Embedded Files
FAST FACTS
Provincial Origin: Ifugao
Fiber Composition: Cotton
Method: Reverse-dyed ikat via Backstrap Loom
Identifiers: Coarse, Stiff
These Gam-mit, ornate traditional women's wrap-around skirts of the Ifugao people in the Cordillera region, are produced through the Binódbodan technique, meaning “ikatted” or “reverse-dyed”” While this technique is isolated in the Tuwali and Isinai areas (lower Ifugao and upper Nueva Viscaya provinces) in Luzon, the same word is used among Mindanao highland societies and parts of Indonesia.
Binódbodan, in both Isinai and Tuwali, nearly went extinct in the mid-20th century in Ifugao but was revived by a few remaining dyers and advocates in the 1980’s and today enjoys a strong presence among textile circles in the Philippines and overseas.
The Ifugao & Philippine Textile Heritage
Parts of the high montane province of Ifugao, and the adjacent lowland territory of the Isinai language group, together host the only warp ikat-dyeing tradition in the Philippine island of Luzon. No ikat tradition is known otherwise in Luzon. In Ifugao province, ikat-dyeing in cotton cloth remains an art form among theTuwali speakers Banaue and Kiangan. Tuwali is one of 5 Ifugao languages, classified as Amganad, Mayoyao, Batad, and Mun’alyon. Tuwali is spoken in the parts of Ifugao province nearest the lowlands.
Exhibit Provenance
This exhibition’s panel for gam-mít was commissioned to the Kiyangan Weavers Association (KIWA) under the leadership of heritage advocate Marlon Martin, 51. Leading the weavers is Divine Balangto Calingayan, 35. The work of KIWA encompasses both design innovation and retrieval of weaving memory; and involves interpersonal links with current scholarship on Ifugao Province, the UNESCO World Heritage listed terraces, and other aspects of material culture.
Page updated
Report abuse