Gregg Alfonso Abbang | National Museum of the Philippines (original) (raw)

Papers by Gregg Alfonso Abbang

Proceedings of the Society of Philippine Archaeologists, 2023

Situated near Taal Lake, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas is amo... more Situated near Taal Lake, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas is among the 17th-century Augustinian churches in the country. Associated structures or monuments, namely, the Balon de Santa Lucia and the Hagdan-hagdan, are also within the vicinity. The shrine complex has been declared a National Cultural Treasure and, unfortunately, was one of the heritage structures damaged by the Taal Volcano eruption in 2020. The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) initiated its restoration in 2021—with its team of researchers, architects, and engineers—and this has been an ongoing agency project as of 2022. The shrine complex plays a significant role in the lives of the Taaleños as well as believers of Our Lady of Caysasay from different places. It would be interesting to investigate how it shaped human beliefs, traditions, and practices based on material culture. Meanwhile, the significance of the entire site in deciphering what may have occurred in the advent of Christianity in the country may be another topic of potential study. This preliminary study will present the details of field activities conducted by the researchers of the Archaeology and Ethnology Divisions that include ocular inspections, documentation of material culture, monitoring of the excavations, and retrieval of human osteological remains encountered on-site. The research potential of the shrine complex will be explored following archaeological and anthropological principles.

Anthropological field methods applied during research in Banton Island, Province of Romblon, Phil... more Anthropological field methods applied during research in Banton Island, Province of Romblon, Philippines, including personal reflections of researchers; submitted as final requirement for the completion of the course Anthropology 299 (Seminar in Field Methods) under Prof. Francisco A. Datar, PhD; Second Semester, Academic Year 2014-2015, University of the Philippines Diliman.

From Kiln to Kin: The Philippine Ceramic Heritage, 2022

An article discussing the Archaeology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines' stonewa... more An article discussing the Archaeology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines' stoneware collection through the select archaeological sites in Luzon, Central Philippines, and Mindanao. The article's sections include an introduction to stoneware, brief historical background in Southeast Asia, and its cultural and archaeological relevance.

For the longest time, water has been an integral part of Philippine culture and society. Filipin... more For the longest time, water has been an integral part of Philippine culture and society. Filipinos had learned to tame the archipelago’s surrounding seas and be its master. Skilled in the art of boat-building and maritime navigation, they became a major force of global trade and shipping since the colonial period up until now. In anthropology, maritime/water cultures, seafaring/seamanship in particular, has become an interesting subject of research/study for emerging anthropologists. In connection to this, the paper will underline and discuss the “Filipino seafaring culture” alongside with two key anthropologists, William Henry Scott and Kale Bantigue Fajardo, whose historical and ethnographic works, if not yet fully completed, laid emphasis on the aforementioned subject.

The lost vestiges of the “Sinanthropus Pekinensis,” generally known as the Peking Man, had produc... more The lost vestiges of the “Sinanthropus Pekinensis,” generally known as the Peking Man, had produced a lingering shroud of anonymity pertaining to the whereabouts and existence of the fossils since its disappearance in the early 1940s. It had drawn various conjectures from the global and scientific communities specifically in the fields of Paleontology, Archaeology and Anthropology. Symbolically pertinent to later China, the Peking Man fossils are one of the most indispensable archaeological findings in the study of human evolution. It was relocated from the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) primarily to protect the collection of fossil bones from the impending threat of Japanese incursion of China, and to elude the destructive effects and chaos the Second World War might produce. Since then, it was nowhere to be found.

The universality of language does not equally connote cultural homogeneity. Be that as it may, w... more The universality of language does not equally connote cultural homogeneity. Be that as it may, we cannot stay unreceptive when a language is close to total disintegration. The Cavite-based Philippine Creole Spanish, more prevalently known as Chabacano, is one of the unique, diverse and endangered languages solely existing in the archipelago which served before as a local contact language between the natives and non-natives in the region. The objectives of the paper are to contextualize the present sociolinguistic state of Chabacano in the speech community of Ternate and Cavite City; recognize the imperative factors which led to its gradual endangerment [and regression]; and the language’s revitalization and future direction.

The Zapote Battlefield, also known as the Zapote Bridge, is a significant historic site that divi... more The Zapote Battlefield, also known as the Zapote Bridge, is a significant historic site that divides and connects the city of Las Piñas and Bacoor. The site is an eyewitness of the two crucial and largest battles where numerous Filipino revolutionaries fought and shed their blood in order to defend the province of Cavite as well as the Philippine independence from western colonizers: one against the Spaniards (February 17, 1987) whilst the other was against the American forces (June 13, 1899). To date, the area serves an important role in the preservation of cultural identity and local and oral history of the two places. The historic bridge was effectively restored and conserved although its surrounding vicinity never escaped the unavoidable alteration brought by modernization and urbanization. The paper aims to explore the potential of this site through historical archaeology for the proliferation of historical and cultural awareness and heritage appreciation.

