Nothing can cut the strings that intertwine our culture. The custom of Philippine traditional weaving has endured through the generations of colonization and now it is persevering through the ever-evolving modern fashion world. However, even if it is an immortalized facet of Philippine history, how much do we actually know about it?
Weaving in the Philippines is a traditional artform that utilizes the natural resources of the environment, ranging from materials like abaca, cotton, and piña, to make the fibers that are woven as a fabric. Even herbal extracts such as leaves, roots and plants are used to dye these fabrics for certain designs. It is not only these external factors that contribute to the final product, but symbolism and emotions meld into these looms through the weavers’ hands.
As a practice that is passed down through generations, Philippine traditional weaving is not something that is merely learned by the books, but it is watched thoroughly by successors, apprentices and scholars alike. It takes more than researching to delve into the world of traditional weaving.
To fully immerse yourself and see these practices in action, here are three short documentaries that can deepen your interest in Philippine traditional weaving:
Traditional Weaving in the Philippines – Ilocos Region (2018) by KULTURA PRODUCTIONS
Screencap pulled from Youtube. Video: Traditional Weaving in the Philippines – Ilocos Region.
As modernization continues to dominate the Philippine fashion market, it now lacks the space reserved for traditional weaving to thrive in. It will be washed away as merely history and not current culture. These are the worries of Philippine traditional weavers.
In Traditional Weaving in the Philippines – Ilocos Region (2018), we traverse through the livelihood of the people residing in Ilocos Norte. Here, we are introduced to the traditional handwoven textile Abel Iloko or Inabel.
The 9 minute documentary, posted by CIIT Philippines on YouTube, features GAMABA 2012 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee Magdalena Gamayo. Her story unfolds as a weaver from her younger days to her now, where she still stands strong teaching Inabel weaving to apprentices.
From the lack of market to the rise of artificial cheaper textiles, Traditional Weaving in the Philippines – Ilocos Region highlights, not only the history, but the conflicts arising as a traditional weaver in the contemporary world.
Likha-an: Habi ng Yakan (2019) by ELVERT BAÑARES
Screencap pulled from Youtube. Video: NCCA | Habi ng Yakan | Documentary
Weaving has always been more than meets the eye. Between each design and color selection is symbolism rooted in the connection the weaver has with their family, environment, and especially themselves. To weavers, their mood and personality reflects in its creation and process.
Likha-an: Habi ng Yakan (2019) follows the traditional weaving of the Yakan people, hailing from the island of Basilan. From young to old, this 21 minute documentary, posted by TribuneNOW on YouTube, features Yakan weavers, among them was the late Ambalang Ausalin, another GAMABA awardee who was the 2016 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan.
The documentary teaches viewers the specifics of Yakan weaving, from the meaning of the loom position to the different types of design. As a practice intricately woven into their history and culture, Yakan weaving is perpetually believed in, looked up to, and learned from throughout generations.
More about the symbolism in Yakan weaving can be found in this Hibla Philippines blog called An Exploration of Floral Patterns in Philippine Textile (Part 2), written by Bernard Joseph Esposo Guerrero.
Piña: The Pineapple Textile of Aklan, Western Visayas (2020) by ICHCAP & NCCA
Screencap pulled from Youtube. Video: Philippines_Pina Weaving
It takes, not just a weaver, but a community to produce the Philippines’ widely known textile. From what is popularly known to be used in Barong Tagalog and other formal Philippine wear, piña cloth is created by the hearts and hands of Aklan.
In Piña: The Pineapple Textile of Aklan, Western Visayas (2020), it takes viewers on a journey, introducing them to concepts beyond the craft, but through the culture of Aklan, where the piña weaving originates and continues to be produced. It has made itself an important hallmark of their culture.
Recently recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), piña weaving is thoroughly discussed in this documentary through its many stages of production. Starting from the pineapple’s cultivation in its farm, the leaves’ extraction into fibers, the method of pricing, the actual weaving, then to its final creation.
This 27 minute documentary, posted by UNESCO ICHCAP on YouTube, highlights the contributions of the entire community of Aklan, making it known that each job is equally important as the other.
Weaving is a dedicated art that is carried on through history. As it is preserved and learned, the practice can even be picked up by those outside the culture. In contemporary times, social enterprises, like Hibla Philippines, collaborate with such weaving communities to empower their work and help them break into the current fashion world. The integration of traditional clothes to the modern style has cemented itself in everyday fashion, and we see the silhouette of our ancestors through our clothes.
