THE ART OF THE

MALONG
A story about the most famous of the Filipino textiles
HANDWOVEN MALONGS FROM MAGUINDANAO

The malong is one of the most well-known and

widely-used textiles produced by the weavers of
Mindanao. This multi-functional tubular garment
from Maguindanao and Maranao has been a
staple of Philippine traditional clothing; malong
can be worn as dresses, skirts, trousers, capes,
and more. Other weaving communities in the
Philippines also create their own versions of the
malong with differing names.
MARANAO DANCERS AND MUSICIANS
WEARING TRADITIONAL GARMENTS

The malong measures approximately 4 yards long

and 50" high. It is typically worn draped over the
entire body and donned by both men and women
alike. One of the most common ways to wear the
malong is as a wraparound skirt from high up on
the waist all the way down to the wearer’s feet.
This way of wearing the malong is referred to as
katinambed  for women and katampi for men.
Women also typically wear the malong around
their chest and sling one of its ends over their
shoulder. This style is called kasinambir.
• The malong is also known for its versatility.
Both its shape and many different forms make
the textile ideal for a variety of uses. Simpler
malong are typically utilized as coverings, such
as blankets, mosquito nets, raincoats, and
head gear for protection against heat. The
plainest malong are used as fishnets and basic
sails for a boat, or a bangka. When inserted on
each end with two sturdy poles, the malong
can be made into a stretcher, called a dalagan.
Young men would even bunch up their malong
into makeshift gloves so they could practice
boxing. The fancier and more ornate malong
are reserved for special occasions.
• Knowledge of how to weave the malong is
seen as sacred amongst the Maranao and has
been preserved across generations. In many
weaving traditions, the responsibility falls to
women to carry on this tradition, and thus
their weaving education begins as early as
childhood. Their skills are honed until they
become expert weavers as adults. Malong
weavers such as our partner artisans in
Maguindanao are especially admired as some
of the most skilled artisans.
 • Other communities like the Yakan and Samal also weave the garment but
MALONG FEATURING call it by different names. The Tausug, for example, call their tubular
garments tadjung. The northern regions in Visayas and Luzon call their
HANDWOVEN wraparound skirts patadyong, which are mostly worn by women. The
BINALADUAN PATTERNS malong is also believed to be connected to the Indonesian sarong and
Burmese loungi, both unisex barrel dresses.
• There are over 100 different kinds of malongs. The two most prominent
kinds of traditional malong are the malong landap and the malong andon.
The malong landap is mostly plain except for its main feature:
embroidered tapestry bands that run across the length and width of the
fabric. These are called langkit. The langkit feature curvilinear okir motifs
and thus must be woven separately before being attached to the main
fabric of the malong. Traditionally, the malong landap comes in yellow
with maroon langkit, but other variations also feature shades of violet.
• The malong andon features two main motifs that occupy two halves of the
fabric: the pako rabong and the patola. The pako rabong, or fern motif,
refers to the spiraling curvilinear patterns that are woven using a
supplementary weaving technique. The patola, or eight-pointed star, is
rendered on the fabric using the ikat dyeing method, and features
symmetrical curving and diagonal forms enclosed in a larger circle.
 DETAIL OF PLAID
HANDWOVEN MALONG
• Some of the other kinds of malong include the malong
ampik features checkered patterns akin to a Scottish
kilt, while the malong bagadat has simple stripes and is
usually worn by elders. Plaid designs are also
commonly used by the Maguindanao. Their malong
inaul are handwoven silk malongs that have plaid
patterns that exhibit bright color contrasts.
 Elements of Arts that can be found in
Malong

• Color - Magenta, green silk bordered, purple yellow

or green.
• Shapes - Rectangular or tube like wrap around skirt
bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs.
• Lines - Wrap-around tubular garment, measuring
atleast 165 × 165 cm.
Principles of Art that can be found
in Malong

• Pattern
- Planar Pattern consisting of crosses and flowers
- Frieze Pattern runs along the center of Malong
- Repeating pattern
Thank you for listening to our presentation