Presentation filipiniana

Editor's Notes

1. Intro: Greetings: Morning / PMWe are now moving towards South East Asia to explore the land dubbed as the “Pearl of the Orient Seas”, the Philippines. In a report dubbed as FILIPINIANA.
2. Im MJ and I wish to share the history, the culture and the stories surrounding Philippine Textiles.
3. The Philippines is positioned on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, along the Ring of Fire ( it just means that it is a place where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean), the Philippines is the second-largest archipelago on the planet, with over 7,100 islands during high-tide and 7,107 island during low tide.It is situated South East of Asia with Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and others as its neighbouring countries.
4. Historical events affecting the textiles
5. Before the Spanish period it was said that nomadic people who crossed through land bridges were the first settlers in the Philippines. This was 300,000 years ago and wave after wave of foreign settlers came in, all of whom from nearby Asia. Truth be told then that these indigenous people were hunters, fishers and gatherers and they created their own civilization to the best knowledge that they know how.And by 1521, a Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan claimed the Philippines in the name of Spain as “Islas de San Lazaro”. Safe to say he was received unwelcomingly by the natives and was then killed by a local Datu (chieftain) named Lapu-Lapu.But with futile efforts the locals were then captured and colonized for more than 400 years.
6. To trail one of the milestones under Spanish captivity was the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade.This one is the single biggest piece of evidence attesting to the importance of the Philippines to Spain then. Manila became a trading and transhipment port for Spain where men and merchandise could be picked up and transported to Acapulco, Mexico.
7. Relating it to textiles then this piece of textile called “Mantones de Manila” was a hit in Mexico to protect the women from cold…from tobacco factory workers to the Aristocarcy alike they all have their own version of this large piece of square with knotted fringes on four sides. Manila being a port of trade for Spain led its name to this shawl which up to this date is used by Flamenco Dancers to conjure up images of birds taking flight.
8. With the Spaniards came in Christianity. They baptized the natives and gave them Christian names which then leads us to Christian virtues of Chastity and Purity.
9. Indigenous people were clothed, bark clothing were then replaced by ‘camisa chino’ for the males and ‘baro’tsaya for the females.*Tailored out of light usually translucent materials such as sinamay, piña cloth or cotton, the camisa became standard wear of those social strata who had to labor in the enervating warmth of the tropics. In time this shirt was indigenized andwas generally thought to have originated fromChinaIt is also notable to say that the Spanish Colonial government encouraged the use of embroidery techniques to produce European motifs in the hopes of competing with popular French and Belgian laces of the time.
10. After a brief taste of independence, the Americans took over which the Filipinos greatly embraced. Making the Filipinos believe that they come in as an ally and not as a captor.
11. A Civil Government was then established and the Americanisation especially of Greater Luzon was evident in the way the Filipino dress was shaped.
12. These designs were dreamt of and if one goes against this dream, a series of unfortunate events or mishaps will befall that person. The designs are handed down from generation to generation or they come to the weaver in a dream from a local deity, who mandates that the weaver include these patterns or suffer the consequences.
13. Spanish Social caste System Term Definition:Indio-- person of pure Malay ancestryNegrito-- person of pure Aeta ancestrySangley-- person of pure Chinese ancestryMestizo de Sangley-- person of mixed Chinese and Malay ancestryMestizo de Español-- person of mixed Spanish and Malay ancestryTornatrás-- person of mixed Spanish, Malay and Chinese ancestryFilipino-- person of pure Spanish descent born in the Philippines, also called Insulares ("from the islands") or Criollos (Creoles)Américano person of Criollo, Castizo or Mestizo descent born in Spanish America ("from the Americas")Peninsulares-- person of pure Spanish descent born in Spain ("from the peninsula")TRIVIA:The intricate and gauzy feel of the textile fabrics of the Spanish colonized Filipinos were used as a cautionary measure against Filipino insurgency. Filipino illustrados or revolutioniaries or the educated class were mostly categorized in this area. They were required to wear this to reveal any hidden weapons tucked in their waist lines.
