Indigenous Craft (Prelims).pdf

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS INDIGENOUS MATERIALS Timber, canes, grass, palms, and rattan are examples of indigenous materials that are naturally and locally found in a particular location. Capiz, pearls, corals, and seashells are also indigenous raw mat...

INTRODUCTION TO PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS CRAFTS INDIGENOUS MATERIALS Timber, canes, grass, palms, and rattan are examples of indigenous materials that are naturally and locally found in a particular location. Capiz, pearls, corals, and seashells are also indigenous raw materials in the country that are widely known and used creatively in crafts and decoration because the country is an archipelago with an abundance of beaches and marine resources. INDIGENOUS CRAFTS Indigenous art is produced by native, or "traditional," people who are descended from the land. Arts and crafts refer to the practice of creating items by hand, sometimes with the aid of specialized tools, and skillfully fusing that with the artist's sensibility and aesthetic sense. The Philippines has many villages devoted to the art and craft industries, which not only attract tourists but also provide jobs for many Filipinos. Traditional crafts like weaving, metalsmithing, pottery, woodcarving, and goldsmithing are well- known throughout the nation and highly regarded by both locals and visitors. The southern Philippine Islands are known for their priceless ornate carvings. Indigenous Peoples Rights Act 1997 (Republic Act No. 8371 of 1997) An Act to Recognize, Protect, and Promote the Rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples, Establishing the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Creating Implementation Mechanisms, Appropriating Funds for the Commission, and Other Purposes. Importance of Indigenous Materials and Crafts Creativity - it is an art that reflects the artistic sense, feelings, and cultural characteristics of a society. Renewable and plentiful, derived from a variety of natural sources - Being naturally non-polluting and not releasing any harmful chemicals, particles, or toxins into the atmosphere is very helpful in reducing pollution to the environment. Promotes the beauty and cultural aspect of a country - Through this, people from generation to generation may experience and retain the artistic side of the Filipinos. Tools and Mateials used in making indigenous creative crafts Hand Tools - generally used for applications that require less power and greater finesse. (examples: needles, glass cutters, looms, spinners, and presses.) Power Tools - actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. Safety practices in making indigenous creative crafts 1. Learn the right techniques. Learn all you can about the materials and techniques you’re using. 2. Do arts and crafts in an area where the air circulates well. 3. Keep arts and crafts materials away from food and drink. 4. Keep your working place organized. The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art. Movement is the principle of design used to give artists the ability to lead a viewer's eyes around an art piece. For instance, artists will create pathways within their artwork so that a viewer will automatically look at a piece in a certain direction. Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. Types of balance In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; In asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar. Asymmetrical balance occurs when you have different visual images on either side of a design, and yet the image still seems balanced. To be considered asymmetrical, a design needs to have unequal visual weight on either side, but those unequal visuals need to balance each other. Unity is the principle of design that unifies all other principles within a piece of work, allowing each individual element to coexist with one another to form an aesthetically pleasing design. Variety is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through and around the work of art. Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness. Rhythm is a principle of design that suggests movement or action. Rhythm is usually achieved through repetition of lines, shapes, colors, and more. It creates a visual tempo in artworks and provides a path for the viewer's eye to follow. Scale refers to the relative size of an element in a design when compared to another element. It is responsible for creating a visual hierarchy among elements of your creation. It tells viewers what things to look at, what order to look at them, and what's the most important element to focus on. Emphasis is the principle of creating a centered interest in an artwork, often achieved by color contrast and by lines which direct the eye to it. The amount of difference between elements : Value contrast - the amount of difference between values High contrast - there is a large difference between the lightest and the darkest areas and edges look harder. Low contrast - there is not much difference between the lightest and darkest areas and Edges look softer.  