Persisting Traditions of Folk Arts and Handicrafts in the

Artemio C. Barbosa

a basically common prehistory and ornamentation and other forms of Through the cultural differences background, all speak languages that expression-which have persisted and variants, the peoples of the belong to the Austronesian family". through time. Their similarity in tech- Philippines emerged as a natural nology, style, and content manifests result of land isolation and unequal He further added that "This the depth of the heritage, just as their exposure to outside social forces. complexity is compounded by the persistence through time reflects their These differences, however, are built fact that here are sub-groups with inherent strength. upon a basic style of life, or a their own variation of the central cul- civilization-whose foundations are ture and dialects of the major lan- Nakpil (1976) said that "there deep, ancient, and closely shared with guage." He also said that "Since are probably very few social institu- those of the neighboring peoples of culture is adaptive, the lifeways of the tions or historical trends that are not Southeast Asia. people have gravitated around certain rooted in folk art. In the Philippines, features of their environment that are a plethora of artifacts fromstone age Peralta (1977) wrote about the relevant to their mode of subsistence. tools, through the bamboo tubes for Peoples of the Philippines that : the Thus people along the coast tend to tobacco and betel nut, the baskets, archipelagic nature of the larger is- behave and appear differently from bird cages and mats, the blankets, lands, have created distinct niches wi- those living in mountainous in- ceremonial garments and jewelry, the thin which groups of population teriors." adapted with respect to what they sarimanok motif, the woodcarvings consider their effective environment. One major manifestation of of the highland peoples, the ingeni- These eco-systemic adaptations had this style of life is found in traditional ous ornaments of shell, copper, led to the emergence of some 128 folk arts and handicrafts— horsehair, seed and berries are expla- major ethnolinguistic groups. Having weaving.woodcraft, pottery-making, nations of character, behavior, hap-

54 penings and social forces." She further explained that "from them is derived the knowledge that pre-Spanish Philippines enjoyed a close-knit family and village life where skills were handed down sim- ply by having young people watch their elders' ingenious skills and crafts, practices and ideals that rose above the chores of survival and devoted themselves to the adornment of the human and its surroundings, and also a beautiful and rich land- scape which provided the materials and the inspiration for art." Peralta (1977) mentioned in his article "Aspects of Colour and De- sign in Philippine Ethnic Art" that it is difficult to define ethnic art. He further said that "Art as a concept is not really indigenious. The closest concept to it is "decoration". There are very few groups, if there are at all, that have a term'for art. The Is- lamic Groups in the south have a term for art or a variation of it - "okil". To continue, he mentioned that there is a direct relationship be- tween the art and the rest of the cul- ture of a people. Because the Philippines is a plural society it is different to speak of Philippine eth- nic art in general. There are more than 128 major ethnic groups in this country. The Manube, alone has 82 subgroups. What adds to the difficulty is the archipelagic character of the Philippines. Each of the is- lands comprises a particular niche resulting in a roughly textured enviro- ment. Each group is separated from another and develops a culture partic- ular to its own region as a form of adaptation to a particular place. Art too, is a form of adjustment to the way people integrate their alternative strategies for subsistence. To under- held in abeyance." He further added that the Philippine s itself was only politically not culturally, carved out by the Spaniards from the rest of Southeast Asia, where the Portuguese, Dutch and British predominated. The un- derlying cultural fabric which tied the Filipino to the Malay world was not completely severed. Culturally, the Philippines is more or less homogenous with the so called southern Mongoloid or Malayan peoples of and ." Another example is shown by Brett (1977) in her Bontoc Brew that "like other mountain people, the Bontoc was fairly isolated from exter- nal influences up to the coming of the Americans. The Bontoc world re- mains mostly unchanged until its ex- posure to the modern world, at the turn of the century. This subsequent exposure to modern civilization which continues to the present, has brought roads, Christianity and edu- cation to the Bontoc." In addition she emphasized that "the coming of roads has made cor- rugated iron sheets, admittedly, a stronger kind of roofing available. The house architecture has changed, but the structure or the community has not." Another approach was made by Casino (1975) in his article Mountain Province Art. He stated that " an an- An experienced needle worker finishing a traditional pineapple or pma thropological interpretation of fiber textile. Mountain Province ethnographic art or other cultural linguistic groups, to stand the art of a people, it becomes the Philippines that "It was this be truly anthropological, must ap- necessary that an understanding of religio-political organization at the proach the subject in terms of the the totality of the culture is also core of Muslim Filipino society that major principles of anthropology. made." prevented the Spaniards from totally One of these principles is the organic To site an example, Casino subduing the native southerners. or functional integration of society, (1967) said in his Muslim Folk Art in Colonization and Christianity were culture and habitat. In this respect,

