Philippine Ethnic Art :O

Pottery

Metal Crafts

Weaving

Sculpture

A characteristic bladed weapon of the Tagalog Batangueño is the balisong, the fan knife made in Batangas.

length: (13.9 inches)

Hinalung is an Ifugao (one of the six tribal groups) term for a short to moderately long double edged bladed implement which may be used on a pole as a spear or in the hand as a dagger or chopper. and tapering cylinder.

The Bontoc axe

the Aeta use the blowgun with pointed and iron-tipped arrows while the Batak of Palawan use bows and arrows. The bolo has its many variations among the different ethnic groups.

Metalcraft includes all works or objects created from metal by the process of brass casting and blacksmithing, goldsmithing and silversmithing, or tinsmithing.

Brass casting encompasses works of brass or bronze made by casting and the use of a forge. Blacksmithing is the process of making brass, bronze or iron tools, containers, weapons, and other functional or nonfunctional items, using the forge and anvil.

The Kalinga head ax, with its blade featuring an acutely curved edge and long extended spur, has been described as graceful in comparison with the heavier, straight blade of the Bontoc ax.

The balisong is produced in three basic varieties: the de buyod, characterized by a fine ridge running down the center of the double-bladed weapon;

the dahong palay, simple in shape and single bladed with straight back but its cutting edge sharp as a razor;

and the hinuhustare, inspired by the shape of a gamecock’s tare or spur.

BONTOC, IFUGAO, AND KALINGA:

SPEARS, HEAD TAKING AXES, BOLO MACHETE, WOODEN SHIELDS

The Yakan of Basilan sport a blade with a more pronounced curve in contrast to the Yakan bolo which has a straight back and a softly tapering belly.

the more commonly used weapon of the Ifugao is the spear which is used in warfare and in ritual dances.

BONTOC, IFUGAO, AND KALINGA:

SPEARS, HEAD TAKING AXES, BOLO MACHETE, WOODEN SHIELDS

The Cordillera groups, such as the Ifugao and the Kalinga, have also developed a formidable arsenal under conditions of tribal warfare. Their earliest weapons were bamboo shields, lances, and stakes planted on the grassy trails, while bows and arrows were rarely used. They later fashioned iron weapons like spears, bolos, and head axes.

A pinahig, having a single edged blade of chopper configuration widening and thinning away from the hilt. The hilt consists of a single piece of wood wrapped at each end with rattan. The tip of the tang is visible and folded over and the end of the hilt. The open faced scabbard, or hikot, is of the same construction as those above, but inletted with the contour of this blade. This was collected in the mid-1970s from one of the shops just outside of the perimeter of Clark Air Force Base. Third quarter, 20th century. Overall length, blade and handle: 54 cm. (21.3 inches); blade length: 38.6 cm. (15.2 inches).

The Cordillera groups, such as the Ifugao and the Kalinga, have also developed a formidable arsenal under conditions of tribal warfare. Their earliest weapons were bamboo shields, lances, and stakes planted on the grassy trails, while bows and arrows were rarely used. They later fashioned iron weapons like spears, bolos, and head axes.

Before the coming of the Spaniards, the Filipinos already made small brass canons mounted on a swivel called the lantaka.

Philippine Ethnic Art

Abel is the Ilocano term that refers to the process of weaving, while inabel is the final woven product (although the terms are now used interchangeably). Loom weaving was prevalent when people had to make their own clothing and blankets using spun cotton from the cotton plants they themselves grew. With the advent of cheap machine made cloth, this once thriving industry collapsed, and there are now fewer sources.

The Philippines is a diverse country. The culture in the north is very different from the ones in the south. But there are several things that bind the islands together. These are the common denominator that unites the Filipinos as a Nation. Among them is the Filipinos’ love for the arts especially weaving.

T’nalak

This is probably one of the most prolific among the weaves coming from the mindanao region. This is one of the most common and easy to find. It is made bay the t’boli tribe, most of them are in lake Sebu South Cotabato.

T’boli people are known to be the Dream Weavers.

No two t’nalak cloth have the same patterns.

Considered as a sacred cloth

Usually made from abaca that has dyed using natural colors from plants

Many cities and provinces in the Philippines have a rich history of weaving fabrics. A lot of them would date back from as early as pre-Hispanic period. Being a diverse country, the weaving tradition also differs from one place to another

Palayok

Banga

Burnay Pottery

Tapayan

Carving

In Vigan, Ilocos Sur, a tradition of high temperature pottery, called burnay persists in response to the continued demand for all kinds of containers

Many centuries ago in northern Luzon, the Ifugao built their magnificent stonewalled rice terraces. These terraces make way for water from the mountain tops to irrigate the tiered fields and the valley below.

