Christene Mae Canillo BA Philippine Arts

TEXTILE MOTIFS in Major Lowlands and their reflection to their Geographic Domain and
Custom
The textile motifs, designs and styles along with its function, purpose and resources used
is reflective of the ethnic group’s culture including its customs, world view and geographic
domain. Cordillera highlands have a lattice or ‘made-eye-like’ called inata-ata (Southern
Kalinga), matmata (Kankana-ey), mata-mata (Ga’dang) and minat-mata (Itneg) and mata-mata
among Visayans (CCP Encyclopaedia). The lattice is made of diamond shapes resembling the
form of an eye and a rice grain. This motif in their textile reflects their strong connection
between their customs of wet and dry agriculture and farming in Cordilleras including Kalinga,
Apayao, Benguet, Mt. Province and Nueva Vizcaya in their rice terraces and kaingin in their
mountains and the Visayas who are known in vast lands used mainly for agriculture.
While the highlander’s textile motifs and resources are particular to their indigenous and
ethnic customs, the textile of lowlanders are fusion of ethnic, indigenous and foreign culture.
Due to the land formations, geographic location and topography of Southern Luzon and most part
of Visayas these sites were the first provinces colonized and Christianised by the Spanish
conquistadors. Compared to rugged mountainous regions of Cordilleras also presence of warrior
society and heavily forested areas of Mindanao also the presence of Muslims, Southern Luzon
and Visayas are easier and safer to travel. The foreign beliefs and culture were absorbed by the
people and eventually incorporated in their lives and reflected on their art. Not only the
Spaniards influenced the Filipino traditions and cultures but also Chinese and Austronesians due
to product trades and encounters.
The introduction of imported flora from Americas by Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade
played most of the role in changing the textile making and designing among lowlanders. The
most known examples are the use of pineapple fibre called piña and its incorporation to abaca to
form jusi. Some present groups using this type of fibres in their textiles are present in CCP
Encyclopaedia they are Tagalog, Ilongo, Aklanon and Capiznon. Kalibo is known to produce
pineapple fibre which is woven into the cloth called piña, a fabric used for the barong Tagalog
or long-sleeved shirt with collar worn untucked, gowns, table cloths, and curtains (p58-59).
Other materials are cotton cloth called hablon among Ilonggo. Among highlands the weaving of
traditional textiles of cotton is still found in a few towns of Bicol, notably Buhi, Camarines Sur
(p118). Use of silk is common among Tagalog whose geographic domains are prominent centers
of commerce and trade including the ports and Spanish settlements found in Batangas, Bulacan,
Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Quezon, Rizal, and certain parts of Zambales and Tarlac (p319).
In textile motifs and designs among lowlands are dominantly through embroidery and
patchwork others retained their indigenous and ethnic tradition of incorporating designs and
motifs while weaving, known as ikat. Other highlanders also use embroidery and patchwork in
designing textiles such as Bukidnon, Badjao, Manobo, Mandaya, Tausug and T’boli. The
traditional weaving method of piña is called pili or sinuksuk. This is a floating weft technique
accomplished after the cloth weaving, an intricate process for embellishing piña fiber before it is
cut and sewn into a gown (p62).
The most common motifs among lowlanders are flowers. A cluster of five-petalled
flowers surrounding a butterfly is a common motif of Aklanon, Kalachuchi or Plumeria, a
fragrant flower with 5 spreading petals native to tropical and subtropical Americas presumably
brought by Christian missionaries priests this plant is so popular and common in the Philippines,
Thailand and Hawaii but very rare in China and Vietnam (About Frangipanis). Among Ilonggo
and Tagalog there are sampaguita inspired motifs and general flowers in Tagalog. The flower
motifs are reflective of their geographic domain which consists of vast lowlands and grasslands
perfect for growth of tropical flowering plants.
Spanish establishment of cultivation of Philippine crops for export also reflected in their
motifs seen in kinape (coffee beans) in Tagalog textile motifs and the striped and checkered
designs from sugarcane flower stalk among Ilonggo’s patadyong and Tagalog’s silk tapis and
panyo. This stripes and checkered designs are similar to Negros’ furniture decoration. In Negros,
a by-product of the sugarcane is the stalk of the sugarcane flower. The stalks are sliced open to
flatten them and used for decoration. The strips are laid side by side and some parts shaded by
varying degrees of heat in order to produce a mosaic effect (p345). The provinces which
cultivated coffee beans are Cavite and Batangas and sugar in Pampanga, Laguna, Iloilo and
Negros.
The textile motifs along with other indigenous and ethnic art aesthetics vary due to
differences and similarities in culture and tradition so as the geographic location and customs in
the group. Shared traditions and foreign influences are incorporated and fused to the existing
ones. The new concepts and knowledge introduced by foreign and outsider were accepted by the
local community and soon indigenized diversifying the country’s unique and beautiful culture.
Reference:
CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art Volume I Peoples of the Philippines Aeta to Jama Mapun
CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art Volume II Peoples of the Philippines Kalinga to Yakan
“About Frangipanis,” www.allthingsfrangipani.com/frangipanis.html