MINIATURES

Excerpts From Jose Rizal's "Letter to the Young Women of Malolos." "When a mother handed the shield to her son as he was marching to battle, she said nothing to him but this: “Return with it, or on it,” which meant, come back victorious or dead, because it was customary with the routed warrior to throw away his shield, while the dead warrior was carried home on his shield. A mother received word that her son had been killed in battle and the army routed. She did not say a word but expressed her thankfulness that her son had been saved from disgrace. However, when her son returned alive, the mother put on mourning. One of the mothers who went out to meet the warriors returning from battle was told by one that her three sons had fallen. I do not ask you that, said the mother, but whether we have been victorious or not. We have been victorious – answered the warrior. If that is so, then let us thank God, and she went to the temple." "A Spartan Woman Giving...

The photo highlights the tomb of Sultan Bolkiah, the 5th Sultan of Brunei, who reigned, 1485-1524. He was also believed to be the legendary Malay figure known as "Nahkoda Ragam" (the Captain of the ship). Perhaps a form of reverence to him who extended the sultanate's territories and influence beyond Borneo. Much of the early history of Brunei and its ruler are still shrouded in obscurity. The Brunei "Silah-Silah" (Tarsilah) would have only mentioned names and figures of rulers, often leaving their marks and even achievements in speculations-- Its Historiography, wanting. Borneo came to the direct interest of the Portuguese, after their conquest of Melaka in 1511. Incredibly, the Luções merchants (natives of Luzon) living in Melaka, who sail to Brunei to do trade, were mentioned by the Portuguese Captain General of Melaka Rui de Brito Patalim in a letter to Alfonso de Albuquerque, 1514. A couple of years later, Portuguese writer-apothecary, Tome Pires wrote a...

A makeshift "karihan" using a low table called "dulang". Photographed in Manila 1908 Did the so-called Spanish "urbanidad" plus this onslaught of Americanization end our old Tagalog tradition of dining on low tables called dulang? The Japanese had their low tables called "chabudai" and the Koreans, their "soban", which incidentally are still featured in many of their traditional homes. But I don't see the dulang now even in old Filipino homes, I also wonder if we have this old culture of making one. I guess there was none. Antonio Pigafetta gave us some commentaries on the table manners of the early Cebuanos-- That dining tradition of seating on cane mats crossed legs, obviously with food spread on big native mats or low tables. He did mention that they had such a good meal. Eating in a karihan (detail) by  Jose Honorato Lozano (1815-1885) So since time immemorial, early inhabitants of our archipelago were never into high dining...