Drafts by Gregg Alfonso Abbang

Friars, through the course of Philippine history, have been viewed generally as powerful and oppr... more Friars, through the course of Philippine history, have been viewed generally as powerful and oppressive agents of colonization and hegemony. One of their most enduring accomplishments, no doubt, was the Christianization of the Filipinos. An individual with a misconstrued historical knowledge or background could easily have the presumption of a corrupted image of the friars especially in the 17th until the 19th century. To say this is an unfair holistic evaluation of them especially those friars or missionaries who became catalysts in the introduction of new knowledge in the field of health—be it spiritual or physical in nature—to the natives. In this paper, my objectives are to examine the role and impact of the friars as “doctors,” present cases that could reinforce such assertion, and give an anthropological analysis of “healing/healer/being healed.”

Conference Presentations by Gregg Alfonso Abbang

Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, 2024

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) mission is to provide the fullest possible account... more The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing service members from past conflicts. More than 81,000 service members remain missing, and almost 50% of those losses are attributed to America’s efforts during the Second World War in the Indo-Pacific region. Through close partnership with the DPAA and the National Museum of the Philippines, the Center for Recovery and Identification of the Missing (CRIM) at the University of Illinois, Chicago executes missions throughout the Philippines to aid in the recovery of this large portion of missing service members. This poster illustrates CRIM’s recovery process at a Second World War aircraft crash site in a remote location on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines. We illustrate how the project has evolved from historical research and site location to large-scale excavation and digital landscape modeling. Due to the difficult nature of the site, the CRIM team draws on an arsenal of archaeological methods in the endeavor to provide a full accounting of the 11 service members who remain missing from this air loss.

The 22nd Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 2022

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP)... more Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) launched the Palayok: The Ceramic Heritage of the Philippines exhibition, which presents the 4,500 years of vibrant ceramic tradition in the Philippines. While this exhibition primarily showcases the archaeological ceramic collection of the NMP, it also narrates the history of Philippine culture and society through these objects. This paper details the development process of making the Palayok (Filipino word for “pot”) exhibition, from its conceptualization to the implementation of the exhibition design. Issues and challenges in the creation of its storyline and sections and the selection of ceramic artifacts and other specimens to be displayed are mainly discussed, as the exhibition team aims to highlight the integral role and centrality of ceramics in shaping Philippine culture, particularly in terms of social complexity, regional interactions, and lifestyle, among others.

Timon: The Proceedings of the Philippine Maritime Heritage Forum, 2023

This paper presentation discusses the beginning and early years of the AIMS Museo Maritimo and "m... more This paper presentation discusses the beginning and early years of the AIMS Museo Maritimo and "maritime narratives" as suggested by archaeological sites and artifacts in the Philippines.

Proceedings of the Society of Philippine Archaeologists, 2023

Situated near Taal Lake, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas is amo... more Situated near Taal Lake, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas is among the 17th-century Augustinian churches in the country. Associated structures or monuments, namely, the Balon de Santa Lucia and the Hagdan-hagdan, are also within the vicinity. The shrine complex has been declared a National Cultural Treasure and, unfortunately, was one of the heritage structures damaged by the Taal Volcano eruption in 2020. The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) initiated its restoration in 2021—with its team of researchers, architects, and engineers—and this has been an ongoing agency project as of 2022. The shrine complex plays a significant role in the lives of the Taaleños as well as believers of Our Lady of Caysasay from different places. It would be interesting to investigate how it shaped human beliefs, traditions, and practices based on material culture. Meanwhile, the significance of the entire site in deciphering what may have occurred in the advent of Christianity in the country may be another topic of potential study. This preliminary study will present the details of field activities conducted by the researchers of the Archaeology and Ethnology Divisions that include ocular inspections, documentation of material culture, monitoring of the excavations, and retrieval of human osteological remains encountered on-site. The research potential of the shrine complex will be explored following archaeological and anthropological principles.

Anthropological field methods applied during research in Banton Island, Province of Romblon, Phil... more Anthropological field methods applied during research in Banton Island, Province of Romblon, Philippines, including personal reflections of researchers; submitted as final requirement for the completion of the course Anthropology 299 (Seminar in Field Methods) under Prof. Francisco A. Datar, PhD; Second Semester, Academic Year 2014-2015, University of the Philippines Diliman.

From Kiln to Kin: The Philippine Ceramic Heritage, 2022

An article discussing the Archaeology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines' stonewa... more An article discussing the Archaeology Division of the National Museum of the Philippines' stoneware collection through the select archaeological sites in Luzon, Central Philippines, and Mindanao. The article's sections include an introduction to stoneware, brief historical background in Southeast Asia, and its cultural and archaeological relevance.

For the longest time, water has been an integral part of Philippine culture and society. Filipin... more For the longest time, water has been an integral part of Philippine culture and society. Filipinos had learned to tame the archipelago’s surrounding seas and be its master. Skilled in the art of boat-building and maritime navigation, they became a major force of global trade and shipping since the colonial period up until now. In anthropology, maritime/water cultures, seafaring/seamanship in particular, has become an interesting subject of research/study for emerging anthropologists. In connection to this, the paper will underline and discuss the “Filipino seafaring culture” alongside with two key anthropologists, William Henry Scott and Kale Bantigue Fajardo, whose historical and ethnographic works, if not yet fully completed, laid emphasis on the aforementioned subject.

