Otherworldly Ornamentations at the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo March 27, 2028 by Lorenz Lasco at Bayanihan Center 3:00 pm

Otherworldly Ornamentations at the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo March 27, 2028 by Lorenz Lasco at Bayanihan Center 3:00 pm

Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™

March 28, 2026

Yesterday, I attended a lecture at the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo at the Bayanihan Center about Philippine Bladed Weapons titled Otherwordly Ornamentations by weapons collector Lorenz Lasco. Itvwas well attended and quite enjoyed my reintroduction to Philippine History, religion, and culture. A reminder that we have a  lot in common and shared with the polynesian and austronesian islands, archipelagoes, and continents around the Philippines.

An exerpt of the lecture....

Sandata are presented not as mere decorative objects but as compact, portable “time capsules” that encode animist cosmologies, ancestral worship practices, and local mythic figures—especially in the Bicol context where carved hilts (the minasbád “tangó”) reference specific deities and monsters from Ibalóng and related traditions.  

  1. Sandata not mere artefacts w/ ornament.  

  2. Rather, compact and portable time capsules  

 3. ... of our ancestors’ Otherworldly ancient religions

  

  - Animism | Ancestral worship  

  - Kaitaasan (sky/upper world): sun, circle, sunburst, mirror pieces, birds, feathers, horse, surya/triangles.  

  - Kalupaan (earth/vegetation): trees, tree of life, leaves, flowers, vines.  

  - Kailaliman (underworld/sea/liminal): serpent/naga, bakunawa, zigzags, in-line diamonds, dragon, turtle, fish, crab.  

  - Ancestral worship symbols: squatting figure, crocodile, gecko, lizard, butterfly, human head.

- Myth & legend candidates for the minasbád “tangó” (figural hilt)  

  - Possible identifications: Rabot, Baltog, Sarimaw, kabalang/kinabalang, tago‑ngirit, tikbalang, or figures linked to shape‑shifting herbs (e.g., tagohálin).  

  - Sources credited on slide: Jason Chancoco & Kurt Zepeda.

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Elaboration on the premise: cultural logic and implications

- What the claim means: The presenter argues that sandata (traditional weapons) function as material condensations of belief—their motifs, forms, and portable nature make them vehicles for transmitting cosmology, ritual memory, and social identity across generations. This aligns with broader scholarship showing indigenous Philippine objects often encode animist and ancestor‑centered worldviews. 

- How the symbolic taxonomy maps to cosmology: The three domains—Kaitaasan (upper/sky), Kalupaan (earth), Kailaliman (underworld/sea)—are classic tripartite cosmological layers in many Austronesian and Philippine belief systems. Motifs (sun, tree, serpent) act as shorthand for those realms and the powers that inhabit them; placing them on a weapon links martial, protective, and sacred functions. 

- Why the tangó (figural hilt) matters: Carved hilts that resemble creatures or deities can be read as portable icons—they may invoke protective spirits, ancestral patrons, or mythic heroes (the slide’s list of Ibalóng figures shows local candidates). Reading these forms ethnographically can recover ritual uses, taboos, and social meanings otherwise lost in museum labels. 

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Practical next steps for research or preservation

- Key considerations: document provenance; record oral histories from Bicolano elders; photograph motifs in high resolution; compare motifs with regional myth texts.  

- Clarifying questions for fieldwork: Who owned each sandata? Was it used in ritual or combat? Are there associated chants, taboos, or rites? 

 

- Decision points: prioritize community‑led interpretation vs. museum cataloguing; choose conservation methods that preserve both material and intangible context.

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Limitations, risks, and scholarly cautions

- Risk of over‑reading: motifs can be multi‑valent; avoid forcing single identifications without corroborating oral or archival evidence.  

- Colonial distortion: many Spanish accounts filtered indigenous beliefs; triangulate with local narratives and material study. 

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Lorenz Lasco is a Filipino historian and researcher affiliated with Bagong Kasaysayan / Bahay Saliksikan ng Kasaysayan (BAKAS) in Quezon City. He specializes in Philippine history, archaeology, and cultural studies, with notable works on indigenous cosmology, weapon symbolism, and precolonial Filipino communities.  

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Academic Background

- Advanced Diploma in Local History – University of Oxford, England  

- MBA – Asian Institute of Management, Makati City  

- Undergraduate – Mapúa University, Manila  

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Research Focus

Lasco’s scholarship centers on Philippine precolonial culture and cosmology, often exploring how indigenous knowledge systems shaped social and martial practices. His published works include: 

- Ang Kosmolohiya at Simbolismo ng mga Sandatang Pilipino – examines the cosmological symbolism of Filipino weapons before the 16th century.  

