Cloth weaving

One of the most valuable living traditions that are still

preserved until this day is the cloth weaving. Beginning in the
pre-colonial era, the art of cloth weaving, particularly of the
Cordillera tribes in the North, still lives notwithstanding the
threat of the more practical production of fabrics today. The
natives practice blackstrap loom to create blankets and
pieces of clothing.

Piña cloth is also created through looms everywhere in the

province of Antique. It is a fine and elegant handwoven fabric
that is produced from the fibers of pineapple plants. It is
commonly used in Barong Tagalog, the traditional Philippine
clothes for men. With its airy and organic textile, it is
growing more popular today and also around the world.

Another is the Abaca fiber which comes from the Abaca plant.
Abaca is endemic and grown in the Philippines. It is woven
mainly to produce sinamay fabric. Abaca is famous in
manufacturing rope, specialty papers like the currency,
vacuum bags, and tea bags. There are also handicrafts like
furniture, carpets, bags, and clothing specially made out of
Abaca.
Basket weaving

The Cordilleras mainly use baskets for their occupation. They

utilize them for food storage too when they have to go to the
mountain terraces and farm their lands.

A basket is a must have for carrying hunting animals, grains,

and fishing in the waters. The baskets are made of bamboo to
become as their fish traps; the size and the shape of the
baskets are based on the variety of fish they wish to catch.

Jewelry making

Since the 16th century, it is presumed that jewelry making

in the country already existed. It is known that the skills of
the early Filipinos in creating jewelry are parented from our
Asian neighbors like the Chinese people.

There are two largest product classes of fine jewelry

production in the Philippines:

Metal Jewelry
This jewelry is made of gold and silver which are in the forms
of earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, necklaces, tie pins,
pendants, and cuff links.

Pearls

Pearls are considered precious stones and as semi-precious

stones. These are either unworked or worked types of pearls.

Pottery

Pots in the country have various shapes, sizes, and designs.

Their designs are typically geometric with embellished nature
motifs.

A model of this is the “palayok,” which is utilized for cooking.

The “Banga” and “Tapayan” are also used for depositing
liquids. There is also the stove or “kalan” which is made out of
clay. The production of “Burnay” pottery in the Ilocos Sur is
yet a spirited tradition that remains up to the today.

Woodcarving
The Philippine sculpture is the most well-known art form of
the Filipinos. The most famous woodcarving in the
Philippines is the carvings of the “Anitos” or the nature gods,
“Santos” or saints, and figures of Christ and the Blessed
Mother Mary.