Textile Art and Musical Expressions: A Comprehensive Study of Philippine Culture and Western History

Introduction to Textile Art and Cultural Identity

The study of textile art begins with the observation "You Are What You Wear," suggesting a profound connection between clothing and the geographical or cultural identity of the wearer. When individuals observe garments such as a g-string, a malong, a kimono, or a patadyong, they often associate those items with specific places of origin. This familiarity is rooted in a diverse landscape of Philippine textile designs. Key associations include Abra with the Pinilian, Ilocos with the Inabel, Davao del Sur with the Bagobo Inabal, Basilan with the Sinaluan, and South Cotabato with the T’nalak. These textiles serve as a reflection of traditions, ways of life, resourcefulness, and the worldview of the people who weave and wear them, often utilizing vibrant and harmonious colors derived from their immediate environment. Studying these fabrics exposes the richness and aspirations of different cultures.

Textile art is encountered daily, spanning from the clothes people wear to domestic decorative objects, making it an art form that is simultaneously beautiful and useful. It is one of the oldest forms of art in human civilization. At its inception, the focus of textile creation was not purely aesthetic but practical, providing essential items like clothing and blankets for warmth. In the Cordilleras, before commercial blankets were available, people processed the bark of trees into materials resembling blankets to keep warm at night. Understanding these designs involves discovering the special meanings and cultural significance embedded within each piece, starting with the provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) before moving to other Philippine regions.

Cordillera Textile Art: Processes and Ritual Significance

Textile art in the Cordillera is defined as the process of creating items using fibers from plant, animal, insect (such as silkworms), or synthetic sources. Weaving is a primary method of production, where two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles. In this region, traditional weaving is intricately linked to ritual life, with certain textiles embodying magical functions like protection from harm or symbolizing status and wealth. For the elite, known as kadangyans, being buried with prized blankets was a standard practice. It was believed that a higher number of blankets and greater thread counts served as a deterrent against malevolent spirits attempting to interfere with the spirit of the deceased.

Cordilleran weaving traditions date back several centuries. Each indigenous community possesses unique techniques, patterns, and forms dictated by distinct religious, socio-political, and artistic origins. Historically, the Cordilleras remained largely animistic during the Spanish colonial period due to their inaccessibility. Following the United States' acquisition of the Philippines, the region became a focus for Anglo-Saxon conversion to Protestant and Anglican denominations. Despite the acculturation process in Baguio, which served as the American summer capital and a model for civilization, the weaving traditions remained intact.

Provincial Textile Traditions in the Cordillera

Bontoc textiles in the Mountain Province are known for traditional colors and motifs featuring geometric shapes representing the environment, such as man, lizard, mountain, rain, and flower. The siniwsiwan is the specific term for Bontoc blankets and clothing, including the wanes (men's g-string) and lufid (women's tapis). Married women often wear a belt called the ginaspala wanes, which features the inawin design—a continuous zigzag pattern. The art revolves around the concept of "centeredness," symbolizing permanence, order, and balance. Weavers achieve this through the direction of the weave and the symmetry of the cloth. The learning process for Bontoc girls is phased: they begin with the langkit (edging), move to pa-ikid (side panels) with designs like fatawil (warp-bands) and shukyong (arrows), then master the complex sinangad-am design of Sinamaki weaving involving tinagtakho (human figures), minatmata (diamonds), and tinitiko (zigzags), finally concluding with the pa-khawa (center panel) featuring a kan-ay (supplementary weft).

Kalinga textiles, specifically the gilamat (or ginamat), are characterized by dominant red stripes and geometric motifs interlaced with white, yellow, and black fibers. The gilamat ka-in is a common skirt where indigo and red represent the sky and ground, while yellow embroidery represents mountains, wealth, growth, and fertility. Kalinga weavers use the twill-weave technique to add texture and incorporate tiny motifs like the inata-ata (continuous lozenge pattern) and pawekan (mother-of-pearl platelets). In Abra, textiles are distinguished by their use of natural dyes: mahogany for red, jackfruit and ginger for yellow, malatayum for indigo, and narra for brown. A common design is the frog, worn during rainy months to please ancestors and gods for a successful planting season.

