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Lablabon

LOCAL NAME:

Lablabon

ENGLISH NAME:

Anthropomorphic figure

DESCRIPTION:

A wooden anthropomorphic figure seated on a platform, with facial features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth engraved and carved.

COMMONLY USED BY/IN:

Abra, Tinguian, Itneg

MATERIAL COMPOSITION:

Wood

ITEM CONSTRUCTION:

Woodcarving

DIMENSIONS:

Height
26.2 cm

Base Length
14.5 cm

Base Width
11.5 cm

ACQUISITION YEAR:

2021

RESEARCH DATA:

This item from the collection is a wooden version of the lablabon, found in Abra and used by the Tinguian or Itneg people. It features more defined human-like characteristics, including arms, legs, and facial features. Traditionally carved on wood, and can be considered the counterpart of the wooden anthropomorphic figures found in other Cordillera groups. They are placed underneath the rice granary for bountiful harvest. Lablabon also holds ceremonial importance, particularly in rituals conducted before rice planting and after the harvest.

REFERENCES:

Cole, F.-C., & GALE, A. (1922). The Tinguian: social, religious, and economic life of a philippine tribe. Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History. Anthropological Series, 14(2), 231–493. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29782148

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