Object Lesson: Dragon Jar

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The idea of transference of popular culture items isn't a new one in Asia. For centuries, Asian nations have been engaged in trade and exchanged ideas and knowledge. This Dragon Jar is a prime example of how a Chinese commercial good was appropriated by the Filipinos for an entirely different purpose than it was intended for. According to Wikipedia, "...elements, once removed from their indigenous cultural contexts, may take on meanings that are significantly divergent from, or merely less nuanced than, those they originally held. Or, they may be stripped of meaning altogether," when they are appropriated by a new culture. The social life of this Dragon Jar is a perfect testament to this phenomenon. [[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_appropriation]]

 

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This Dragon Jar seems to be a popular choice for these object lessons, but I can understand why. The social life of this object is pretty compelling and I'm guessing the curators of the exhibit of Filipino pottery agreed, showing the jar in a separate case in prominent view. Even the vessel itself is impressive to look at, with detailing of dragons on the sides, intricate detail around the rim and a beautiful caramel colored glaze.

 

The Dragon Jar was created in China as a shipping container, with pottery packed inside, for when the dishes were being traded abroad. This particular jar found its way to the Philippines, passing through the hands of traders and merchants and presumably emptied of its contents. No longer needed for shipping, but I imagine quite impressive to the Filipinos, so it's not a huge surprise that this beautiful jar was reused in funerary ritual. These jars were used as ancestral vessels, secondary coffins and also to brew beer for ceremonial purposes.

 

I find it interesting that an object that was only intended for commercial purposes took on such a sacred and intimate role after finding its way to the Philippines. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to house my loved ones' remains in a cardboard box shipped over from China, (not even if it was a really nice one, like an Hermes burnt-orange box). This makes me think that perhaps some enterprising merchant saw an opportunity and began to market these jars as funerary objects, and tried to disassociate them from their original context. They are beautiful, after all, and owning Chinese pottery, whether you used it or not (as was the case with the Chinese ink pot we also saw that was found in the Philippines) was a sign of status.

 

I am always a little uncomfortable viewing funerary objects in museum settings. If indeed this jar was used to house the remains of the dead, isn't it a bit imperialist to remove it from its 'home' and put it on display in one of our museums where it will be catalogued and stored away to collect dust on a shelf, and occasionally have college students write about it? Unearthing this jar and removing it from its home reminds me of the turn of the century Worlds Fairs, where people from around the world were brought in to act as physical specimens, displayed in an exhibit that mimicked their 'natural habitat' without concern for their individuality, intellects, dignity or values. While I understand the desire to understand the past and document it for posterity, I also believe that there are certain turns in an objects social life that are unethical and culturally imperialist, as seems to be the case with this Dragon Jar.

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