Legarda Invites Filipinos to Visit 2015 Weaving Demos at National Museum

Senator Loren Legarda invites everyone to visit the National Museum of Anthropology for the weekly weaving demonstrations starting today, July 11, 2015.

The National Museum of the Philippines, in partnership with Senator Legarda, organized the 2015 Weaving Demonstrations. Mat and basket weavers from the MIMAROPA Region will showcase their weaving techniques this month.

Featured on July 11 and 12 are weavers of buntal and nito crafts from Torrijos and Gasan in Marinduque. There will be informal lectures by Ms. Julie Ann Reginio, while featured weavers are Cellia Raza, Elena Ortega, and Nonita Yap.

“Through these weaving demonstrations, people would be more aware of Filipino traditions and I hope we could be more proud of our culture. This is also a chance to interact with local weavers so we would understand the importance of preserving our cultural heritage,” said Legarda.

The weaving demonstrations can be viewed from 11:00 am to 12:00 nn, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, at the Reception Room, 4th Floor, National Museum of Anthropology (formerly Museum of the Filipino People), Old Finance Building, Rizal Park, Manila.

In the succeeding weekends, mat and basket weavers from Mindoro (July 18 and 19), Romblon (July 25 and 26), and Palawan (August 1 and 2) will be the featured weaving demonstrators.

Legarda also encouraged visitors of the museum to go to the various galleries—the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino textile gallery, Baybayin gallery, and the Rice, Biodiversity and Climate Change exhibit—all of which were joint projects of Legarda and the National Museum.

In 2014, the following textile weavers showcased their weaving traditions at the National Museum: Ifugao weavers from Kiangan; Kalinga weavers from Mabilong Weaving Center of Buscalan; weavers from Samoki, Mountain Province; sinamay weavers from Arevalo, Iloilo; the Panay Bukidnons who showed their panubok embroidery; patadyong weavers from the Bagtason Loom Weavers Association in Bugasong, Antique; weavers from the Yakan Village in Zamboanga City; Mandaya weavers from Caraga, Davao Oriental; T’boli weavers from Lake Sebu, South Cotabato; and Tausug weavers from Lagasan, Parang, Sulu.

Legarda and the National Museum also organized a lecture series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge that started in 2012, which included lectures from (1) Dr. Maria Stanyukovich of Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography in Russia; (2) Dr. Lynne Milgram of Ontario College in Toronto; (3) Dr. Patcharawee Tunprawat, a specialist in Cultural Heritage Management based in Bangkok; (4) Hoang Thi To Quyen and Nguyen Thi Tuan Linh of the Vietnam Musem of Ethnology; (5) Sonja Garcia, along with members of the Tudaya School of Living Tradition of the Bagobo Tagabawa Community who demonstrated weaving and making dyes from natural sources; and (6) lecturers/weavers from Lao PDR—Madame Keobounma Phetmalayvanh, Director-General of the Lao National Museum, Master Weaver Nanthavongdouangsy Kongthong, and Madame Keomoungkhoun Chansamone.