The Anthropology Gallery of the Philippines’ National Museum is interesting. The exhibits were divided, not by the regional boundaries of the country, but through communities of the ancient Filipino people. The artifacts were classified to those living near the seas or rivers, those living in mountains and hills, and those in the plains or valleys.
Near the entrance of the room is a large Philippine map with the tribes and languages per area. Then bamboo floors mark the beginning of the exhibit. The tools and the gadgets used in every community – fishing nets, hunting equipment, and farming tools were displayed. In the part of the mountain people, there was one wall which displays the anitos or gods and demi-gods of mountain tribes. The guide told us that these anitos sometimes act up and weird things happen in this part of the gallery. He has to call up a shaman to perform rituals to appease the anitos caged in glass windows.
Other than the Filipino beliefs, the Uniquely Filipino Room indicates the roots and the origin of the people living in this archipelago who have later imbibed the culture and practices of Western colonizers. With this exhibit, the public are oriented how Filipinos were ingenious in dealing with difficulties despite the limited resources they had.