UNIT I

Arts and Crafts of Luzon (Highlands and Lowlands)

 INTRODUCTION
•Arts and crafts are important means of expression,
which communicate views, ideas, and feelings
through the use of skills and imagination.
•These are important parts of our daily lives and
can be found everywhere.
 Lesson 1:
ARTS AND CRAFTS OF THE ILOCOS REGION AND
THE CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (CAR)
 ILOCOS REGION
Architecture
Vigan, considered as the
“Intramuros of the North,”
retains the Spanish
colonial architecture along
its narrow and cobble-
stoned streets known as
Calle Crisologo.
•These old Spanish-type houses have huge,
high-pitched roofs, large and rectangular living
rooms that are made of adobe, bricks, lime,
terracotta, hardwood floors, and windows of
capiz shells framed in wooden window panels.
 Textile
Inabel is a hand
weaving technique of
the Ilocanos that is
produced using
traditional wooden
looms.
•The different designs represent
different meanings: the dizzying
“binakol” weave represents the waves
of the sea. They believe that this design
protects them from bad spirits.
•The inabel designs are inspired by natural
elements: patterns that depict different
landforms, the colors of flowers and
vegetation, plaid, zigzags, animal patterns,
the ocean waves, or the glittering night sky.
 Pottery
Burnay is an unglazed
earthen jar with small
opening.
•It is used for storage for water and rice
grains and as container for salt, brown
sugar, basi (local wine) and bagoong
(fermented fish).
 PANGASINAN
Weaving
The arts and crafts of Pangasinan include the
smoothly woven Bolinao mats made from buri
or raffia leaves, and the bamboo crafts (baskets,
furniture) of San Carlos.
 CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (CAR)
KALINGA
Textile

The natives of Kalinga are skilled workers.

One of their finest products is their textile, which
is characterized by red stripes and white, yellow,
and black geometrical patterns.
The southern Kalinga
women wear the wrap-
around skirt or tapis called
kain, which reaches below
the knee.
It is worn below the
abdomen and when they
walk, one of the thighs is
exposed.
•The northern Kalinga wears saya, an
ordinary woman’s skirt covering the
body form waist to feet.
•The colors used in their textile have
cultural meanings: red signifies bravery;
black is for the soil or land; white is for
the flowers of the coffee trees; yellow for
the sand; and green for the mountains.
 Basketry
The basketry of the Kalinga
shows their fine craftsmanship.
The labba is a bowl-shaped
basket made from rattan, with
sizes that vary from 20 to 150 cm
in diameter.
 Tattooing
Tattooing is another form of art of the Kalinga. Because
it usually covers the chest and arms., it may be
considered as clothing and decoration.
It also signifies a rite of passage from youth to
adulthood, a mark of heroism, and bravery and one’s
status in the community.
Wang-Od is the last
“mambabatok” or traditional
Kalinga tattoo artist.
She uses a mixture of charcoal
and water that is tapped onto the
skin through a thorn end.
•The painful tattoo technique is said to be a
thousand years old and can only be passed on
through lineage.
•It is believed that if someone outside of the
bloodline does the tattoo, it will get infected.
•In order to preserve the art form, she
is now training some of her relatives
to follow her work.
 IFUGAO
The term Ifugao means “natives of children.”
Sculpture

The bul’ul is a wooden

sculpture that represents
the rice granary spirits.
•It is used in rituals that are performed
to call the ancestors to protect their
rice fields from pestilence and to ask
for an abundant harvest.
•It is a carved-wooden human figure with
simplified forms.
•These are dipped in the blood of pigs
during a ritual called tunod, which means
“planting the seedlings in the soil.”
•The bul’ul is usually made of narra,
which signifies wealth, happiness, and
well-being to the Ifugao.
•The amulets of the Ifugao are called
lingling-o or dinumug.
•These are made from jade, gold, copper,
bronze, stone and other materials. These
are fertility symbols worn around the neck.
MOUNTAIN PROVINCE
Textile
•Close examination of the mummies reveals that they
have body tattoos, which is a form of art practiced by
most of the cultural communities in the Philippines
from Luzon to Visayas and some parts of Mindanao.
•The body tattoos that adorn the Kabayan mummies
are similar to the patterns found in their textiles.
•The province is also known for their burial
cloth, kadangyan, woven by female elders.
•The people of Bontoc are also skilled
weavers. They weave different textiles
from blankets to clothing.
•The men’s traditional attire is called wanes.
•The women use a short and narrow wrap-
around skirt called lufid, which extends
from the navel to the knees, and has a side
opening.
•Married women of Bontoc and Kankanay in the
Northern Cordillera wear a type of belt called
ginaspalawanes.
•The natives of Bontoc create their textile patterns
through the ikat, a weaving method. It is a process of
tying and dyeing the threads to prepare the patterns
before they are woven into the textile.
ABRA
• The Tingguians weave textiles for clothes and blankets.
• They are noted for their white textiles with horizontal
stripes found in the edges (like those in the bankudo or
wrap-around skirt) or vertical stripes in the center (like
those found in the balwasi or female blouse).
 Lesson 2:
ARTS AND CRAFTS OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
AND CENTRAL LUZON
 CAGAYAN VALLEY

