book “Faces from Maitum” that the burial jars bore radiocarbon dates of "1930 plus or minus 50 BP (calibrated date of 5 BC to AD 225) and 1830 plus or minus 60 BP (calibrated date of AD 70 to 370)."

Dizon, head of the National Museum’s archeological division, presented a paper about Maitum burial jars at the 14th national Conference on local and National History in 1993.

“Our Southeast Asian neighbors have nothing of this type of archaeological find. We should be extremely proud as Filipinos in discovering the amazing anthropomorphic potteries, which could suggest the backbone of our own culture.” (Russtum Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)