56 art analyses and critics differ from Fabrics the bark of the bahug and lahi trees. anthropologists, because the former Archaeological finds of clay The latter, spun into yarn and woven are often limited to the formal or ob- spindle whorls indicate that : as early into cloth, differs from the tapa cloth jective aspects of art objects, that is, as 200 B.C. a weaving technology of other Pacific isles, such as in the morphology of shapes, lines, sur- had begun. It is today designated by Hawaii and Samoa, which are merely faces, and colours, in their patterned such related terms as abel, habi, softened and flattend into sheets. relationships. Anthropologists, on habol and hablon. It embraces the R. Lane (1977) said, "While the other hand, are interested not whole range of spinning threads, dye- weaving the world over is basically only in these objective aspects but ing, actual weaving and marketing. the same, a criss-cross or warp and also in the subjective aspects contain- The cultural community of the weft-the textiles of the Philippines at- ing the answers to such questions as Philippines still practices the art of tain their distinction by virtue of in- to why it was made (motivation), home weaving, using plant and bark tegrating particular material with how it was used and what significance fibers like their ancestors did expressive design. Because most of was given to it by the members of milleniums ago. Although cotton, the items woven have practical use in society. silk and acrylic fibers have been used the peoples' daily lives, they possess With the above perspective, one gradually in the last century, the a folk art quality. This is often reveal- will probably be confused about how T'boli, Bagobo, Maranao and Tau- ing of internal attitudes as well as be- to deal with folk arts and handicrafts sug of , the Ifugao and ing aesthetically pleasing. in the Philippine context. I guess the Kalinga of the Northern Mountain Philippine situation is shared by other Province, still prefer native fibers The most distinctive of Philip- countries, if it is not a universal such as abaca, ramie, pineapple, and pine handwoven textiles are those problem. Along this line, 1 was reminded about the article of Fay Dumagat (1977), "Converging Cultures", wherein he quoted Ogburn's cultural lag theory.It stated that non-material culture changes more slowly than material culture. Thus, the diversity of language and cultural patterns is still observed today, although there is now uniformity in the types of dwelling, clothing and other material possessions among the different Philippines.

Weaving

The people of the Philippines have a long tradition of weaving fabrics, mats, and baskets. Develop- ing through the centuries, it includes a weaving and loom complex. The practice has existed throughout the archipelago both in the lowland (as in Ilocos and Panay) and the upland Carving among the people of Paete, Laguna is one of the most (as in Bontoc and Ifugao). enduring crafts inherited from their forefathers.