1 – BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE INDIGENOUS ARTS AND CRAFTS Throughout the Philippine history, craftsmanship and its different forms have always been prevalent. The Filipinos have an innate inclination to create, exemplifying the state of being engaged in their craft and taking a sense of joy and pride in their work. The Filipino craftsman dedicates himself to his art and telling the story of the Philippines, bearing its truest essence-its soul for the world to see. WEAVING Weaving is an ancient art form that continue in the Philippines today, with each ethnic group having their distinct weaving techniques. The weaving arts are composed of basket weaving, back-strap loom weaving, headgear weaving, fishnet weaving, and other forms of weaving. CLOTH AND MAT WEAVING Expensive textiles are made through indicate and difficult process called back-strap looming. Fibers such as Cotton, abaca, banana, fiber, grass, and palm fiber are used in the Filipino weaving arts.  Weaving is the making of fabric by interlacing threads.  The machine used for weaving is called a loom.  Warp threads are stretched on a frame, and an instrument called a shuffle carries weft threads under and over the warp.  Tribal communities in the Philippines known for their woven textile  Ifugao- known for their binulan and wanno which are used as shawls to keep their body warm.  T’boli- they used bids, frogs and man as their design for their woven cloths.  Maguindanao- the malong is a famous male underpants. It is a piece of cloth that tied at the waist and looks like a skirt.  Tausug- the kandit is the official costume of the Tausug Tribe BASKETRY The fine art of basket weaving in the Philippines has developed intricate designs and forms directed for specific purposes such as harvesting, rice storage, travel package, sword case, and so on. The art is believed to have arrived in the archipelago due to human migration, where those at the north were the first to learn the art form. CARVING The art of carving in the Philippines focuses on woodcarving and folk non-clay sculptures. WOODCARVING Indigenous woodcarving is one of the most notable traditional arts in the Philippines, with some crafts in various ethnic groups date back prior to Hispanic arrival with perhaps the oldest surviving today are fragments of a wooden boat dating to 320 AD. The art of putting design on pieces of wood.  In the North, Cordillera carves the bulol, a pagan statue of their Gods or Anitos.  They also carve bowls and utensils.  Figures of man and animals are also carved. FOLK GRAPHIC AND PLASTIC ARTS The field under folk graphic and plastic arts are tattooing, folk writing, and folk drawing and painting. Folk writ Ing (calligraphy) The Philippines has numerous indigenous scripts collectively called as each of which has their own forms and styles of calligraphy. Various ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century up to the independence era in the 21st century have used the scripts with various mediums. By the end of colonialism, only four of the suyat scripts survived and continue to be used by certain communities in everyday life. Folk painting Folk paintings, like folk drawings, are works of art that usually include depictions of folk culture. Evidences suggest that the people of the archipelago have been painting and glazing their potteries for thousands of years. Pigments used in paintings range from gold, yellow, reddish purple, green, white, blue-green, to blue. Ornament, textile, or fiber art Ornament, textile, or fiber art includes a variety of fields, ranging from hat making, mask-making, accessory- making, to ornamental metal crafts, and many others. Hat-making, mask-making, and related arts Hat-making is a fine art in many communities throughout the country, with the gourdbased tabungaw of Abra and Ilocos being one of the most prized. Indigenous Filipino hats were widely used in the daily lives of the people until the 20th century when they were replaced by Western-style hats. They are currently worn during certain communities have mask-making practices prior to colonization, while some mask-making traditions were introduced through trade from parts of Asia and the West. ACCESSORY MAKING Pottery The art of pottery, categorized into ceramic making, clay potmaking, and folk clay sculpture, has a long been a part of various cultures in the Philippines, with evidence pointing to a pottery culture dating around 3,500 years ago. Important pottery artefacts from the Philippines include the Manunggul Jar (890- 710 BCE) and the Maitum anthropomorphic pottery (5 BC-225 AD).  COCONUT PALM TREE The term coconut derives from the Spanish and Portuguese word coco, meaning “a grin”, “a monkey face” is a scientific term for the coconut tree, or coconut palm. and are the natural habitats of the plant. Also known as “The Tree of Life” Coconut is abundant in the coconut-producing areas like Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Marinduque, Mindoro, and Bicol provinces. Coconut shells as handicraft materials are used to make cups, kitchen utensils, wall vases, children's bags, toys, pins, buttons, and plant hangers among others. Coconut shells have distinct characteristics. They easily crack, so care should be taken when handling them. Shells of young coconuts are white but not brittle. Molave coconut shells retain their size, shape, and thickness even when exposed to the sun. They do not warp or shrink. WHY IS IT CALLED AS THE TREE OF LIFE? The coconut palm is known as the tree of life because it provides some of the basic necessities for humans and its endless uses. The palm not only provides a source of food and water but is also used for shelter, fuel and raw materials. The Coconut constitutes a plant that belongs to