Cagayan Valley is in the Northeastern part of

Luzon. It is irrigated with the waters from Cagayan
River- the longest river in the country and is
composed of the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan,
Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, and Quirino.
BATANES
BATANES
• The Ivatans are the people living in the Batanes Group
of Islands.
• Their houses have unique architectural forms made up
of limestones walls, reed, and cogon roofs. The design
and materials are chosen because they are strong enough
to withstand the numerous typhoons and earthquakes
that hit the group of islands because of its geographic
location.
BATANES
• Vakul is a head gear used by the Ivatan women to
protect them from the heart of the sun and the rains.
• The men, on the other hand, wear soot, a rain cape
made from fronds that covers the upper part of the body
down from the neck.
 ISABELA
• Isabela is one of the largest provinces in the Philippines located in
Cagayan Valley region.
• Tumauini Church is a Roman Catholic Parish Church of San
Matias Apostol. This Baroque Church was built in 1873 and can be
found in the municipality of Tumauini, Isabela. It is made from red
bricks ornamented with carvings of flowers, leaves, scallops, saints
religious symbols, and other fanciful motifs. The unique cylindrical
belfry of the church looks like a huge wedding cake because of its
design motifs like laces, hearts,and beads.
Click icon to add picture
NUEVA VIZCAYA
• Nueva Vizcaya is located near Ifugao, Benguet, and
Quirino. The Gaddangs of Nueva Vizcaya are known for
their crafts and textiles.
• One of the clothes they make is the bakwat, a belt used
by mothers after giving birth. This cloth is usually
adorned on the central portion with white beads as
accents embellished in patterns that represent rivers and
mountains.
 CENTRAL LUZON
BULACAN
Bulacan arts and crafts include the singkaban, pastillas
wrapper, fire crackers, and goldsmithing in
Meycauayan.
The women cut intricately-designed pastillas warppers
adorned with different linear, curvilinear, and geometric
designs that depict local floras and scenes of everyday
rural life.
Click icon to add picture
 BULACAN
Singkaban is the local term for bamboo arches designed
with kayas or woodshaving. These are used as
decorative arches that adorn the entrance of a barangay
or town during fiestas and other grand celebrations.
 BULACAN
Meycauayan, Bulacan is
known for its jewelry
industry. Craftsmen fashion
trinkets from precious
metals such as gold and
silver, and precious and
semi-precious stones,
pearls, and diamonds.
PAMPANGA
• Pampanga is known for its giant lanterns or parol. Its
special feature is its dancing lights in several shapes, and
colors that form intricate geometric patterns.
• The patterns change with the rotation of a special rotor
that controls the lights inside the parol.
PAMPANGA
• The parols are used to
adorn houses, streets,
and buildings, not only
in Pampanga but all
over the Philippines
during the Christmas
season.
 ACTIVITY: ART OF PAPER CUTTING

1. Fold a piece of colored paper 2-3 times.

2. Draw a design. It may include local plants, flowers,
everyday objects, or practices like the one shown in
the photo. You may also include words or names in the
design.
3. With extreme precaution, cut out your design using
scissors, blade or small cutter and lay it on the table for
evaluation.
ZAMBALES, NUEVA ECIJA, AND BATAAN
• The arts and crafts of Zambales, Tarlac, Nueva
Ecija, and Bataan can also be found in their historic
sites.
• Their architectural landmarks include old churches
and structure.
FAMOUS ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS IN OLONGAPO,
ZAMBALES, NUEVA ECIJA
1. The Spanish Gate is
one of the historic
landmarks located in
Olongapo City,
Zambales. It was
built in 1885.
 SPANISH GATE
• It faced the Spanish-era settlement of Olongapo and used to
serve as the west gate of the armory of the town.
• It has high walls made from locally-quarried stone connected to
the south gate that faced the waterfront.
• Aside from being used as an entrance and exit to the naval
station, it was also used as a jail during the Spanish and
American occupations.
FAMOUS ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS IN OLONGAPO,
ZAMBALES, NUEVA ECIJA
2. The San Andres Apostol
Parish Church of
Masinloc, Zambales is
known for the use of coral
stones instead of adobe. It
was founded by the
Augustinian Recollects in
1607.
 THE SAN ANDRES APOSTOL PARISH CHURCH OF MASINLOC, ZAMBALES
• The front of the church is divided into the triangular pediment,
two horizontal sections and three vertical ones. The left portion
is extended to form the bell tower.
• The lowest level contains niches for saints. The second level
has rectangular windows and curve niches of the patron saints.
• The belfry is composed of circular columns topped by a lantern
and a cross.
FAMOUS ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS IN OLONGAPO,
ZAMBALES, NUEVA ECIJA
3. The Parish of the Three
Kings in Gapan City is one
of the biggest and the oldest
churches in Nueva Ecija.
This Roman Catholic
Church was built in 1800’s.
THE PARISH OF THE THREE KINGS IN GAPAN CITY
• It has huge side doorways, two standing images
of their patron saints on both sides of the
doorways, and a mural of the Holy Trinity on
the ceiling, all of which are characteristics of a
western architecture.
FAMOUS ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS IN OLONGAPO,
ZAMBALES, NUEVA ECIJA
4. Abucay Church or the Saint
Dominic De Guzman Parish
Church, established in 1857 and
administered in 1588 by the
Dominicians, is an example of
Renaissance architecture because
of its vertically single-or double-
divided columns, and triangular
pediments.
ACTIVITY: Based on the pictures of the churches from Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, and
Zambales. Complete the chart below.
Churches Year Built Medium/Materials Distinct Feature Design

1783 bricks Cylindrical belfry

Tumauini Church

Coral stone Circular patterns,

geometric shapes
San Andres Apostol
Parish Church in
Zambales
ACTIVITY: Based on the pictures of the churches from Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, and
Zambales. Complete the chart below.
Churches Year Built Medium/Materials Distinct Feature Design

bricks Huge side byzantine

doorway

Parish of the Three

Kings in Nueva Ecija

1588 Five bells European Architectire,

Ornamentation

Abucay Church in
Bataan