“This year, we’re putting the spotlight on the banig,” uber chic Habi board member Ruby Diaz-Roa tells the press as she shows us the many different things to look forward to at the fourth Likhang Habi Textile Fair. It is happening on Oct 24-26 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.
“Communities around the Philippines make these mats and they’re all handwoven,” says Mrs. Maria Isabel Ongpin, the Chairman of the Habi Council. “Communities in Leyte, Bukidnon, Pangasinan and Sulu will be showcasing their handwoven mats at the fair.”
Patterns, of course, ID the community where the mats come from, as well as the tradition for which they are made. Their shapes also hold a lot of meaning: the round banigs are more special, they say, as they’re something of a salutation to the sun and the moon. And just a little trivia: weaving chores are actually relegated to the women of the communities.
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You really have to hand it to the women. Some members of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, like Trickie Lopa and Lisa Periquet, are helping out the HABI council, who are in turn, helping out the communities.
From a modest gathering of regional tribes showing off their swatches four years ago, the Likhang Habi Textile Fair has grown to include at least 50 participants from all over the Philippines, showcasing traditional textiles from the different regions and how it can be adapted to these modern, cosmopolitan times.
Table runners that have been incorporated into skirts, T’Boli buckles turned into belts, Tepina fabric as scarves, Igorot weaves used as bags, and so on. Of course, there are a few goods that remain true to tradition, like Ilocos Sur’s Inabel, which still stands proud and beautiful as a blanket.
