Kulaman Burial Jar in Hawaii

I didn't expect that a simple image search in Google for "limestone burial jars" could lead me to precious photographic finds. Most of the results showed images of Egyptian burial jars, but I've become so familiar with the look of Kulaman burial jars that I could pick them out from the rest at first glance.

The photo of the jar, at the left, is from Wikimedia Commons and posted by a certain Hiart. I'm freely posting the image here because the webpage says that the uploader waives "all of his or her rights to the work." The jar is described in the webpage as something from "Southern Mindanao, Palawan." When I read that, I doubted for a while if the artifact is really from Kulaman Plateau, but after doing a little more online research, I became certain of the origin of the jar.

Mindanao and Palawan are two different islands divided by seawater. My hometown and any place in Palawan are a few hundred miles apart. The limestone burial jar could not have come from Palawan. The uploader or his source might have confused the limestone jars of Kulaman for the clay jars of Palawan. Indeed, when it comes to archaeological artifacts, Palawan is probably the most famous site in the Philippines. It's where researchers found the Manunggul Jar, one of the most admired pre-Spanish Philippine artwork, and before I forget, it's also a burial jar.

Another interesting information that goes along with the image is that it was taken sometime in 2011 at the "Honolulu Academy of Arts." That's another inaccurate description. Though such a college or educational department probably exists, the uploader should have specifically identified the Honolulu Museum of Art as the location. I can't determine yet if the burial jar is part of the regular collection of the museum or if it was just displayed there for a certain time. A website on Asian masterpieces states that the Hawaiian museum is affiliated with the Philippines-based Ayala Museum, which has displayed its Kulaman jars in short-term exhibits in many parts of the world.

My initial research does not give me a clear picture, and I have yet to piece the random facts I've gathered. Join me in my journey. Together, hunched on our keyboards for now, let's trace the trails of the burial jars, map their diaspora, and create a route that they can take on their way back home.