Kalinga textile products among world's best

09 Jul '07

1 min read

English engineer and economist Eric Anderson, who has been researching Kalinga material culture in the country for the past seven years, has included Kalinga textile in the world list of renowned woven products.

Weavers of Kalinga textile use indigenous raw materials from banana, cogon, abaca and maguey and braid them with polyester or cotton textile. New innovative products that are finding competitive demand in international markets include dining accessories such as table runners and place mats. Common items produced are skirts, loincloths, sashes, capes, headbands, blankets, blouses and underskirts, bags and pouches.

Anderson produced a monograph, Kalinga Culture, which features Kalinga woven textile. He also made a presentation of his research work at the People's Ethnographic Museum in Stockholm and at the Textile Society of Hong Kong. Anderson is said to possess one of the largest collections of Kalinga items with more than 100 documented antique textiles in his kitty.

Kalinga weaving, which can be traced back to the 18th century, had an Indonesian influence. Through centuries, it has evolved into its more fashionable fit called Ginamat design. Predominantly styled by the Lubuagan weavers, Ginamat is a twilled pattern decorated with silk embroidery.

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