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Courtesy of asiasociety.org[/caption]
The Asian Society Museum in New York is presenting an exhibit entitled Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms that will run through Jan. 3.The exhibit will feature a symposium presented by Seton Hall University’s Dr. Cherubim Quizon, an expert in Philippine textiles and associate professor who teaches anthropology.
The Asian Society Museum’s website states that the main focus of the exhibit will be on gold found over the last 40 years on the Philippine Islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The majority of the items on display have never been shown outside of the Philippines and are on loan from the Ayala Museum and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gold Collection, as reported on the Seton Hall University News page.
Quizon said these sites are frustrating because of people called pothunters who find these sites before the anthropologists and make money from their findings. The Asian Society cites the Philippines as having the second largest gold deposit in the world so these looters are always stumbling across new discoveries, she added.
There are about 120 objects found on these islands including jewelry, regalia and ceremonial weapons which date back to the tenth through the thirteenth century, a time period prior to the Spanish colonization of those islands, according to the Asian Society Museum’s website.
Quizon said it is important to get in touch with all Philippine culture not just what was created after it was colonized so that it is possible to debunk the common idea that nothing existed before
the point of colonization.
Academics know of pre-colonial cultures, but the general public usually does not, which is why it is important that the academic community share information with the public in order to keep people informed and knowledgeable, Quizon added.
“Students should be extremely proud of the beauty that comes from a great country whether you are from Mindanao or not,” Quizon said. She urges the whole SHU community to visit the exhibit as a learning experience or for fun.
On Sunday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Quizon will be on the first panel of the Encounters with Early Asian Gold symposium. Students who attend the event will receive a discounted ticket price when they show their ID.
Ryanne Boyer can be reached at ryanne.boyer@student.shu.edu
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