57 Sizes and shapes of baskets are directed by their uses. The largest and sturdiest baskets are for storing grains. The smallest, most exquistite weaves are for personal accessories or for rituals. Weaves conform to purpose-close and taut for grain con- tainers, ventilated for cooked food. Some of the baskets go through much use, such as fish creels or field lunch containers. Other baskets see services only occasionally, such as the locust baskets for seasonal catch and other baskets for seasonal harvests or for rituals. The choice of basket materi- als depends on durability. Mature rattan vines and well-seasoned bam- boo are preferred. And an exact weave tension assures sturdiness against snags and cracking. Woodcarving In the absence of iron tools, the A contemporary handicraft shop in showing samples of crafts barangay boats of the early , dating back to about 5,000 B.C., re- from the different parts of the Philippines. quired woodcarving techniques, us- ing primitive tools such as stones, which are made from plant fibers na- tastic range of techniques, shapes and shell adzes and knives. tive to the archipelago, such as abaca, style. Materials for containers, carri- Carving, a carry over from the ramie, pina and the bark of some ers, and traps include bamboo, rat- Neolithic times, is known today in trees." tan, nito and other varieties of vines Filipino as ukit/okir. These related (baging). Weaving also includes the terms have come to mean decoration, Mats entire subject of fish traps (bubu, design and ultimately artistry in Mats (banig, tipo) are made salakab, bungsud) and fish nets (laya, wood. Carved designs are applied on from buri, tikug, and pandanus. Occ- baling salaibut, salambao). statues and icons (, larawan, saionally tiny strips of rattan are sewn bulol, manaug) ; on protruding parts together to serve as rugs (boras, bi- Weavers by tradition, the of wooden structrues, such as graves day). This mat-making tradition ap- mountain peoples wield this talent markers (sunduk), boat prows, bolo pears to be more ancient than mainly to make cloth and basketry, handles, ladles, sticks, surfaces of colth-weaving as evidenced by mat It is said that there is an unspoken shields, boxes, panels; and more impressions on archaeological objects competition among the mountain prominently on the classic carved such as potery and iron implements, peoples about who is best at weaving. beams known as panulung, in the the earliest evidence dating back to In basketry, that competition has southern Philippines' Marana royal 1,500 B.C. been the vigorous impetus for their houses (torogan). These carved stunningly meticulous work and for beams are suggestive of the original Baskets and. Others their magnificent and charming ar- barangay prows, still seen in the Philippine baskets show a fan- tistry. houseboats () of the Bajaus, also

58 from Southern Philippines. The pre-ceramic pottery tech- gold, silver, bronze and brass. Carved decorations are general- niques of Filipinos never utilized glaz- Works on silver (pilak, parak) ly flora, but the outstanding ones are ing until very late. The ancient and gold (ginto, bulawan) were earli- derived from animal forms such as artisans made up for this by produc- er than those in iron (bakal, bassi, naga (serpent, dragon), sarimanuk ing a variety of pottery styles and puthao). Ornaments made by ancient (symbolic rooster), kalaw (hornbill), shapes. They made excellent footed- artisans were bracelets, rings, ear- buaya (crocodile) and fish. In-lays of wares like goblets, redpainted wares rings, pendants, bangles,and dental shell or white limepowder are often for burial offerings, and ceremonial gold pegs. Ornamental designs in sil- added to give special forms and con- pots with triangular perforations at ver, gold, or bronze on blade handles trast. This results in a most pleasant the foot. The development of these were also fashioned. Many of these black and white effect. body-marking techniques can still be ancient artifacts have been recovered seen among the Kalinga pots of in archaeological sites. The earliest Pottery Northern . evidence for gold dates back to Pottery-making is another an- 500 B.C. Metalworlc cient Filipino technology. It dates Iron smithing appears to have back to about 5,900 B.C., older than Metalworking was a highly de- begun around 200 B.C. Iron technol- ironwork and weaving, though not as veloped art in the ancient Philippines. ogy revolutionzed the stone imple- old as woodworking. Pottery-making It included the making of iron tools ments of the late Neolithic and serves many functions. and weapons as well as smithing in improved the Filipions' control of In showing reverence to their deads, ancient Filipinos used large and small burial jars. The large jars, called primary burial jars accommo- dated the whole human body. The smaller ones, called secondary burial jars, are sufficient to hold bones, af- ter the body's decomposition. Pottery was also used for cook- ing. Both cooking pots (palayok, pri- uk, kolonodonk) and the three holder stove (kalan, sig-ang) were made of clay. Clay was also used for making jars to hold liquid (banga, tibud, tapayan) and other objects like goblets, plates, bowls, cups, presenta- tion dish, and covers. Clay was used even in ornaments, spindle whorls, molds, and figurines. Long before reached the Philippine islands, Filipi- nos already had a whole array of pot- tery offering object known as pabaon. They were buried with their deads. Later on, Chinese porcelain offerings were used, an ancient tradi- tion of reverence for dead relatives and ancestors. E. A woman potter from Cagayan.

