RELIGION AND SPANISH COLONIALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES by ...

1980:207). Some cave sites contained cultural material; most of these sites were used as burial
places (Coutts and Wesson 1980:207). “Open sites” are sites that are not found in caves; such
sites with burial in them tend to date to the historic period, around 1,000 B.P. and onward
(Coutts and Wesson 1980:207).
Boat-shaped burial markers and boat-coffins are another burial practice evidenced in the
Philippines. Several boat-shaped stone burial markers have been discovered in the Batanes
Province (Figure 4) (Dizon 2000:115). Stones of various sizes, and in some cases color, were
placed above the buried remains of an individual in a shape resembling a boat (Figure 3). Boatcoffins
have been used by various maritime peoples throughout Southeast Asia (Dakadao
1992:136). Boat-coffins were commonly carved from hardwoods and decorated with bird
symbols (Dakudao 1992:137). Birds are symbols of the sky world, kaitaasan or heaven, in
Filipino symbolism (Barreto-Tesoro 2008:82; Dakudao 1992:137). By carving bird motifs on to
the boat-coffins, the souls of the dead were encouraged to travel upwards where they would be at
peace.
Figure 3 Boat-shaped stone grave marker (Dizon 2000:123).
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