MAPEH 7 (3rd – 4th Week)
ARTS AND CRAFTS OF MIMAROPA (MINDORO, MARINDUQUE,
ROMBLON, AND PALAWAN AND THE VISAYAS
REGION
Arts of MIMAROPA
In Mindoro, the Hanunuo Mangyan are famous for their writings, basketries, and weavings. Their
styles of weaving are called habilan and it produces baskets in various shapes and designs.
Mangyans are noted for weaving cotton for clothing and blankets. Women weave baskets while men
forge bolos, axes, and knives.
Marinduque is noted for its Moriones Festival. The masks worn on the festival replicate the
attire of the Roman soldiers mentioned in the Bible. They are finely carved masks that show the
merciless and fierce Roman soldiers. These masks are made of wood carved with faces of Roman
soldiers and decorated with colorful shells, crepe papers, and tassels. Marinduque is also known for
its sculpted woodcrafts used to decorate homes and offices. Bags and mats are also woven out of
abaca, buri, and bariw materials.
The province of Romblon is known as the “Marble Country” because of its rich deposits of
marble. This marble is used as the material for the production of jars, ashtrays, mortar, and pestles,
and other souvenir items. Carving out from marble stones is the main source of living in Romblon.
Palawan *live in various parts of Quezon, Puerto Princesa, and Roxas. They are good in
making functional objects like woven baskets that are delicate and simple. They use rattan, wood,
bamboo, and palm leaves like buri or pandan. Their popular geometric motif, which is called ukir is
made by incision. The colors they used are variations of green and yellow. They are not fond of
contrasting bright colors. The famous Manunggul Jar in Palawan is a burial jar. It artistically shows
the belief of the early Filipinos in life after death. Its artistry is shown in the carved curvilinear scroll
designs painted with natural iron.
Arts of Visayas
The artworks of the most of our ancestors were metal, bronze and gold casting, and
woodcarving. Our Visayan ancestors were into silver and gold jewelry making, long before when
Spaniards came. This is shown in some archaeological findings. Jewelry making in Cebu would be
one of the oldest in the world. Many of the jewelry of the Cebuanos were of spiral and floral designs.
Cebu
Is one of the oldest city in the Philippines. It is a home to many skilled craftsmen. Cebu is the
center for producing quality shell craft products used for home decors, fashion, accessories, shell
curtains, jewelry boxes, and many other functional purposes. There are also many handcrafted
fabrics and embroidery works in handmade clothes, rugs, and curtains.
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MAPEH 7 (3rd – 4th Week)
Panay Island
Another ethnic group who live in the southern part of the Visayas are the Ilonggos. They are
excellent craftsmen. Iloilo is considered as the “queen” of weaving, both in the past and in the
present. In fact, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Iloilo was referred to as the “Textile
Capital of the Philippines”. The hablon which is made of cotton, silk, pinya, and abaca fibers are
popular both here and abroad. In terms of quality, the symmetrical designs of hablon could be on a
par with the best Southeast Asian textiles.
Bohol
Bohol is famous for its century-old stone houses. Many of them were made of coral stones
which were taken from the sea and were cemented using egg yolks. The churches also housed small
museums displaying artifacts, religious relics, and other antiques that are as old as 400 years. The
one in Loboc has a bell tower. However, a strong earthquake in 2013 destroyed many of Bohol’s
famous old churches.
Samar
The town of Basey in Samar is famous for its banig or handwoven mats. Instead of using dried
buri leaves, the natives in Basey used dried tikog leaves. They dye the leaves using strong colors
before weaving. They were using artistic and intricate designs. Aside from mats, the weaving of
baskets, bags, wall decors, placemats, round mats, and other functional household items are
produced by talented craftsmen of the province.
Antique
The province of Antique is situated in the Western Visayas region. It is also noted for its
weaving industry. Pinya cloth is produced in looms throughout the province of Antique. It is popularly
used for making our traditional Barong Tagalog. Abaca fiber is also grown in this province. Thus,
there are handicrafts like bags, furniture, carpets, and clothing made of abaca that are produced in
this province.
Name: ___________________________________________Score: _______________
Grade & Section: ___________________________________Date: ________________
Activity 1
Search for the Mangyan syllabic alphabet and draw them in the box below. You can form a 1 Tagalog
word using the Mangyan syllabic alphabet or just draw at least 5 character.
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