14. It was the peak moment of Americana in the Philippines: movies, musicals, magazines! And the Manila Carnival was the centerstage for that stunning Filipino costume creation of the new century, the traje de mestiza.The silhouettes of Hollywood screen goddesses and the Gibson Girl cast a sleek and svelte shadow on the hitherto wide bouffant shape of the Maria Clara, sculpting it to a closer fitting style.The traje de mestiza was in fact the "Maria Clara", trimmed into a shapely modernity. The camisa became a clinging bodice, with the sleeves punched up and cut short to be an abbreviated leg-o-mutton. The saya deflated to a slim column that burst out at the hem into a flare or train.
15. A woven fabric used to wrap their dead.
16. TheBaro’tSaya for the women and the Barong Tagalog for the males.The Barong Tagalog exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothingThe barong appears to have retained its essential look since it was first worn. Through the years, almost imperceptibly, the barong's round neck, straight long sleeves and mid-thigh hemline were ingeniously modified with collar, cuffs and side slits
17. The Maria Clara consists of four separate pieces: the collarless waist-length, bell sleeved camisa; the bubble-shaped, floor-length saya; the stiff, neck-covering pañuelo; and the hip-hugging, knee length tapis, or overskirt. Its origin was the traditional baro'tsaya of early Filipinos: the original ensemble of a loose, long-sleeved blouse over a wide, angkle-length skirt. The incarnation of the pañuelo was the period's concession to modesty-the camisa being low necked, and made of the flimsiest fabrics, the piña and jusi. Similarly, the addition of the tapis as overskirt was to keep the lower torso from showing through the sheerness of the skirt material. Opaque muslin and "madras" were used for the overskirt.
18. Other version of the Barong tagalog and the Baro’tSaya but these are particularly worn by the mestizos of the time.
19. A shortened skirt, the butterfly sleeves, the plaid textile, the low cut bodice, came together in the 1930s in the costume called Balintawak. It was worn during picnics and other jaunts into the countryside. Balintawak as "look" was deeply associated with Antipolo, a favorite summer destination for Manila dwellers. This costume was to epitomize Filipina gaiety, light-heartedness and her costuming sense of rural roots. Even when it was absorbed into the domain of haute couture, the balintawak continued to signal song, dance, and festivity.
20. Rich black and deep reddish-brown geometric patterns are typical in t’nalak design. These were dyed with herb extracts of permanent color, the abaca fibers symbolizes the people of SouthCotabato’s fondest aspirations.TRIVIA:The women weavers of the tinalak are also forbidden from sexual relations with their husband during the weaving period and are not allowed to weave during menstruation as the Tibolis believe that it affects the weaving process and quality. The weavers work without preliminary sketches or designs but draw inspiration from their dreams and patterns handed down by previous generations.
21. PTRI is the lead agency of the Department of Science and Technology in textile research and development. The Institute is dedicated in transfering technologies and rendering technical services, promoting the use of indigenous resources, and developing technical competence in textile production and quality assurance. saba showed potential for high fiber production among the six kinds of banana tested.The Institute is pushing for the use of fiber-rich plants in textile production to support the local industry in reducing its import of synthetic-based fibers from other countries.
22. With the extensive amount of work, these craftswomen only get around fifty to one hundred pesos for a week’s work, so machineries are being brought in to replace them to create a much higher yield than what these artisans can do.
23. Philippine Tropical Fabrics being defined as those containing natural fibers, produced, spun, woven, knitted or finished in the Philippines.
24. The Collezione C2 t shirts trail blazed a trend that literally displayed the map of the Philippine islands, but they have an even more powerful symbolic appeal. To most Filipinos, the map represents national identity and pride of country. Such sentiments are readily understood by people of other nationalities and they are, therefore, quick to show their solidarity with Filipinos.