Kulaman-Jar

The Kulaman Jar is a vessel made of limestone with an anthropomorphic lid adorned with eyes and mouth patterns. The main vessel, meanwhile, is adorned with diamond patterns. These secondary burial jars hold the bones of the deceased and a few of their valued possessions. In Sultan Kudarat, Northern Cotabato, specifically in Barangay Salandsang, these are still used by the Manobo Indigenous group to give their loved ones their final resting place.

The first recorded discovery of the Kulaman Jar was back in 1963 by the group of Marcelino Maceda of the University of San Carlos in Cebu. Samuel Briones from Siliman University of Dumaguete led the second exploration in 1965 - 1966. Edward Kurjack from the University of Miami and Craig Sheldon from the University of Oregon further studied the artifact between the years 1967-1968. Radiocarbon dating revealed that the bones and jar originated in 585 AD (Halili, 2004).

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