Hello,
Just arrived back from my trip to the Philippines and was able to find some interesting pieces, books, and information. I did not have high hopes for great finds in Manila, and sad to say, some of the resources that were available within the last decade have disappeared. T'boli Arts & Crafts shop (great resource for quality present-day t'nalak and embroidered blouses) seems to have vanished, and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines shop (for art & culture media and books) has just closed its' doors... however, I did locate a few good spots. The antique shops in Ermita had a few nice articles, many over-priced for pieces of various quality and quickly deteriorating in the tiny, dusty, humid shops.
Gallery Deus located at 1219 A Mabini street (
http://www.gallerydeus.multiply.com) has a good selection of antiques, both Colonial and from all tribal groups of the Philippines- with knowlegable staff and authentic, documented pieces. I was able to acquire a beautiful Maranao Malong Landap,and a pair of vintage beaded Gaddang bags. Shopkeeper Floy was very well-informed and allowed me to examine some of his personal collection of complete Gaddang costumes for men and women. He also has some wonderful old examples of Mandayan Dagmay abaca- beyond compare to the mass-produced or modern products seen most often.
We travelled to the town of
Lumban, in Laguna province, app. 2 hours south of Manila. Quite a number of shops selling all grades and varieties of hand woven Pina cloth, both hand and machine embroidered. After a while I deciphered the terms in use: "Original Pina" is pure pineapple fibre, both warp & weft; "Pina-Jusi" refers to a mixture of silk and pineapple fibre; "Jusi" seemed to be woven of silk (or in some cases I suspect pseudo silk), and "Cocoon" appeared to be a slub yarn silk with a mystery fibre thrown in. Original Pina is quite stiff with a beautiful sheen, while pina-jusi is similar and quite a bit softer. Understandably there is a huge price jump to hand-embroidery but there are also vast differences in the degree of quality in all the pieces; seeing all the shops before buying is a must. An added bonus was observing artisans deftly hand-embroidering pieces in the shops or sitting by the roadside- beautiful work!
In the southernmost Bicol area of Luzon, there is a cotton weaving industry in the town of
Buhi, Camarines Sur, located close to Mount Mayon. Today, products are mainly yardage for tablecloths and bags.
R. Ocampo Native Products, on Highway 1 across from the market in the town of
Nabua, carries tablecloths and sets in the favoured plaid and striped patterns of the area, but I was pleased to find a selection of woven cotton, checked
Patadyong, traditional tube skirts worn by the women of generations past- something my relatives were also surprised to find. The town of
Iriga also has bags of this fabric with the trade label
Butingting, Lourdes, Buhi.
As for more Tribal textiles in Manila, there were many mother-of-pearl beaded and embroidered Mabobo & Bilaan blouses, rolls of T'nalak, woven Tapis from the North, and costume accessories available, but most were very pricey as there weren't large quantities available. According to Floy, it's sad, but the majority of the heirloom pieces are sold by their owners and reach Manila when strife breaks out in the areas they live in; so that even if one were to go to the source, the people are likely to be holding on to their items as security, not parting so easily with them now (hopefully that means these pieces are valued and cared for as treasures!)
My other highlights were locating bookstores: in particular
Bookmark a long-time publisher of Philippine culture and art books, had several outlets a few years ago, now reduced to 1 or 2 locations
http://www.bookmark.com. The one at 264 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Ave., in Makati, was a real challenge to locate but well worth it, as they carry copies of
Dreamweavers, documenting T'boli T'nalak weaving,
A Philippine Album, full of turn-of-the-century images,
Form & Splendour, a definative pictorial work on Northern tribal art and accessories, as well as reprints of vintage postcards and several other interesting books. Also worth visiting is the
Solidaridad bookshop at 531 Padre Faura in Ermita (email
solidaridadpublishing@yahoo.com.ph). Small shop, crammed with a variety of in-house printings and consignment books, lots of books on culture, art, and indigenous peoples.
Ayala Museum in Makati continues to stock great books, latest being the catalogue for
Embroidered Multiples to accompany the exhibition of extremely rare clothing of the early Colonial era on loan from the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, The Netherlands. It's most interesting to see the indigenous elements that were transferred to Colonial garments, and the element of extreme embellishment and decor still inherent in the visual culture everywhere- from jeepneys to cellphone straps to decor in houses!
All in all, lots seen and learned in the midst of a very hectic, too-short trip, good basis for a longer "textiles-first" trip in the future. My sincere thanks for the replies to my inquiries and I hope this info helps!
Brendab.
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