59 their environment. This heightened western part of Luzon island sunduk - a grave marker their war-making potentials. Filipino Panay - an island situated in the panulung - an ornately carved and war-boats of the 15th century carried central Visayas, Philippine colorful end-beams of swivel-cannons (lantaka, badil, or abel/habi/habol/hablon - general bulawan - any kind of gold baril) and warriors carried krises, Filipino terms for weaving bakal - iron Kampilan and iron spears. banig - a mat bassi - general term for iron in In the past, some of the metal tipo - a handwoven mat Mindanao, Southern Philippines raw materials, like gold, were mined boras - a stripped woven rattan rug in the islands. But others, like silver, biday - stripped woven rattan mat puthao - iron bronze, and iron, were obtained salakab - a conical or sub-cylindrical lantaka/badil - swivel brass cannon. through the barter trade with the cover used for trapping fish torogan - an ornately built house for Chinese and other earlier traders bungusod - a fish trap made of royalties in Maranao from mainland Asia. Now all these elongated woven bamboo lepa - Bajau houseboats in Sulu metals and more are produced in the laya - a cast net paiayok - bulbous earthenware Philippines where metal ornament- baling - a beach seines made with cooking pot making continue in the way of an- or without bags priuk - earthenware cooking pot cient craftsmanship. salibut - a drag seine of fine cotton kolonodonk - earthenware grains netting cooking pot Conclusion salambao - a large fishing net banga - earthenware water jar mounted on a boat or raft kalan - earthenware cooking stove, Every aspect of man's culture anito - a deity or a spirit Central Luzon is being threatened by innovation and larawan - a picture, drawing, or sig-ang - earthenware cooking stove technological change. Culture change tibud - water jar is creeping all over the remote areas image tapayan - earthenware basin of the Philippines. And these changes bulol - a wooden idol of the pabaon - send-off offerings buried have to be accepted as trademarks of Northern Philippines/Ifugao the literate. tribe with the corpse However,changes in the Filipi- manaug - spirits pilak/parak - silver no context, has certain limitations. For whatever is introduced to the Filipino, is filtered and only what is REFERENCES needed is taken for his own use and Brett. J. P. Bontoc Brew. Filipino Heritage. 1977. Vol. X, pp. 2596- survival. Today, the Filipino is wit- 2600. nessing a fundamental revival of Casino, E. Mountain Province Art, Kalinangan. 1975. Vol. 1, No. 2, awareness in Philippine culture and April-June, pp. 51-54. history. It is a search for beginnings, Muslim Folk Art in the Philippines, Pamphlet, USIS. 1967. whose concrete proofs are found in Dumagat, F. F. Converging Culture, Filipino Heritage. 1977 Vol. the peresisting skills and creations 9. pp.2312-2317. handed and built upon by succeeding Lane, R. The Folk Art of Cloth Weaving, Filipino Heritage.1977. generations of Filipinos. Vol.1, pp.281-88. GLOSSARY Nakpil, When Art is History, Archipelago. 1976. Vol. VIII, Manubo tribe - a major ethnolinguistic A-32, pp.8-14. group in the island of Peralta, J. T. Peoples of the Philippines, Type script, National Mindanao Museum, Philippines.

Okil-okir - a Maranao term which Aspects of Colour and Design in Philippine Ethnic Art. literally means "to carve" Acta Manilana. 1977. Hocos - a coastal province on the

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