Palmae family and is widely grown in tropical regions as it needs proper living environment for its growth and production. Even, for that part of the plant that could be considered as waste, such as fiber which is which is utilized among other uses as “active charcoal”, while the shell is often processed to create remarkable art work. PARTS OF THE COCONUT TREE AND ITS BENEFITS THE HUSK - This is the rough exterior of the coconut which is made up of the coir (tough fibers). Back in the days fiber of coconut is used to make mats, and in some countries coconut husk is used as floor polisher and brushes when there weren’t any scouring pad to wash the dishes, the locals used the coir with sand to clean their pots. It gave quite a shine to the utensil. For families who could not afford mattresses, the fiber was used as stuffing to make homemade mattresses. The whole husk is also great as packaging materials for plant, fuel fires and make toys. THE SHELL - Before reaching the delicious flesh inside the coconut one has to get through the hard shell. Today this is mostly thrown away after extracting the flesh. The shell which is quite strong is also used by artisans to create long-lasting handicrafts. It also produces fashion accessories like: shell necklace bags. Decorative items like: lamp shade, fruit and ash trays, guitars, placemats, coffee pots, cups. Most important use of coconut shell is activated carbon produced from its charcoal, it makes a great charcoal replacement. THE FLESH - This is the edible part of the nut. The vitamin-rich coconut kernel (the flesh) can be eaten raw or cooked, or processed to manufacture other products like coco flour, desiccated coconut, candies and animal feeds. When grated, placed in water and squeezed (or blended) it produces coconut milk used in many Creole meals and desserts. When matured, oil can be extracted from the kernel. The oil can be used for cooking, prevent hair damage and moisturize the skin. It’s a great sunscreen too. Copra is dried coconut meat that has 64% coconut oil content.  Other products from coco oil are soap, lard, coco chemicals, crude oil, pomade, shampoo, margarine, butter, and cooking oil. THE WATER - Fresh coconut water commonly called as “liquid endosperm”. High in Vitamin B, proteins, and ascorbic acid. THE LEAVES - These are used to weave hats, baskets and mats. It’s a time-consuming practice which takes a bit of skill. Skilled craftsmen use the midribs, the central veins that hold the leaves together to make brooms. These are also used to make barbecue skewer, decorations and traditional toys. In the past, the leaves were sometimes used for thatching traditional Creole houses. THE HEART – “Heart of palm” or “palm-cabbage”, found underneath the leaves of a coconut tree. Known as ubod in the Philippines. Considered as one of the finest vegetables in the Philippines. SPATHE AND INFLORESCENCE - The coconut spathe is the scope-like structure that encloses the inflorescences (the flowers) of the tree. It can be polished and varnished to make containers. When dried, the inflorescence are used as a broom, especially on the beach when making a space for a lovely picnic. When the spathe and inflorescences are still closed, locals tap it to release a sap, which is collected and fermented to make “kalou”(coconut tree toddy). The principal uses of toddy are as fresh beverage, alcoholic beverages, for producing vinegar, for making sugar and as a source of yeast for making bread, THE TRUNK - It is hardy and durable wood is used for building small bridges. It is also used to make benches, tables, carvings, picture frames, tables, tool boxes, and pulp paper. In the past, the trunks were turned into planks, used to board and partition houses. They make great pillars as well and construction materials. ROOTS - This part of the tree holds medicinal properties. It can be used to treat gall bladder, urinary infections, kidney-related diseases, heartburn and eczema. COCONUT SHELL CRAFT Shell is a hard protective covering of a cavity or tissue. Shells come from fruits of plants especially nuts. A palm nut is covered by a glossy skin, fiber and pulps known as the husk, then the shell. Inside the shell are the meat and water. A young shell is whitest or cream in color, while matured shells are hard and brittle. Working with shells requires skill and dexterity. Sharp tools easily get dull while working on shells. CUTTING SHELLS - Straight cuts are made with a backsaw. Saws for wood dull easily when used on shells. Tools for metal is appropriate on shells. Cutting with sharp edges like a bolo or knife is very common. The pressure exerted by edge-cuting tools have more chances to break or crack shells since itis hard and brittle, Shaping with edge- cutting tools is done with utmost care and controlled pressure. Curve cuts are done with narrow blades such as coping saw, turnings saw, or keyhole saw. SCRAPING - Edge cutting tools such as spokeshave, bolo or knife are good Scraping tools. A scraper may be used for this purpose. Only the remains of the husk from the outside and those of the meat from the inside are scraped. ASSEMBLING SHELLS - Shells are attached to each other with the use of glue or by tying with rattan, wire or nylon cord. Small holes may be drilled for the tie to pass. FINISHING SHELLS - Shells lose its natural beauty when covered with opaque finish. Natural fish is best for shells such as the use of varnish, shellac, or lacquer.