Ceremonial deity (bulul)

Carved statues of seated figures were significant in many cultures of island Southeast Asia, where they often represented ancestral deities. In the Philippines these statues, known as bulul, were found in the highlands of the island of Luzon. Statues of this type played a part in the lives of the Ifugao people, especially in ceremonies related to rice agriculture.

This figure sits with arms crossed over raised knees, staring straight ahead through small shell eyes. The thin line encircling his head represents a type of warrior’s headdress that was often made of wood. On ceremonial occasions, the statue would have been dressed and adorned with jewelry. Between the figure’s legs, an indentation indicates the place where a textile would once have been wrapped as a loincloth around the lower body of the statue.