The Tabon Man is the oldest confirmed modern human in the Philippines. Evidence of this Homo sapiens was discovered in the Tabon Caves Complex on Palawan Island. The discovery was made by Dr. Robert Fox, an American anthropologist in 1962.
Presently, it is the earliest remains of modern humans in the Southeast Asian archipelago. This seems to support the Out of Taiwan hypothesis. That hypothesis suggests that humans first crossed into the Philippines from Taiwan.
Life of the Tabon Man
The Tabon Man lived in the Stone Age, from 37,000 to 47,000 years ago. The skull bone and jaw of three different individuals were found in the Palawan caves. The caves provide clear evidence that these early humans used and made stone tools. The evidence also shows that they were able to use of fire.
These Stone Age humans were hunters and gatherers. Hunters and gatherers had no domesticated plants or animals for food. Instead, they obtained all their food directly from the wild.
Tabon Man practiced human burial. Burial earthenware jars have been found. These burial jars contained human remains. Jar burials was also practiced in mainland Southeast Asia.
Tabon Man and the Filipino People
The skeletal remains indicate that the Tabon Man was not a Negrito. Negritos were among the first human settlers in the Philippines arriving 30,000 years ago.
Some experts believe that the Tabon remains belong to a pre-Mongoloid race. The Mongoloids were the people who entered Southeast Asia and absorbed the pre-Mongoloid races. It is thought that the Filipino, Indonesian, Malay, and Pacific peoples are descended from the Mongoloids.
In 2007, the Callao man was discovered. These skeletal remains are thought to be 67,000 years old. However, it has not yet been fully determined that the Callao man was Homo sapiens. Today, most researchers believe that Callao man was Homo erectus. Others believe Callao man was a different species altogether: Homo luzonensis.
Reflections
Vocabulary
- domesticated
- Homo sapiens
- Mongoloid
Notes
- Tabon man is the oldest known Homo sapiens found in the Philippines
- It is thought that he lived 47,000 years ago.
- These Stone Age humans used fire, made stone tools, and practiced jar burials.
Bibliography
- About Human Prehistory
- Tabon Cave Complex, National Museum.
