Cotton Weaving Among the Hanunóo Mangyan Tribe [Mindoro, Philippines Indigenous People]

The National Museum of the Philippines, in partnership with Mr. Arthur Tselishchev and Ms. Ditta Sandico, highlights an important indigenous knowledge and tradition among the Hanunóo—cotton weaving. The Hanunóo (Mangyan) in southern Mindoro, along with the Northern Luzon groups, have been collecting wild cotton called burak. Cultivating cotton for the backloom weaving tradition has been an essential part of the Hanunóo community life. They manually turn cotton into yarn using a burungan (spindle). The lower end of the spindle is secured between the toes while the upper end is twisted by hand.
Spun threads are traditionally dyed using the extract of a tagum plant (𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘱.) to achieve a dark shade of blue. These strands are then used to make garments like Ramit, a skirt worn by women and paired with a blouse or lambung, while balukas, the upper garment of men, is worn with a ba-ag or loincloth. Shirts and blouses are traditionally embroidered at the back with a pakudos, resembling the shape of a cross—a pattern that is also observed in other crafts such as woven baskets.
Today, most of the cotton threads used by weavers throughout the country are imported and synthetic dyes practically replaced natural dyes, causing several challenges among handwoven textile producers. However, recycling threads from other garments such as worn-out jeans are being practiced by some Hanunóo weavers, reflecting their resourcefulness, creativity, and adaptability to the changing times.
The featured textile, complemented with a video by Mr. Tselishchev and Ms. Sandico, will run from October to December 2023 at the 4F Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery, National Museum of Anthropology.
#NationalMuseumPH #Mindoro #Hanunoo #Weaving #MGMExhibitsAndReflections #MGM2023 #MuseumsAndGalleriesMonth2023

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