Sunduk Ritual
The second demounting rite was undertaken for the exhibit of grave-markers or sunduk of the Sama Dilaut people in Santa Cruz Island, Zamboanga City last 11 October 2019. Focused on the MPK sunduk, a Sama ritualist who is also an imam or a Muslim priest, conducted the rite of transfer to storage. Among the participants from the Sama area are descendants of at least one individual buried on Santa Cruz Island. Most of the markers have been separated from these graves by a voracious antiquities trade. In contrast to pinaing, the sunduk exhibited at the MKP were originally extracted by antique dealers from Santa Cruz Island in the 1980s. These are the boat-shaped forms marking the graves of the Sama people. They were trafficked into the Manila antiquities market from where they were acquired by the CCP. At the MKP, they were exhibited atop the pink sand of crushed coral that was transported by the CCP from Santa Cruz Island as well.