The lost vestiges of the “Sinanthropus Pekinensis,” generally known as the Peking Man, had produc... more The lost vestiges of the “Sinanthropus Pekinensis,” generally known as the Peking Man, had produced a lingering shroud of anonymity pertaining to the whereabouts and existence of the fossils since its disappearance in the early 1940s. It had drawn various conjectures from the global and scientific communities specifically in the fields of Paleontology, Archaeology and Anthropology. Symbolically pertinent to later China, the Peking Man fossils are one of the most indispensable archaeological findings in the study of human evolution. It was relocated from the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) primarily to protect the collection of fossil bones from the impending threat of Japanese incursion of China, and to elude the destructive effects and chaos the Second World War might produce. Since then, it was nowhere to be found.

The universality of language does not equally connote cultural homogeneity. Be that as it may, w... more The universality of language does not equally connote cultural homogeneity. Be that as it may, we cannot stay unreceptive when a language is close to total disintegration. The Cavite-based Philippine Creole Spanish, more prevalently known as Chabacano, is one of the unique, diverse and endangered languages solely existing in the archipelago which served before as a local contact language between the natives and non-natives in the region. The objectives of the paper are to contextualize the present sociolinguistic state of Chabacano in the speech community of Ternate and Cavite City; recognize the imperative factors which led to its gradual endangerment [and regression]; and the language’s revitalization and future direction.

The Zapote Battlefield, also known as the Zapote Bridge, is a significant historic site that divi... more The Zapote Battlefield, also known as the Zapote Bridge, is a significant historic site that divides and connects the city of Las Piñas and Bacoor. The site is an eyewitness of the two crucial and largest battles where numerous Filipino revolutionaries fought and shed their blood in order to defend the province of Cavite as well as the Philippine independence from western colonizers: one against the Spaniards (February 17, 1987) whilst the other was against the American forces (June 13, 1899). To date, the area serves an important role in the preservation of cultural identity and local and oral history of the two places. The historic bridge was effectively restored and conserved although its surrounding vicinity never escaped the unavoidable alteration brought by modernization and urbanization. The paper aims to explore the potential of this site through historical archaeology for the proliferation of historical and cultural awareness and heritage appreciation.

Friars, through the course of Philippine history, have been viewed generally as powerful and oppr... more Friars, through the course of Philippine history, have been viewed generally as powerful and oppressive agents of colonization and hegemony. One of their most enduring accomplishments, no doubt, was the Christianization of the Filipinos. An individual with a misconstrued historical knowledge or background could easily have the presumption of a corrupted image of the friars especially in the 17th until the 19th century. To say this is an unfair holistic evaluation of them especially those friars or missionaries who became catalysts in the introduction of new knowledge in the field of health—be it spiritual or physical in nature—to the natives. In this paper, my objectives are to examine the role and impact of the friars as “doctors,” present cases that could reinforce such assertion, and give an anthropological analysis of “healing/healer/being healed.”

Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, 2024

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) mission is to provide the fullest possible account... more The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s (DPAA) mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting of missing service members from past conflicts. More than 81,000 service members remain missing, and almost 50% of those losses are attributed to America’s efforts during the Second World War in the Indo-Pacific region. Through close partnership with the DPAA and the National Museum of the Philippines, the Center for Recovery and Identification of the Missing (CRIM) at the University of Illinois, Chicago executes missions throughout the Philippines to aid in the recovery of this large portion of missing service members. This poster illustrates CRIM’s recovery process at a Second World War aircraft crash site in a remote location on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines. We illustrate how the project has evolved from historical research and site location to large-scale excavation and digital landscape modeling. Due to the difficult nature of the site, the CRIM team draws on an arsenal of archaeological methods in the endeavor to provide a full accounting of the 11 service members who remain missing from this air loss.

The 22nd Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, 2022

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP)... more Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) launched the Palayok: The Ceramic Heritage of the Philippines exhibition, which presents the 4,500 years of vibrant ceramic tradition in the Philippines. While this exhibition primarily showcases the archaeological ceramic collection of the NMP, it also narrates the history of Philippine culture and society through these objects. This paper details the development process of making the Palayok (Filipino word for “pot”) exhibition, from its conceptualization to the implementation of the exhibition design. Issues and challenges in the creation of its storyline and sections and the selection of ceramic artifacts and other specimens to be displayed are mainly discussed, as the exhibition team aims to highlight the integral role and centrality of ceramics in shaping Philippine culture, particularly in terms of social complexity, regional interactions, and lifestyle, among others.

Timon: The Proceedings of the Philippine Maritime Heritage Forum, 2023

This paper presentation discusses the beginning and early years of the AIMS Museo Maritimo and "m... more This paper presentation discusses the beginning and early years of the AIMS Museo Maritimo and "maritime narratives" as suggested by archaeological sites and artifacts in the Philippines.