Traditional Arts in the

Philippines
 Background
Arts in the Philippines refer to the art
works that have developed and
accumulated in the Philippines from
the beginning of civilization in the
country up to the present time.
Arts in the Philippines are
classified into:
A. Traditional arts,
B. Arts in Muslim Mindanao or the Islamic
Arts and
C. Arts in the Cordillera region.

> These arts reflect the societies wide range of cultural

influence in the country's culture and how they honed
the country's arts.
A. Traditional Motifs
Traditional motifs are used by folklorist
in analyzing, interpreting describing the
traditional elements found in the lore of a
particular folk group and compose the
folklore of the various regions and cultures
of the world based on the motif patterns.
 Traditional Crafts

Used mainly in Everyday life

Ceremonial occasions such as wedding and

funeral and s that a person experience only
occasionally in one year or in are considered
to be part of the ordinary life.
 Traditional Crafts

A. Manufactured by hand

The original features and manual labor of a traditional craft

are inseparable term from each other. If the manual labor a
traditional craft is carried by machine processes even while
preserving a traditional technology, it has no meaning
because the original features of the craft has been lost.
 Traditional Crafts

B. Manufactured by using a traditional

technique or skill

C. Made traditional materials

D. Manufactured in a certain area with

a certain number of manufacturers
 Handicrafts is the main sector of
traditional crafts. These are types of
work where useful and decorative
devices are made completely by hand
or by u simple tools.
Weaving is another art form of traditional
crafts. Materials consist of wool, mohair,
cotton, bristles, and silk. It can be done
with all kinds of cloth. Its products include
plait, carpets, rugs, and felt obtained by
spinning thread, connecting the fibers
together or by other materials .
 Weaving is the making of fabric by
interlacing threads.
The machine used for weaving is called a
loom.
Warp threads are stretched on a frame,
and an instrument called a shuffle carries
weft threads under and over the warp.
Tribal communities in the Philippines
known for their woven textiles.
Known for their binulan and wanno which are
used as shawls to keep their body warm
They use birds, frogs and man as their
design for their woven cloths
The malong is a famous male underpants.
It is a piece of cloth that’s tied at the waist
and looks like a skirt
The kandit is the official costume of the
Tausug Tribe
Aside from cloth, there are other objects
that are woven in the Philippines, such as
baskets, fans, mats, bilao, fisherman’s net,
furnitures and the farmer’s hat or salakot.
There are other materials used in woven
objects in the Philippines. In Bicol, abaca
is used. The bamboo and rattan are also
used, especially for pieces of furniture that
are world-class and are exported abroad.
Embroidery is notonly used for decoration but
also as a means of communication tool with
the symbolism in its designs.
Today, the tools in embroidery are croche
needle, needle, shuttle and hairpin designed
either as a border or motif and goes by
different names according to the implement
used as well as the technique
Embroidery materials include silk cocoon,
wool, candle stick bead or any over cloth.
Embroidery as an industry is generally seen
in the Ilocos and Visayan Regions..
The art of putting design on pieces of
wood.
In the North, Cordillera carves the bulol, a
pagan statue of their gods or anitos.
They also carve bowls and utensils.
Figures of man and animals are also
carved.
In the south, the Maranaos and Tausugs
are known for their okir-a-datu designs.
The sarimanok is a colorful bird with a fish
on its beak. Naga or snake. Pako or fern.
Those are decorative elements of the
Torongan or datu’s house.
The Tagbanuas of Palawan use animals
and man as a common design for
woodcarving
Figurines, mugs, drinking glass, utensils made
of decorative glass work very common
nowadays.
Making musical instruments is a traditional craft that existed for
many long years, the materials used for making musical
instruments came from trees, plants, skin, bones, and animal
horn. Musical instruments are classified into string, percussion
and woodwind.

Glazed earthenware tiles are used for ceramic and art purpose.
Artists usually create animal designs in these tiles. As a ceramic
art, it became world famous for their extraordinary creative
workmanship.

Glasswork is another traditional art form. Stained glass was developed many years ago.
Church windows are made of stained glass in different models and forms. Figurines,
mugs, drinking glass, utensils made of decorative glass work very common nowadays.
 Favorite accessory of ancient people.
It consists usually of amulets that are used
to keep evil spirits away.
T’bolis→use brass for chains and bells.
They also use beads and strings to make
necklaces etc.
Tattoos are also used to decorate one’s
body. They also show one’s place in
society.
Brass, bronze, gold, and silver are heated
and poured into molds to make objects
from jewelry to other decorative objects.
Maranaos are famous for their metal craft.
In Batangas, a famous metal product is
the balisong, a local knife.