Continuing our commemoration of our dearly departed this November, today’s Trowel Tuesday features another National Cultural Treasure – Likha, a series of rare anthropomorphic stone carvings used as grave goods.
The concept of an afterlife was fundamental to the local worldview, closely linked to the physical world. Material evidence of the belief in life and death has spread throughout Southeast Asia from the first millennium Before Common Era (BCE) to the second millennium Common Era (CE).
In the Philippines, it persisted into the early historical period. This belief was often conveyed through rituals for preparing the deceased, commonly represented by grave goods, including images or statues. Likha is a Tagalog word meaning, “something created”. It also refers to carvings of human-like figures that may have been used in religious rituals.
These featured stone carvings were uncovered archaeologically in Calatagan, Batangas, and are linked to burials dating from the late 14th century to the early 16th century. They were found standing upright, positioned either near the head or feet of the deceased, as part of a grave offering tradition in the region.
Likha were uncovered during the 1959 excavations of Robert Fox at burial sites in barangays Punta Buaya, Palapat, and Santa Ana in Calatagan. These statues were made from materials such as brain coral, different types of coralline limestone, adobe or tuff, wood, ivory, and clay, showcasing a variety of styles and production techniques. While the function and symbolism of these carvings could not be ascertained, these artifacts were integral to the belief system that allowed people to extend their connections into the afterworld.