Heritage Conservation Advocates
 
Home
About Us
Huluga Complex
The Tragedy of Huluga
History of
Cagayan de Oro
Heritage Structures
Primer on Huluga (English
and Visayan)
Chronology of Huluga
Manifesto of Protest
Fossils and Artifacts
Archaeological Exploration Reports
Government documents
History Lost by Anemon Productions
Views
Contact Us
 
 
 
Huluga Fossils and Artifacts

Although many archaeological sites in the Philippines are heavily looted and destroyed, some fossils and artifacts have been retrieved for scientific study. This collection in Huluga, Cagayan de Oro indicates that the area was settled around 350 AD, and possibly earlier. The settlers were using stone and later metal tools. They had artistic inclinations, hunted large terrestrial and aquatic mammals, and had direct or indirect trading with the Chinese. Unfortunately, the government of Cagayan de Oro remains apathetic towards Huluga. A former director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources occupies the caves area, and a City Hall tourism employee has dug a huge pit in the midden despite requests by an archaeologist.

Some fossils and artifacts are not shown in this page.

Photo of Huluga female cranium.   Photo of female cranium, tools and wild boar tusks   Photo of obsidian flakes.
Skull of a 30-year old female, tools and ornaments found in a cave in Huluga. A fraction of the skull was sent to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and dated 350 AD. On display in Museo de Oro, Xavier University.   Obsidian flakes are volcanic glass used as knives by ancient people. The flakes in Huluga are likely of local origin according to Dr. Craig Skinner. [1]

Found by several members of the Heritage Conservation Advocates. Identified by Dr. Antonio Montalvan II and Dr. Erlinda M. Burton.
Photo of whale harpoon tip and other artifacts.   Photo of intricately designed earthenware sherds at Huluga midden   Photo of tektite.
The whale harpoon head is similar to a larger one in Lomblen, Indonesia -- 2,000 kilometers away from Huluga.Its National Museum accession code is X-1991-Q2-484.

Found by Elson T. Elizaga and identified by Dr. Eusebio Dizon. Other artifacts shown in the photo are also found by Elizaga. 		  Decorated earthenware sherds from the midden suggest artistic inclination. Found by Elson T. Elizaga. Identified by Dr. Erlinda M. Burton.   Tektite. Found by Lourd Ostique. Identified by Dr. Erlinda M. Burton.
Photo of Ming and Ching Dynasty porcelain sherds.   Photo of old Spanish coin.   Photo of stone tools.
Ming and Ching Dynasty jar sherds. Identified by Dr. Erlinda M. Burton.   A single Copper 8 Maravedis coin minted in Segovia, Spain between 1788 and 1808. It bears the likeness of King Carlos IV. The text on the obverse side reads: "Charles IIII D.G. Hisp. Rex. (Charles IIII By The Grace Of God King Of Spain)".

Found by Elson T. Elizaga. Identified through online research. 		  Stone tools. On display in Museo de Oro, Xavier University.
Photo of earthenware sherds at Huluga.   Wild boar jaw found in Huluga    
Earthenware sherds from Obsidian Hill are relatively plain and worn out. Found during surface scan by several members of the Heritage Conservation Advocates.   Wild boar jaw found by Elson T. Elizaga near a midden at the foot of Obsidian Hill.    
The treasure hunter's pit of Wilson Cabaluna in the midden of Huluga archaeological site
The pit of Wilson Cabaluna, a city tourism employee, in the Huluga archaeological site. Note the apparent tunnel leading to the right wall. Photo taken in 2007 by Elson T. Elizaga.
 

What happens if fossils and artifacts are taken from their original location?

If you find what you suspect is a fossil or an artifact, refrain from touching the item and its surrounding. Even the positioning of these materials will affect scientific analysis and interpretation. They must be seen in relation to the soil, ashes, bones, water, and other materials nearby. Even if the date of a skull is determined in a laboratory, the date could be meaningless if scientists do not know exactly where the object was found. Removal and possession of artifacts and fossils are also illegal and punishable by law.

Some people collect, buy, and sell these objects as "antiques", but these items are transformed to simply old objects if details about them are unknown.

Make a difference in the life of our nation by helping preserve our heritage. Encourage your local officials to protect heritage sites and objects, to put up a museum, or help an existing museum. Contact the curator of any museum.
[1] Excerpt from Dr. Craig Skinner's email to Elson T. Elizaga on November 23, 2007: " ...  I did some analyses ... a couple of years ago which included obsidian from the Huluga site.  Although the primary source of the obsidian (which I called the Huluga source) was not located, it was apparent from the morphology of the analyzed artifacts (unmodified angular cortex on many of the specimens) that the source is a very local one.  It's also one of the few obsidian sources that are known from the Philippines."

Published by the Heritage Conservation Advocates, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, July 21, 2003. Updated June 18, 2008. Table of artifacts expanded September 4, 2017. Updated December 22, 2021. Photo of wild boar jaw inserted on April 10, 2023. Photos by Elson T. Elizaga.
Home | Email