More prehistoric artifacts found in Sarangani cave

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Archeologists from the National Museum have uncovered more artifacts at a recently discovered cave in Maitum, Sarangani believed to be dating back to prehistoric times, it was learned yesterday. A five-man team from the National Museum last week discovered potsherds shaped like a woman’s breast and portion of an elbow, supposedly similar to anthropomorphic artifacts found in nearby Ayub Cave in 1991 which were carbon-dated to nearly 2,000 years ago. Residents accidentally discovered the cave at a quarry site in Sitio Sagel, Barangay Pinol on April 5 where they found skeletal remains and broken earthen jars. The skeletal remains have reportedly been missing. The National Museum team started digging two test pits at the cave on Wednesday and also found other human and animal bones. "We have dug two test pits, about 78 centimeters (cm) and 20 cm deep, but the flooring could still be two meters below," team leader Nida T. Cuevas said in a report dispatched by the Sarangani provincial information office. Ms. Cuevas had conducted an archeological study on the gender signified by the artifacts of anthropomorphic secondary burial jars found in Ayub Cave in 1991. These jars are now exhibited at the National Museum in Manila. Alexandra de Leon, another member of the National Museum team, said that such collections are only found in Maitum. Ayub Cave is about 600 meters away from the newly discovered cave and both are found on the same hillside in Barangay Pinol. Meanwhile, the municipal council unanimously passed Resolution 2008-048 which declared the newly found cave in Sitio Sagel an archeological site. A significant observation from the National Museum team’s investigation is the absence of anthropomorphic pottery from the archeological excavation. And considering that almost half of Sagel Cave has been damaged due to quarrying, there is now difficulty in establishing the absence — or presence — of anthropomorphic pottery from Sagel. Further studies are necessary to determine whether such differences indicate the presence of different cultural groups in the vicinity or represent status (e.g., social, political, economic) among Metal Age societies in the Pinol area. Studies of Metal Age societies in Mindanao are very limited, and the Pinol area of Sarangani province is significant in providing scientific data on this subject, the National Museum team said in a statement. The group recommended that the Pinol area (both caves and open areas) be protected from earth-moving activities including quarrying, treasure hunting, and other similar activities. - BusinessWorld