Benguet textiles were historically influenced by Ilocano weavers from Tagudin and Bangar. The early Benguet people used blankets daily, with specific names and types based on status, age, and gender. Status blankets, associated with the rich, often feature combinations of red, black or dark blue, and white. Genuine blankets are identified by the arrangement of designs, such as a snake sign following a man figure. The number of eyelet designs on a status blanket or a salibobo/sadipopo headband corresponds to the number of animals sacrificed in a cañao ritual—specifically levels like $9$ , $13$ , or $15$ . Examples of status blankets include alahdang/alechang, pinagpagan, dilli/shengdi, and kuabaw/sarong, while the poor used bayaomg/kolebaw or bandala/safey. Historically, men wore tree bark g-strings (kuba) before adopting woven cloth. In contemporary times, practitioners prefer pure cotton because it decomposes with the body, which is believed to prevent the spirit from troubling the living.

Ifugao ikat weaving involves a resist-dyeing process applied to threads before they are woven, resulting in a fuzzy-looking motif. These textiles feature white and red diamond stripes and pictograph symbols: s-like shapes for headhunter status, diamonds for ferns, and x's for fish. The Ga’mong is a specific funeral blanket used exclusively to cloak the deceased. Across these Cordilleran provinces, the textiles act as a historical and social record of the community.

Textile Arts of the Ilocos and Panay Regions

In the Ilocos region, the binakol (or binakel/binakul) is a variety of the abel weave produced on pedal looms. It features interlocked geometric patterns that create an optical illusion, representing sea waves to confuse and protect against malevolent spirits. Another Ilocano technique is the pinilian, meaning "chosen," which is a complex brocade weave using sticks to create "floating" three-dimensional designs related to nature. There are two types: scattered and continuous supplementary weft. The weavers of Pinili, Ilocos Norte, are particularly known for the impalagto technique. Traditional Ilocano weaving primarily uses kapas (cotton) and the pangablan (pedal loom).

In Aklan, the piña fabric is considered the finest Philippine textile, created from red Bisaya pineapple leaves. The process is restorative and tedious: a shard of Chinese porcelain is used to extract the bastos (rough fiber), and a coconut shell is used for the liniwan (fine fiber). After degumming and air-drying, the strands are knotted and woven on a pedal loom. It is the preferred material for the barong Tagalog, often featuring floral embroidery from centers like Lumban, Laguna, and Taal, Batangas. Panay Island is also known for hablon, derived from "habol" (to weave). Legend credits Datu Lubay, one of the ten datus from Borneo, with introducing this art. Hablon is typically a plain weave with plaid or striped designs, often used for the patadyong, a tubular wraparound skirt similar to the malong.

Diverse Weaving Traditions of Mindanao

Mindanao hosts several significant textile traditions, such as the Tausug tapestries from Jolo. These weavers use backstrap looms and feature sacred "ukkil" or abstract geometric motifs, avoiding human or animal forms due to Islamic prohibitions. Notable items include the pis syabit, a multi-colored headdress representing social rank, and the kambut, a waist sash. In Sarangani and South Cotabato, the B’laan people create the mabal tabih using abaca fibers and the ikat tie-dye technique. Weaving is considered a gift from the goddess Furalo and was traditionally reserved for high-status women. The designs often feature crocodiles and tiny curls.

The Bagobo Manobo of Davao del Sur are experts in abaca weaving, producing the inabal. They use plant dyes and a polishing process involving a smooth shell and beeswax to create a sheen. Their designs often feature mother-and-baby crocodile figures. In Eastern Mindanao, the Mandaya weave the coarsely textured dagmay from abaca using a mud-dyeing technique where tannins from tree bark react with iron in the mud to produce black. Dagmay designs tell stories of the weaver, the community, and the spirits.

