MARANAO ART

OKIR or OKKIL/UKKIL

Okir (also spelled as okkil, okil, or ukkil) is the term for geometric and flowing designs
(often based on an elaborate leaf and vine pattern) and folk motifs that can be usually found in
Maranao, Maguindanaoand Muslim-influenced artwork, especially in the southern Philippines,
and in some parts of Southeast Asia. Okir a dato refers to the ornamental design for men and
okir a bay to that for women.

In the Philippines, an ancient proof of okir's style of flowering symbols is the torogan, the
ancestral home of the highest titleholder in a Maranao village. It is a symbol of power and
prestige usually adorned during festivities. Its prominent part is the panolong, a carved beam
that protrudes in the front of the house and styled with okir motif. The okir design is found woven
or printed in textiles, carved into wooden cemetery markers and wooden boxes, and it can also
be found etched into knife or sword blades and handles, and cast or etched into various brass
and silver objects.

Other variations of the okir involves the use of nāga or serpent motif. Maranao
instruments usually are styled with okir. A more prominent variation is the sarimanok, a chicken-
like figure that carries a fish in its beak.

Okir is said to be firstly made in Tugaya, Lanao del Sur, as Tugaya is known as the
home of Maranao artisans and the Industrial capital of Lanao del Sur. It has been long known as
the home of arts and crafts of Maranao tribe since time immemorial.
MARANAO’S PRINCIPAL OKIR DESIGNS:
SARIMANOK
The Sarimanok is a legendary bird of
the Maranao people who originate from Mindanao, an island in
the Philippines. It comes from the words "sari" and
"manok." "Sari" means cloth or garment, which is generally of
assorted colors. manok means "chicken".

NAGA

The Naga has the form of an elaborate mythical

serpent with a vigorous S-Curve and numerous curvilinear
motifs to suggest its scales. The Pako Rabong is a stylized
growing fern with a broad base gracefully tapering upwards.
The Sarimanok and Naga are found in Panolong, the
extended floor beam of the Torogan or the large Sultan’s
house, and it its interior beams and posts.
PANOLONG

The Panolong is a house

ornament fashioned by the Maranao
people. Panolong is a part of the beam
in the Maranao house. The shape of
the Panolong is an architectural
translation of a “prow”, meaning the
potruding part in the front of a ship.
Panolongs were designed to make the
house appear as a floating boat in the
eyes of the viewer.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino showcased

Panolong in its museum. Panolongs follows two design concepts in its design, a floral like/ vine
like design and a design which resembles the image of the “naga” also known as the serpent.
Unfortunately the museum holds no naga based conceptualization of the Panolong as of the
moment.

The wooden carving is almost a meter in width and about quarter of a meter in height, a
wooden carving from polychormed wood. Chisel was the tool used to achieve the roughly
finished art. The texture of the Panolong is simply wooden texture since it was basically carved
out from wood.

The impression of Panolong in my eyes is a plain right triangle, geometric in shape and
projects a neat but not an edgy perimeter. Panolongs basically comes in the color of the wood ,
which is brown but according to the museum guide during the vernacular times it was painted
with bright colors, green, red or yellow. Looking at the aesthetic quality of Panolong your eyes
will really be pulled by the movement of the vine patterns the lucid lines, the expression of
Maranao’s cultural prosperity at that time, the early times.

One of the most distinct qualities of the Panolong is the blend of straight and curved
carvings. The vines which appear to be sprawling along with the triangular boundary it is in. I
think the idea behind this wooden carving is the love of Filipino’s for nature and environment.
MARANAO HOUSE
LAWIG
Lawigs vary in size from field
huts, which are raised above ground
on stilts with lean-to roofing and an
outdoor cooking area. These
structures are mainly used for
sleeping. These are common
household structures which have an
interior hearth. Usually occupied by a
single family unit, the lawig is not
normally adorned, except for an
occasional wooden adornment that
may embellish the window sill or door
portal

MALA-A-WALAI
Mala–a-walai is a single
room and partitionless structure,
is a house of a well-to-do family.
Although architectural ornaments
are present in the structure, the
house does not have the
panolong – an elaborately carved
beam extension identified with the
royal torogan. The okir
decorations are generally
baseboards, windowsills and
doorjambs. The house stands
0.3-2.2 meters above the ground
and rest on 9 to 12 bamboos or
wooden poles. The kinansad, a
bamboo- fenced porch, marks the façade of the house; the kitchen which is 0.50 meters lower
than the structure is located at the back. The main body houses the sleeping area, which
doubles as a living and working area at daytime.