Handicrafts

• Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft, is sometimes also called artisanry.
• Handicraft is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools.
• Handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft.
• Pottery is the art of making objects from hard clay by exposing them to heat or fire.
• Pottery:

  • Pots
  • Statues
  • Cups
  • Urns
  • Vases
  • Jars
  • Flat Plates
• Pottery - has been used for over 9000 years and usually consists of archeological artifacts that define an era or time in history.
• Pottery - its basic tool is the potter's wheel.
• Potter's Wheel - a simple turntable on which wet, fresh clay revolves while a potter shapes it with his or her hands.
• Pottery's Wheel - allows the potter to shape the object uniformly.
• After the objects are shaped, the soft clay is baked in a kiln.
• In the Philippines, pottery is sometimes useful in making big jars or banga for relatives who have passed away.
• In Ilocos, the big jars is called burnay jars.
• Weaving - the making of fabric by interlacing threads.
• The machine used for weaving is called a loom.
• Warp threads are stretched on a frame, and an instrument called a shuffle carries weft threads under and over the warp.
• Tribal communities in the Philippines are known for their woven textile.
• In Ifugao, it is known for their binulan and wanno which are used as shawls to keep their body warm.
• In T'boli, they use birds, frogs, and man as their design for their woven cloths.
• In Maguindanao, the malong is a famous male underpants. It is a piece of cloth that’s tied at the waist and looks like a skirt.
• In Tausug, the kandit is the official costume of the Tausug Tribe.
• Aside from cloth, there are other objects that are woven in the Philippines, such as baskets, fans, mats, bilao, fisherman’s nets, furniture, and the farmer’s hat or salakot.
• • There are other materials used in woven objects in the Philippines.
  • In Bicol, abaca is used.
  • The bamboo and rattan are also used, especially for pieces of furniture that are world-class and are exported abroad.
• Woodcarving - the art of putting design on pieces of wood.
• Woodcarving:

  • In the North, Cordillera carves the bulol, a pagan statue of their gods or anitos.
  • They also carve bowls and utensils.
  • Figures of man and animals are also carved.
• Woodcarving:

  • In the south, the Maranaos and Tausugs are known for their okir-a-datu designs.
  • The sarimanok is a colorful bird with a fish on its beak. Naga or snake. Pako or fern.
  • Those are decorative elements of the Torongan or datu's house.
• Woodcarving:

  • The Tagbanuas of Palawan use animals and man as a common design for woodcarving.
• Jewelry - favorite accessory of ancient people.
• Jewelry - consists usually of amulets that are used to keep evil spirits away.
• Jewelry:

  • In T’bolis, they use brass for chains and bells.
  • They also use beads and strings to make necklaces etc.
• Jewelry:

  • In T'bolis, tattoos are also used to decorate one’s body.
  • They also show one’s place in society.
• Metalcraft - brass, bronze, gold, and silver are heated and poured into molds to make objects from jewelry to other decorative objects.
• Metalcraft:

  • Maranaos are famous for their metal craft.
  • In Batangas, a famous metal product is the balisong, a local knife.
• Handicraft promotes our cultural heritage through the use of indigenous materials.
• • Handicraft products show an individual's creativity and lofty imagination.
• • Producers of raw materials will be encouraged to produce more.
• Employment is generated especially for undergraduates.
• • Values of perseverance and industry are developed.
• In order to create new handicraft products which can be sold locally or exported abroad, different raw materials which are available in the market, are needed.
• Handicraft makers fashion them into baskets, bags, accessories, cabinets, lamp shades, wall decor, bamboo sofa sets, cabinets, clothes, and others.
• Abaca - known worldwide as Manila hemp.