1 Introduction to Indigenous Creative Crafts

Introduction
Throughout Philippine history, craftsmanship and its different forms have
always been prevalent. The Filipinos have an innate inclination to create,
exemplifying the state of being engaged in their craft and taking a sense of joy
and pride in their work. The Filipino craftsman dedicates himself to his art and
telling the story of the Philippines, bearing its truest essence-its soul for the world to
see.

Blessed with natural resources, Filipino craftsmen are able to come-up with
a magnificent product that tells a million story not just about their lives but the
culture of their place. Clearly, this reflects Filipino crafts that magnify labors of love
and patience. These are evident in the products of their skillful hands and
imaginative minds. Creative crafts in the Philippines do not only satisfy our senses,
but each artwork speaks of the passion and active involvement of the artists in
visualizing, connecting, and appreciating the culture and the creative
manipulation of the objects around.

Do you have what it takes to become a craftsman? In this chapter you will
learn the brief overview of Philippine Arts and Crafts and its significance and
relationship to the Hospitality Course. It is then expected that you will be able to
find yourself become an agent of this culture-filled journey. As you will come to
know more of these arts and crafts, be ready to become your most creative self
for you will be creating your own handicraft. This journey transcends beyond
“knowing” history or “applying” discussed topics, rather, it is an “awakening” of
your soul in taking responsibility to promote, conserve, and develop Philippine
indigenous creative crafts.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit, you should be able to:
1. Describe the indigenous creative crafts in the Philippines;
 2. Discuss the significance and relationship of indigenous arts and crafts
to the Hospitality Course; and
3. Develop a sense of responsibility in promoting and conserving the
Philippine culture through arts and crafts.

Activating Prior Knowledge

How CREATIVE are you?

Expand your IDEAS! Note as many words as you can associate to the terms
inside the circles below.

INDIGENOUS
PRODUCTS
CRAFTS ARTS

TOPIC 1: Brief Overview of Philippine Arts and Crafts

Learning Objectives
At the end of this the topic, you should be able to:
1. Identify the different types of traditional Arts and Crafts in the
Philippines;
2. Make a presentation on any of the sub-topics of the brief overview of
Philippine Arts and Crafts; and
 3. Develop a sense of hard work and craftsmanship through a simple craft
creation.

Presentation of the Content

Arts and Crafts in the Philippines refer to the various forms of the arts
that have developed and accumulated in the Philippines from the
beginning of civilization in the country up to the present era. They reflect
the range of artistic influences on the country's culture, including
indigenous forms of the arts, and how these influences have honed the
country's arts.
The traditional arts in the Philippines encompass folk architecture,
maritime transport, weaving, carving, folk performing arts, folk (oral)
literature, folk graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile, or fiber art,
pottery, and other artistic expressions of traditional culture.
Folk Architecture

Folk architecture in the Philippines differ significantly per ethnic

group, where the structures can be made of bamboo, wood, rock, coral,
rattan, grass, and other materials. These abodes can range from the hut-
style bahay kubo which utilizes vernacular mediums in construction, the
highland houses called bale that may have four to eight sides, depending
on the ethnic association.

Daru Jambangan (Palace of Flowers), the royal Bahay kubo-style Mabini House
residence of the ruler of the Tausug
Dakay house, the oldest surviving coral houses Bahay na bato houses
in the Philippines still used today (c. 1887) in Intramuros, Manila

Maritime Transport

Maritime transport in the Philippines includes boat houses, boat-

making, and maritime traditions. These structures, traditionally made of
wood chosen by elders and craftsfolks, were used as the main vehicles of
the people, connecting one island to another, where the seas and rivers
became the people's roads. Although boats are believed to have been
used in the archipelago for thousands of years since the arrival of humans
through water, the earliest evidence of boat-making and the usage of
boats in the country continues to be dated as 320 AD through the carbon-
dating of the Butuan boats that are identified as remains of a gigantic
balangay.

