Basketry and Weaving

LESSON 3: BASKETRY
AND WEAVING
GEC-ICC: Indigenous Creative Crafts
LOUISE DOROTHY C. PARAISO, LPT

INSTRUCTOR
Basketmaking
◦ Basketmaking is gender specific among some groups. For instance, both

Ifugao men and women engage in basketmaking, while among the Kalinga,
men do all of the weaving. Baskets are made of bamboo, rattan, or a
combination of the two. The most frequently utilized construction technique
entails plaiting, although wickerwork, twining, or coiling are also employed.
Typically in plaiting, two elements are woven over and under each other at a
right angle.
Rara or Lala
◦ Aside from weaving cloth, the Philippines has a strong tradition of weaving
leaves and vines into baskets and mats, known as rara or lala. Plants that
grow wild and abundant such as tikug, nito, bamboo, rattan, coconut, pandan,
buri, anahaw, abaca, seagrass, and water hyacinth are used for making baskets.
Multiple Uses
◦ Bamboo and rattan are the most commonly used materials in making baskets
that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on use. Notably, each
basket type has its own specific local name and use, according to locality.
◦ In a house, clothes and blankets are stored in a rectangular basket with a lid
(tampipi). Small bags are for tobacco or for betel nut chewing. For sleeping,
there are mats and for a baby, a cradle (duyan).
Multiple Uses
◦ In the kitchen, there is a basket of rice for cooking, a woven sieve (bistay), or
even spoons. A bilao or kararaw is for cleaning the rice before cooking. Salt is
stored in a basket. Some baskets are tightly woven and waterproof for
storing water, tuba, or rice wine. Under the house, woven chicken coops are
hung to keep them safe.
Multiple Uses
◦ Basket containers are used mostly with rice such as holding seedlings while
harvested rice is stored in baskets inside or under the house. Tambobong is a
Tagalog word for large bamboo containers for storing rice.
◦ Palay or corn is dried under the sun in sawali or amakan, woven split bamboo
mats. They are also used as walls or ceilings of a house.
Multiple Uses
◦ Baskets (kaing) serve as containers of crops (rice, corn, sweet potatoes, fruits,
and vegetables) from the fields to the houses and markets and generally carried
on the head, back, arms, and shoulders.
◦ For protection against the elements, there are hats and raincoats. In Batanes,
vakul is a raincoat for women as well as slippers made of abaca, both
waterproof.
Multiple Uses
◦ In Ifugao, tupil is a lunchbox for carrying cooked rice in the field. There are
special baskets for pork meat after a hunt, or for locusts; another basket called
agawen is worn at the hip, for collecting snails in the rice paddies. A popular
Cordillera bamboo-and-rattan backpack, pasiking, is a practical container for
almost anything.
Multiple Uses
◦ Fish traps (bubo) made of split bamboo, with narrow openings and a one-way
trap door, are also made, based on traditional knowledge. Their size and shape
depends on the type of marine animal (fish, shrimp, crab, eel) to catch as well
as its environment, such as water depth, current, and underwater features.
Multiple Uses
◦ In the Ilocos region, the barekbek is a cylindrical bamboo fish trap usually set
in rivers. Another one is called pamurakan one of the largest shaped like a
hammock, and almost three meters in length. It is submerged open side up in
brackish water and filled with twigs and leaves where fish would shelter and
hauled out after a month or two.
Recognition and challenges
◦ As a source of livelihood, making baskets is usually learned from parents and

older relatives, starting from a young age. Such knowledge is also transmitted
by making baskets in a communal setting, learning from others, and being
mentored by a traditional master weaver.
Recognition and challenges
◦ Today, basket-making communities face dwindling natural resources, the

widespread use of plastics, the decreasing interest among the younger
generation to learn the craft, and the changing demands of the market.
Weaving Origins
◦ The weaving culture in the Philippines dates back to the 13th century. The
tradition makes use of raw materials like local cotton, abaca, fibers, and
pineapples. Many Filipinos are very spiritual people; in fact, our traditions are
rooted in beliefs that were passed on by our ancestors. Handloom weaving is
no different, it is believed that this cultural practice is associated with the
indigenous peoples' bridge to spirits who will help them attract good
health and protection in the Earthly realm.
Symbols
◦ Weaving in the Philippines is more than just a culture perpetuated out of

function or necessity, the tradition is considered an artistic expression of
beliefs. For instance, textiles and colors are used to represent different
rituals in the country. There are specific patterns used for traditional dances
for courtship, healing, war, harvest, and protection.
Symbols
◦ Indigenous tribes also associate colors with different events. Brown or earthy
hues are usually reserved for matters related to death and mourning;
meanwhile, red is the color of power used by the Pinatubo Negrito for their
healers.
Binanniya
◦ The Binanniya is a pattern

that resembles a lizard, an
animal that kadangyans (rich
or high-status people of
Ifugao) use to symbolize
wealth and nobility.
Binituwon
◦ For tribes in Ifugao, the Binituwon

or stars represent the children of
the sun and moon. Women
believe that they would not have a
hard time bearing a child when
such a pattern is etched on their
belts.
Tiniktiku
◦ Ifugao's Tiniktiku is a symbol that

represents the Munkontad or the
messenger deities of the tribe. The
said messengers include Bagillat
(lightning), Atibungallon
(rainbow), and Buh Wit (cobra);
they are entities that the tribe
believes to travel with great speed
in every corner of the universe.
Tinaggu
◦ The Tinaggu is a human-like

pattern that symbolizes Ifugao
ancestors who have attained the
status of demigods in the
afterlife. The said people are
expected to bring guidance and
protection to the descendants
they have left behind.
Penneh Kaban Buddi
◦ The Yakan fabric is known for
traditional patterns like the
Penneh Kaban Buddi. The
pattern is a series of diamonds
(also called mata-mata), triangles,
squares, and other angular
shapes that are commonly found
on bedsheets, cushion covers, and
even bamboo hats.
Linuhhung
◦ The Linuhhung represents the

agricultural gods of Ifugaos. The
tribe believes that engraving these
symbols on their clothing would
mean that the deities would
bestow them with good harvests.
Eben Lobun
◦ Many T’nalak weavers use

weaving to express the
beautiful sceneries that
surround them. One great
example is their Eben Lobun
pattern that pictures the
formation of nimbus clouds
that contain heavy rain.
References
◦ https://www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/philippine-
basketry-luzon-cordillera-fowler-museum-ucla
◦ https://verafiles.org/articles/philippine-basketry-life
-leaves-and-vines
◦ https://www.tatlerasia.com/style/fashion/meanings-
of-indigenous-filipino-textiles

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LESSON 3: BASKETRY

LOUISE DOROTHY C. PARAISO, LPT

◦ Basketmaking is gender specific among some groups. For instance, both

◦ As a source of livelihood, making baskets is usually learned from parents and

◦ Today, basket-making communities face dwindling natural resources, the

◦ Weaving in the Philippines is more than just a culture perpetuated out of

◦ The Binanniya is a pattern

◦ For tribes in Ifugao, the Binituwon

◦ Ifugao's Tiniktiku is a symbol that

◦ The Tinaggu is a human-like

◦ The Linuhhung represents the

◦ Many T’nalak weavers use

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