Main Menu
Art & Culture

Maranao Arts and Crafts | Lanao del Sur’s Living Traditions

Lanao del Sur is a wealth of old-world charms. From ostentatious royal houses to the tiniest detail in their gongs, Maranao arts and crafts carry the stories of its vibrant culture.

Maranao arts and crafts

Lanao del Sur is the homeland of the Maranao people. And it is also a universe of exquisite folk art. Everywhere you look around thereโ€™s always a reminder of how art thrives amidst its episodes of struggles.

Maranao Arts and Crafts: Living Thru Time

maranao lamin

While many people are quick to identify these works as Muslim art, a lot of it actually predates Islam. In fact, when these Muslim missionaries arrived in Lanao in the 15thย century, a vibrant art scene already existed mostly of mixed indigenous & Indic origins.

maranao betel nut case

Philippine art as we know it now is never complete without the contribution of Maranao arts & crafts. And you canโ€™t see all the art that Lanao del Sur has to offer in just a single trip. So where do we begin?

maranao arts and crafts

Tugaya: The Artisansโ€™ Heartland

When it comes to Maranao arts and crafts, Tugaya is the ground zero of it all. It is thought that thereโ€™s an artisan in every home in this lakeside community. And walking around town, it isnโ€™t truly hard to spot someone working on a piece.

maranao arts and crafts

Tugaya is famous for many crafty things — chests, drums, gongs & tapestries. They work with various materials too like wood, brass, bamboo, plastic beads & abaca fiber. The truth is, most of what’s soldย in many markets around the country are from this small town of artisans.

maranao baur

โ€œBaurโ€ or wooden chests are among the best pieces produced here. Unlike other chests, the Maranao baur is handcarved with intricate okir motifs & inlayed with โ€œtipayโ€ or polished shells. Also, Tugayanons are the best known makers of metalcrafts. The โ€œgadurโ€ or brass jars, tabak or brass serving trays & the โ€œkampilanโ€ or swords are among their masterpieces.

maranao arts and crafts

However, Tugaya still looms as a nominated site in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. While we know itโ€™s a long process, itโ€™s taking way too long โ€˜til itโ€™s forgotten.

Pualas & the Masters of the Loom

Maranao arts and crafts are unrecognizable without mentioning the โ€œmalongโ€, an important part of their traditional clothing. Malong is a wrap-around garment worn by everyone. Thereโ€™s one for everyday wear. Then there are more for special occasions called โ€œlandapโ€.

maranao arts and crafts

What makes the โ€œlandapโ€ extra ordinary are the handwoven trimmings called the โ€œlangkitโ€. However, not many know it, the best backstrap loom weavers of langkit are in the town of Pualas. Itโ€™s literally a backyard industry where women weave these complex fabrics at home.

maranao

maranao malong

Pualas Mayor Paul Tanog emphasizes the growth of the โ€œingedโ€ or community. Langkit weaving is one of his supported programs for its livelihood impact. But most importantly because these weavers are the bearers of their time-honored artistry.

muslim filipino

Kulintangan: A Music & Visual Ensemble

The kulintangan is an ensemble of musical instruments. The โ€œkulintangโ€ or small melodically arranged gongs, the โ€œagungโ€ or big gongs as well as a set of drums called โ€œdebakanโ€ usually make up the assemblage.

But apart from being musical instruments, it also carry decorative designs intricately carved or engraved on it.

kulintangan ensemble

kubing

Okir: Unifying Maranao Arts and Crafts

Traditional Maranao arts and crafts is a rich collection. And the โ€œokirโ€ is the design element that brings together all of its folk art into one cohesive visual extravaganza. Okir is a set of leaf, fern or vine motif expressed in most of its art.

maranao arts and crafts

Whether in woodworks or metalcrafts, okir is a prominent design. Their handwoven fabrics as well as architecture heavily use it too. And whether itโ€™s sculpted, painted, woven or engraved, okir stays as its strongest & most distinguishable aesthetic.

maranao arts and crafts

Art & the Changing Times

Just like many traditional arts around the world, Maranao arts and crafts live with challenges too. Among them is the globalization of culture. While itโ€™s good for socializing values, many factors ย diffuse some cultural traitsย asย it goes along the process. As such, internet & pop culture are its strongest threats.

maranao arts and crafts

maranao arts and crafts

In addition, it is also losing patronage & the diminishing interest of the youth to learn is killing it. Then thereโ€™s the seemingly never-ending struggle for peace. Thus, all these stifle our wishes of keeping these traditions alive.

maranao arts and crafts

But for as long as thereโ€™s someone on his chisel, on her loom or on his swages, thereโ€™s hope. Most importantly, if we believe in the goodness of their art without bias to culture or religion, Maranao arts and crafts would prosper.

-oOo-

Find places to stay near Lanao del Sur here

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Comment

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>