LESSON 1:

Attire, Fabric, and Tapestries

Textiles of the Highlands
• Cordillera Administrative Region sits on the biggest
mountain range in the Philippines with climates that go
low as 12 °C.

• People who live here weave fabrics that are strong and
thick enough to withstand cold temperature.
Weaving
• It is a method of fabric production in which two
distinctive sets of yarn or threads are interlaced at
right angles to form a fabric or cloth.
• Weaving is popular in the Northern part of the
Philippines.
• Native Filipinos used fibers from abaca, pineapple,
cotton, and bark cloth to weave textiles clothes, rugs,
hats, and basket.
Cordillera Weaving Method of Textile
• is made with setoff yarns or thread that are
interlaced to form a fabric.

• Most of designs are in red, black, yellow, white, blue

and green to represent the color of nature.
Types of Fabric/Clothing in Highlands
1. Ikat ( Ifugao Textile)
• it means “to bind” or “to tie” in
the Indonesian language.
• A woven textile from Ifugao that
has diamonds and stripes in one
or two colors.
• Uses the resist dyeing process
similar to that of the tie –dye
designs.
2. Kadangyan Burial Cloth
(Mountain Province)

• Kadangyan means rich people.

• These cloth are custom-made for
rich members of the province.
• Only grandmother were allowed
to weave the cloth but it is now
being taught to the younger
generation.
3. Gilamat ka-in
(Kalinga)
• A woven skirt characterized by
dominant red stipes with yellow and
black geometric patterns of symbols
that pertain nature.
• Gilamat – woven embroidered tape
• Ka-in – woven fabric with
embroidery, shells or beads.
4. Ginamat
(Kalinga)
• It is a unique type of clothing worn by men.
• Bahag or G-String.
• This is usually woven in colors that represent the
tribe.
• The authentic ginamat are not sold but are handed
down as heirloom.
5. Wanes and Lufid
(Bontoc, Mountain Province)
• Wanes – G-string for men
• Lufid – wrap-around skirts for women.
• Images of human, star, eye, shield,
spear, snake and lizard are often woven
into the fabrics.
Textiles of the Lowlands
Inabel
INABEL
• Ilocos Region
• It is made of cotton, acrylic or polyester.
• Used as blankets, bed sheets, pillow cases or table
cloths.
• Designs in diamonds, animals, flower, and human
forms with diagonal lines and stripes.
Piña
PIÑA
• It is made from leaves of
pineapple and is condidered the
finest of all Philippine hand-
woven fabric.
Banaca
• Popularized by Dita Sandico Ong
• “ Modern Filipiniana”
ABACA