Indigenous Philippine art is art made by the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. It includes works in raw materials such as extract from trees, fruits, and vegetables. Some of the art treasure of the Philippines is found in rock in caves, trees and woods.
The album places different tribes’ traditional weaving patterns side by side to showcase unity in diversity. Even though each group has its own distinct style, there are striking similarities as well, and each design is testament to these groups’ rich colorful heritage.
Let us take a look of some of example of different patterns and design made by local indigenous tribe.
Yakan
- inspired by the natural landscape surrounding Lamitan, Basilan. Their fabrics are characterized by geometric patterns and vivid hues, and are made from “pineapple and abaca fibers dyed with herbal extracts.” The entire process is so labor-intensive that it can take a week to weave just one meter of fabric.
T’boli of Lake Sebu
- South Cotabato make their fabrics from abaca as well. They believe that their designs and patterns have been passed down to them by their ancestors through dreams. They’re well known for their t’nalak cloth, which, according to Senator Loren Legarda, is “used during significant occasions like birth, marriage, and death; the hilets, or belts with brass small bells, are believed to drive away bad spirits; while the embroidery they use to accentuate their traditional blouses narrate the story of their relationship with nature and the spirits.”
Maguindanao
- few are likely to have encountered the silk malongs used by Maguindanaons during special events like babies’ hair cutting ceremonies, weddings, and circumcision rituals. As Lourdes Veloso Mastura explains in her article Textiles of Maguindanao.
Maranao
- Apart from material, the color of textiles can hold significance as well. For the Maranao, yellow is associated with royalty and high status. As Abdullah T. Madale writes in Textiles in the Maranao Torogan, “A man who wears a yellow shirt and cap is called bananing i ulo ("yellow headed"). In the past a commoner who wore yellow could be ostracized or even beheaded.” Madale goes on to explain that Maranaos who want to “appear at once humble and accomplished” would wear green, which stands for “peace, tranquility and stability.” Red stands for “bravery and violence,” white for mourning, and black for “quiet dignity and purity.”