A large karakoa outrigger A balangay reconstruction

warship, 1711
 A paraw in Palawan
An owong at Lake Sebu

Weaving

Weaving is an ancient art form that continue in the Philippines today,

with each ethnic group having their distinct weaving techniques. The
weaving arts are composed of basket weaving, back-strap loom weaving,
headgear weaving, fishnet weaving, and other forms of weaving.

Cloth and mat weaving

Expensive textiles are made through the intricate and difficult
process called back-strap looming. Fibers such as Cotton, abaca, banana
fiber, grass, and palm fiber are used in the Filipino weaving arts.

T'nalak

Binakol A double ikat mat from Sulu

Basketry
 The fine art of basket weaving in the Philippines has developed
intricate designs and forms directed for specific purposes such as
harvesting, rice storage, travel package, sword case, and so on. The art is
believed to have arrived in the archipelago due to human migration,
where those at the north were the first to learn the art form.

Various rice baskets Filipino tobacco basket

Carving

The art of carving in the Philippines focuses on woodcarving and folk

non-clay sculptures.

Woodcarving
Indigenous woodcarving is one of the most notable traditional arts in
the Philippines, with some crafts in various ethnic groups date back prior to
Hispanic arrival with perhaps the oldest surviving today are fragments of a
wooden boat dating to 320 AD.

Kulintang from Mindanao

Bulul gods

Stone, ivory, and other carvings

 Stone carving is a priced art form in the Philippines, even prior to the
arrival of Western colonizers, as seen in the stone likha and larauan or tao-
tao crafts of the natives. These items usually represents either an ancestor
or a deity who aids the spirit of a loved one to go into the afterlife properly.

Carved marbles from Romblon

Stone carvings at the facade
of Miagao Church, world heritage
site and a National Cultural
Treasure

Folk graphic and plastic arts

The fields under folk graphic and plastic arts are tattooing, folk
writing, and folk drawing and painting.

Folk writing (calligraphy)

The Philippines has numerous indigenous scripts collectively called as
suyat, each of which has their own forms and styles of calligraphy. Various
ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines prior to Spanish colonization in the
16th century up to the independence era in the 21st century have used the
scripts with various mediums. By the end of colonialism, only four of the suyat
scripts survived and continue to be used by certain communities in
everyday life.

Folk paintings

Folk paintings, like folk drawings, are works of art that usually include
depictions of folk culture. Evidences suggest that the people of the
archipelago have been painting and glazing their potteries for thousands
of years. Pigments used in paintings range from gold, yellow, reddish purple,
green, white, blue-green, to blue.

Ornament, textile, or fiber art

Ornament, textile, or fiber art includes a variety of fields, ranging from

hat-making, mask-making, accessory-making, to ornamental metal crafts,
and many others.

Hat-making, mask-making, and related arts

Hat-making is a fine art in many communities throughout the country,

with the gourd-based tabungaw of Abra and Ilocos being one of the most
prized. Indigenous Filipino hats were widely used in the daily lives of the
people until the 20th century when they were replaced by Western-style
hats. They are currently worn during certain occasions, such as festivals,
rituals, or in theatre

The art of mask creation is both an indigenous and imported

tradition, as certain communities have mask-making practices prior to
colonization, while some mask-making traditions were introduced through
trade from parts of Asia and the West. Today, these masks are worn mostly
during festivals, Moriones Festival, and MassKara Festival.

Accessory-making

Accessories in the Philippines are almost always worn with their

respective combination of garments, with some being used as accessories
for houses, altars, and other objects.

Pottery

The art of pottery, categorized into ceramic making, clay pot-

making, and folk clay sculpture, has long been a part of various cultures in
the Philippines, with evidence pointing to a pottery culture dating around
3,500 years ago. Important pottery artifacts from the Philippines include the
Manunggul Jar (890-710 BCE) and the Maitum anthropomorphic pottery (5
BC-225 AD).
 Maitum Anthropomorphic Burial
Jar No. 13 (5 BC-370 AD),
Manunggul a National Cultural Treasure
Jar from Palawan (890–710
BC), a National Cultural
Treasure