Pottery

Archaeological excavations reveal masterpieces of Pottery that attest to the high level of artistic skills that ancient Filipinos possessed. The eighth-century BC

Bulul

a stylized sculpture representation of a human figure in wood, used in rituals associated with the many stages of rice planting, healing, and the resolution of intertribal feuds.

The Tagbanua of Palawan use whimsical sculptures of birds, lizards, turtles, snakes, pigs, and other animals for their rituals, as house decor and, at times, as toys for children.

Manunggul Jar

Stylized human heads carved on its covers were used as secondary burial urns by the ancient Manobo

Ancient burial jars were also found:

Sorsogon and Samar (Briones 1977:205-209).

Sorsogon and Samar (Briones 1977:205-209).

Licha

also yielded small stone human figures,

Native Wood Carving examples

Sculpture

art of making three-dimensional figures and shapes.

process and material used, and the themes or

approaches employed.

processes originally used carving  and modelling in stone, metal,ceramics, wood and other materials but, since modernism, shifts in sculptural process led to an almost complete freedom of materials and process.

A wide variety of materials may be worked by removal such as carving, assembled by welding or modelling, or molded, or cast.

Employs subtraction or addition of material or both as a basic technique.

2 General Kinds of Sculpture

Bulul

Free standing -or in-the-round sculpture has a form which can stand

independently in space. True sculpture-in-the-round maintains interest from all points of view and the various elements—lines, textures, and motifs—flow smoothly and dynamically all around the figure.

are freestanding in-the-round images of granary gods or anito, ancestor, and nature deities.

Maranao

are found inside granaries. They do not only guard the harvest from insects and animals, but also guarantee its continued increase.

“suggests a generic term for types of consecrated images whether of similar configuration but differing in function or totally of different configuration and function”

 the people of Lanao, a predominantly Muslim region in the Philippines island of Mindanao.

sunduk

the boat-shaped grave marker of the Tausug.

Tausug

Relief- is a sculptural technique to create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane.

are an ethnic group of the Philippines and Malaysia. The term Tausūg was derived from two words taoand sūg (or suluk) meaning "people of the current", referring to their homelands in the Sulu Archipelago.

Carving

a process of subtraction; while molding, casting, and welding are processes of addition.

involves removing material from wood or stone by using a metal implement, usually a chisel. is found throughout the country and is used for ornamenting daily objects like boats, ladles, furniture, and beams.

Other Maranao motifs

Hagabi

Tat-tagu

a ritual figure representing the sick person is carved.

No different in appearance and style from the usual bulul.

This is consecrated and used in the healing ritual.

a prestige bench owned by the affluent and carved from a single piece of hardwood.

 It signifies an individual or family's wealth and prestige belonging to the rank of Cadangyan (wealthy) who can afford to perform the "Hagabi Feast."

panolong

The Ethnic Tradition

Binabbuy

the flaring beams of the Maranao longhouse.

Okir & Ukkil by maranao & tausug

naga (snake), pako rabong (fern) the floral, as well as the star-and-bud motif.

These motifs apply to objects in everyday life

carving of a pig is originally it is later also called bulul after it participates in a successful healing ritual.

traditional carving

shares a number of designs, although with distinct regional variations.

Ethnic Sculpture

has been done in the traditional media of wood and stone, by carving; in clay, by molding; and in metal, by casting.

Symbolizes the sexual principle,

signifies the value that society places on fertility the whole of nature including all living things of the earth, water, and sky—multiplies and flourishes from the union of the archetypal man and woman.

cire perdue

giyaina-panagan (prow) the Maranao boat

traditional casting process, “lost wax,” a Malay technology of

brass casting which began before the 15th century in Sulu and is used to the

present by a number of Philippine groups, such as the Maranao of Lanao and the

Tboli of Cotabato.

Wood Carving

Ifugao

Kulintang ( gong)

sarimanok

is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool.

Tagbanua

tools and utensils, like the reed flattener for making mats, ladles, and coconut graters.

The two types of relief

one of the oldest ethnic groups in the Philippines, can be mainly found in the central and northern Palawan.

are possible descendants of the Tabon Man; thus, making them one of the original inhabitants of the Philippines.

is a legendary bird of the Maranao people who originate from Mindanao, a major island in the Philippines. It comes from the words "sari" and "manok." "Sari" means cloth or garment, which is generally of assorted colors.  Manòk, which makes up part of its name, is a Philippine word for chicken.

Malay wood carving

High relief - the figures project more prominently from the background.

Kubing (Jew’s harp)

made from bamboo, is decorated with okir

are the most sculptural.

 is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. 

Low relief- the figures are slightly upraised on a flat background.

Wooden Posts

are carved with circular rat guards that prevent rodents from entering the house. Its walls and doors are of wood, usually carved with chevron patterns.