Bulul that fetched P36M at Christie’s once owned by son of ‘Father of Philippine Anthropology’

The bulul or carved wooden rice god of Ifugao that recently fetched a 630,000 euros or P36 million at an auction in Paris is an important piece of cultural heritage of Filipinos, an anthropologist from the University of the Philippines has said.

This is why Dr. Nestor Castro, Ph. D.. is saddened that the antique figure showed up at an auction by Christie's instead of being displayed in the National Museum of the Philippines.

"Medyo nakakapanghina dahil parte sya ng cultural heritage ng Pilipinas, something na dapat nating maipagmalaki, maipagmayambang. Mas mainam sana kung naipasa sa mga kapwa Pilipino o kaya ay pumunta sa ating mga museyo," Castro told GMA Integrated News.

Aside from it's antiquity, Castro said the bulul remained an important part of life in Ifugao.

"Dahil ito ay itinatabi ng mga ifugao sa imbakan ng palay. Ito ang tagapagbantay na nagbibigay ng fertility sa pananim at pati na rin sa sino mang magnanakaw doon sa imbakan ng palay," Castro said.

Christie's website estimated the value of the figure between 200,000 to 300,000 euros but it was eventually sold at a much higher price.

The auction house described the bulul as “a masterpiece of Ifugao art” which “dazzles by the universality of its form.”

Christie's traced its provenance to William Gambuk Beyer, the son of  Henry Otley Beyer who is considered as the “Father of Philippine Anthropology.”

Castro said Henry, who came to the Philippines in the early 1900s, started the UP Department of Anthropology.

"Si Beyer ang unang unang nagturo ng anthropology sa Pilipinas noong 1914. Nagturo sya sa UP Manila.  Noong 1917 itinayo naman nya ang UP Department of Anthropology," Castro said.

Castro also said that Beyer married a woman from Ifugao and that they had a son named William.

He added that Beyer, who died and was buried in Ifugao, was considered by some locals as one of their own.

"Sa paniniwala kasi ng Ifugao ang mga nanamanatay na ninuno ay eventually nakakasama sa roster ng mga anito. Ngayon, si Beyer ay tsina-chant na rin ng ilang Ifugao bilang isang anito o isa sa mga ninuno na yumao na," Castro said.

Christie's did not reveal the new owner of the sculpture.

Lisa Guerrero Nakpil, Board Member of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, said the possibility that it was acquired by a Filipino cannot be discounted.

"Filipinos are now in a position to collect their own art so I would say that maybe there is more than a 50 percent chance that this is a Filipino collector," Nakpil said.

Should the bulul end up in a museum abroad, Nakpil said this may also benefit the Philippines.

"There are two schools of thought which both have equal merit. The first is that all Filipino objects of cultural importance must remain in the Philippines. The other school of thought is that it should be shared with the world," Nakpil said.

"When you put this in museums like the Louvre or the Tate or the Metropolitan in New York, you give Filipinos a glimpse of his identity and his importance and even recognition in the world stage," she added. —NB, GMA Integrated News