The Mëranaw of Lanao are known for various ikat and supplementary weft techniques, most famously the malong. Highly valued types include the malong a andon and malong a landap, the latter featuring decorative langkit bands with okir designs like the potiok (bud) or pako (fern). In South Cotabato, the Tboli weave the t’nalak from abaca. These "dream weavers" believe their patterns are provided in dreams by Fu Dalu, the spirit of abaca. T’nalak uses three colors—black, red, and white—and the late Lang Dulay, a Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan awardee ( $1998$ ), was a master of this craft. Finally, the Yakan of Basilan produce complex textiles like the bunga-sama (diamond patterns representing the universe), the square saputangan tapestry, and the peneh pitumpuh, which features " $70$ designs" within one meter of cloth.

Musical Expression: Origins and Instrumental Evolution

Music is an ancient concept, with archeological finds like flutes suggesting it is significantly older than the invention of modern instruments. Researchers such as Barras ( $2020$ ) and Montagu ( $2017$ ) argue that music began as hominid sound emissions that became more complex and intentional with the addition of instruments. These early combinations were used for dance, ritual, entertainment, and expression. Complementary to music is the art of "Improv," which according to Tim Soter, is about trusting oneself and accepting the silliness required to reach true humor and amusement.

Instrumental music consists of compositions or recordings of sounds without lyrics. Although prevalent since primitive times, it was only institutionalized after the Renaissance. Western instrumental music is categorized into four major periods:

Baroque ( $1600-1760$ ): Derived from the Portuguese word for "misshapen pearl," this era used ornate and heavily ornamented music. Notable composers include Johann Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, and George Handel.
Classical ( $1730-1820$ ): Focused on clarity, lighter textures, and structural sophistication. Key figures include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn.
Romantic ( $1815-1910$ ): Prioritized individualism, passion, and emotional expression over strict form, often imitating nature sounds. Famous composers include Ludwig Van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, and Johannes Brahms.
Modern ( $1900-$ Present): Influenced by technology and world wars, this era is marked by atonality, atmosphere, and elements left to chance. Composers include Philip Glass, Claude Debussy, and Arnold Schoenberg.

Specific Forms of Musical Composition

There are numerous defined forms of musical composition that have evolved through these historical periods:

Concerto: A three-part composition for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.
Suites: Ordered sets of instrumental or orchestral pieces for concert settings.
Sonata: Usually for violins and bass, featuring a slow introduction, fugued allegro, cantabile movement, and a lively finale.
Overture: An orchestral piece played at the beginning of an opera or play.
Nocturne: A $19\text{th}$ -century composition evocative of the night.
Etude: A piece designed to improve a musician’s technical skills.
Requiem: Derived from the "Mass of the Dead," intended for wakes or burials.
Fugue: A composition where themes are repeated and interwoven by successive voices.
Symphony: An elaborate, long composition for an orchestra, often containing a sonata part.
Ballades: A narrative-style instrumental piece, typically for the piano.

Questions & Discussion

When buying clothes, which of the following do you consider first? Why? (Price, Type of cloth material, or Design) This is an introductory reflective question designed to make students consider their own priorities regarding textiles and aesthetics.

Compare and contrast the weaving designs from the different regions in terms of symbol, theme, and influences. The Cordilleran designs (symbolizing nature, status, and protection) are compared to Islamic-influenced designs of the south (geometric/ukkil motifs), and the coastal influences of the Ilocos and Panay regions (waves, sea, and light-reflecting piña).

Provide two reasons why these textiles are art. Explain your answers. Reasons discussed include their role as a medium for creative expression/worldview and their dual function as items of both beauty and practical utility.

What do the textile designs, patterns and symbols tell about the Philippine community in general? They illustrate a community that is deeply connected to the natural environment, possesses a sophisticated understanding of materials and geometry, and uses art to navigate spiritual and social hierarchies.