Arnis, Kali or Eskrima refer to an Indigenous Filipino martial art that centers on the use of weapons such as sticks, knives and applications with your empty hand. Historically, this Indigenous art was devised from traditional forms of combat mixed with Spanish sword methods taught to Philippine militia. This fusion resulted in the contemporary forms of Arnis. Groups who practice Filipino martial arts have their own culture, traditions, histories, terminology, weapons and fighting ethos.

Jocano, Felipe Jr. (1997). Arnis: A Question of Origins. RAPID Journal, Vol. 2 No. 4.

Gonzales, R. C. T. (2015). Filipino Martial Arts and the Construction of Filipino National Identity (Doctoral dissertation, University of Manchester).

Spanish colonizers in the early 1500s were attracted to the gold which richly adorned indigenous Filipinos and made this metal one of the primary reasons for colonizing the Philippines. The traditional Filipino tamborin necklace is a secular version of the Roman Catholic rosary, an intertwining of indigenous craftsmanship and colonial culture. It has evolved into an iconic symbol of Filipino identity.

Filipino Canadian entrepreneur Gelaine Santiago of Cambio & Co. is bringing traditional tamborin-style jewelry back in style while supporting communities in the Philippines. Read this article to find out more: https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/balikbayan/142856-cambio-market-social-enterprise

Capistrano-Baker, F. H. (2019). Faith And Filigree: 19th Century Hispano-Filipino Gold Jewellery. Arts of Asia, 49(3), 103-113.

Large pearls, as well as mother-of-pearl have been harvested in Sulu, Philippines since at least the 1300s. Over the centuries, the indigenous Badjao people did most of the diving. Bajao free divers are able to dive to depths well beyond the safe limits of normal scuba diving, around 125 feet.

American Museum of Natural History. (January 1- April 14, 2002). Pearls. New York. Retrieved from https://www.amnh.org/…/p…/obtaining-pearls/diving-for-pearls

The art of weaving is one of the major economic activities among indigenous women in the province of Kalinga. Textiles produced in the Philippine Cordillera region have deep social, political, and ritual significance. Area-specific weaves provide an ethnic distinctiveness which many indigenous mountain groups can identify.

Filipino Canadian musician, poet and visual artist Kim Villagante, known professionally as Kimmortal, is inspired by the indigenous Coast Salish community in Vancouver, Canada. Watch this CBC Arts video to learn more about Kim’s work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zSaLH6XNG4

Shedden, R. (2012). Kalinga Binaliwon Blankets, Northern Luzon, Philippines. In Textile traditions in contemporary Southeast Asia: studies in the material culture of Southeast Asia No. 17 (ed.) M.C. Howard, 73-84. Bangkok: White Lotus Press.

The Christmas parol is one of the most iconic Filipino symbols of hope and goodwill. The origin of the word parol came from the Spanish farol, which means lantern or light and is a representation of the star of Bethlehem. Filipino Christmas traditions have been a substantive fusion of culture and religious traditions. Amid poverty, yearly typhoons and calamities, the Filipinos strength is undeniably based on its faith in the providential generosity and guidance of the Divine.

Filipino Canadian playwright and author Catherine Hernandez’ book “Scarborough” tells the story of individuals rising above poverty and failed social structures. Watch this interview to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6rXxB10X0M

Carbayas, A. N. V., & del Castillo, F. (2020). Christmas in the Philippines: Beyond Popular Religious Tradition. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 8(2).

The throne-like peacock chair has been used by portrait photographers and celebrities for its tropical grandeur since the 1920’s. It is a little known fact that the regal peacock chair was originally designed and manufactured by inmates in Bilibid, the largest prison in Manila.

This peacock chair is from the collection of Filipino Canadian yoga teacher and multidisciplinary artist Rose Cortez. Visit her website to find out more about Rose’s work: https://www.bloomwildrose.ca/

Morris, Emily A. (2012). The development and effects of the twentieth century wicker revival. The Smithsonian Associates and Corcoran College of Arts and Design.

Piña is woven from the delicate threads of the fiber of the pineapple plant in a labor-intensive process that produced only half an inch a day in the nineteenth century to a meter a day today. Hand embroidered piña fabric signaled the epitome of luxury, refinement, and wealth in nineteenth-century Philippines. The cloth is very sheer; it is as lustrous as silk and has the strength of linen. It lends itself exquisitely to hand embroidery producing a very delicate and intricate lace.

Ramos, Marlene Flores. (2016). The Filipina Bordadoras and the Emergence of Fine European-style Embroidery Tradition in Colonial Philippines, 19th to early-20th Centuries [Masteral thesis, Mount Saint Vincent University]. MSVU theses (URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10587/1788)

Roces, Mina (2013). Dress, Status, and Identity in the Philippines: Pineapple Fiber Cloth and Ilustrado Fashion. Fashion Theory 17 (3), 341-372.

Traditional Filipino butterfly sleeve terno clothing has evolved in style and symbolism. During the 1910s to the 1940s, when the Philippines was under United States rule, Butterfly sleeve ternos were a highly visible rejection of American colonization and allowed Filipino women to define modern womanhood in their own way.

Filipino Canadian fashion designer Caroline Mangosing of Vinta Gallery continues to redefine the terno. Watch this CBC Arts video to find out more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3yydQqUCKM

Prieto, Laura R. (2014). Bibles, Baseball and Butterfly Sleeves: Filipina Women and American Protestant Missions, 1900–1930. In Hyaeweol Choi & Margaret Jolly (Eds.) Divine Domesticity: Christian paradoxes in Asia and the Pacific. ANU Press The Australian National University. Canberra, Australia.