- Kalis: Ang Pilipinong Sining ng Pakikipaglaban noong Dating Panahon – traces the etymology and cultural significance of the kalis (sword) in Filipino martial traditions.  

- Ang “Kalibre 45” at ang Pakikibaka ng mga Mandirigmang Pilipino – studies the role of firearms in Filipino resistance movements.  

- Comparative studies on Philippine communities and Austronesian cultures (e.g., Rapa Nui, Polynesia).  

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Academic Contributions

- Affiliation: Bahay Saliksikan ng Kasaysayan (BAKAS), Quezon City  

- Publications: Over 15 papers and at least 1 book  

- Citation Metrics:  

  - Average citations per paper: ~21  

  - h-index: 5  

  - g-index: 6  

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Significance

Lasco’s work is important because:  

- It revives indigenous perspectives on Philippine history, countering colonial narratives. 

 

- His research on weapon symbolism and cosmology connects material culture with spiritual and social structures.  

- By linking Philippine communities with wider Austronesian traditions, he situates local heritage within a global anthropological framework.  

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Lorenz Lasco is a Filipino researcher who has published focused studies on the history and etymology of the Philippine kalis and on weapon symbolism in precolonial Kapampangan/Philippine martial traditions; his 2011 essay “Kalis: Ang Pilipinong Sining ng Pakikipaglaban Noong Dating Panahon” summarizes this work and frames blades as cultural‑cosmological objects. 

1. Quick orientation: what Lasco studies

- Core claim: Lasco argues that kalis (and related blade terms) represent an indigenous Filipino martial art and a set of material‑cultural practices documented in early Spanish vocabularies and colonial sources. This positions blades as both practical weapons and carriers of cosmology and social identity. 

- Primary source: Kalis: Ang Pilipinong Sining ng Pakikipaglaban Noong Dating Panahon (Dalumat E‑Journal, 2011) — available as a PDF and cited in Philippine e‑journals and Academia.edu listings. 

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2. How his research intersects with Filipino martial arts (FMA)

- Technique and form: Lasco’s historical framing helps FMA practitioners trace blade forms and terminology (e.g., kalis, arnis, eskrima) to precolonial lineages, informing curriculum choices and historical reconstructions.   

- Ritual and pedagogy: Viewing blades as ritual objects supports reintroducing ceremonial protocols, talismanic meanings, and lineage stories into training rather than treating weapons purely as tools. 

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3. How his research informs museum curation

- Object interpretation: Curators can present blades with labels that explain symbolism, ritual use, and linguistic history (not just metallurgy and typology), making exhibits interpretive rather than purely descriptive.

   

- Exhibit design: Combine material analysis (blade form, inlay, haft) with oral histories and comparative Austronesian parallels to show regional networks and shared cosmologies. 

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4. How his work supports heritage preservation

- Community engagement: Prioritize collaboration with source communities to recover ritual contexts and living meanings for blades; document oral histories tied to specific objects. 

  

- Conservation ethics: Treat blades as cultural patrimony with spiritual value—conservation plans should respect ceremonial access and community custodianship.

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5. Sources 

Lasco, “Kalis: Ang Pilipinong Sining ng Pakikipaglaban Noong Dating Panahon.” 

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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™    '   s   connection to the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) serves as a defining pillar of his professional journey, most recently celebrated through the launch of the ACC Global Alumni Network. 

​As a 2003 Starr Foundation Grantee, Roldan participated in a transformative ten-month fellowship in the United States. This opportunity allowed him to observe contemporary art movements, engage with an international community of artists and curators, and develop a new body of work that bridges local and global perspectives.

Featured Work: Bridges Beyond Borders   His featured work, Bridges Beyond Borders: ACC's Global Cultural Collaboration, has been chosen as the visual identity for the newly launched ACC Global Alumni Network.

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​Artistic Vision: The work embodies the ACC's core mission of advancing international dialogue and cultural exchange to foster a more harmonious world.

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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™   curatorial writing practice exemplifies this path: transforming grief into infrastructure, evidence into agency, and memory into resistance. As the Philippines enters a new economic decade, such work is not peripheral—it is foundational.  

 

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A    multidisciplinary Filipino artist, poet, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice spans painting, printmaking, photography, installation, and writing. He is deeply rooted in cultural memory, postcolonial critique, and in bridging creative practice with scholarly infrastructure—building counter-archives, annotating speculative poetry like Southeast Asian manuscripts, and fostering regional solidarity through ethical art collaboration.

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