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HISTORY

the Philippines is an island nation lying off the southeastern coast of Asia. It is made up of more than 7,000 islands, which form an archipelago, or chain of islands extending for about 1,100 miles (1,800 kilometers) along the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the islands are small and uninhabited. The vast majority of people of the Philippines live on the eleven largest islands.

situated at crossroads between East and West, the Philippines has been influenced by both Asian and western cultures. An Asian land, it was ruled for centuries by Spain, which brought European traditions and the Christian religion to the islands. At the end of the 19th century, the Philippines came under the control of united states, which governed it for many years. After a long struggle for self-determination, the people of the Philippines gained complete independence in 1946 and began the building of their own distinctive nation.

THE PEOPLE

Most Filipinos, as the people are called, are of Malay stock, closely related to the people of Malaysia and Indonesia. In appearance, they are usually of medium height, with brown skin and straight black hair. Their ancestors migrated to the Philippines by boat in ancient times. The earliest known inhabitants of the island are the Negritos. They are believed to have crossed to the Philippines over land bridges that connected some of the islands to the mainland of Asia many thousands of years ago. Some Negritos still live in remote areas of the islands.

a number of Filipinos have some Spanish, American or Chinese ancestry. Chinese settled on the island as merchants and traders over the centuries. Today they make up a small but distinct minority. Spaniards and Americans also live in the Philippines.

Early Customs and Practices - Clothing
By Teodoro A. Agoncillo
History of the Filipino People 8th Edition

Before the coming of the Spaniards the Filipinos had a civilization of their own. The various aspects of this civilization doubtless came partly from the Malays who settled in the country and partly from a response to the new environment. The customs and traditions, the government and mode of living have, to a great extent, come down to the present and may be found in remote rural areas which have so far succeeded in resisting the impact of modern civilization. For this reason, many of the customs and practices of the pre-colonial Filipinos are still operative in may parts of the country, a circumstance that is, in a sense, advantageous for it offers an observer first-hand materials for the reconstruction of the distant past

mong the ancient Filipinos, the male attire was composed of the upper and lower parts, the upper, called kanggan, was a black or blue collarless jacket with short sleeves. It seems that the color of the jacket indicated the rank of the wearer, for the chief wore a red jacket, while those below his rank wore either blue or black depending upon their position in society. The lower part of the attire, called bahag, consisted of a strip of cloth wrapped about the waist, passing down between the thighs. Such method of dressing naturally left one’s thighs and legs exposed.

The woman’s dress, too, was composed of the upper and lower parts. The upper, called baro or camisa, was a jacket with sleeves, while the lower part, called saya by the Tagalogs and patadyong by the Visayans, was loose skirt. A piece of red or white cloth, called tapis, was usually wrapped about the waist.

Men, women and children walked about barefooted, for sandals and shoes were Spanish innovations. The male had a headgear consisting of a piece of cloth, called putong, which was wrapped around his head. The color of the putong showed the “manliness” of a man; a red putong for instance, signified that the wearer had killed a man in war. But he who had killed at least seven was privileged to wear an embroidered putong. The woman, on the other hand, had no putong, but wore her hair gracefully knotted at the back of her head.

ASSECCORIES

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Handicrafts and Shell Crafts - All natural sea shell jewelry materials come from different kinds of fashionable sea jewels like puka, paua, troca, blacklip and brownlip, hammer, nautilus, Mother of Pearl or m.o.p. shell, raw shells, fashion shell jewelry and many others.

Novelties - Handwoven or handmade native baskets, furnitures, bags, footwear like sandals and slippers, beachwear, capiz shell candle holder and jewellery shell boxes. Raffia cloth, abacca rope, jute, table ware carving, basket, mask ethnic and sinamay are also available. Hand-made jeweleries from Cebu City, Philippines.

Materials & Components - Classic Collection of fashion jewelry puka shells, heishie shell, colorful wood beads, troka, pendants, specimen shells, coco indian sticks and raw material components. The essense of today's fashion shell jewelry collection.

TRADITIONAL CLOTHES

traditional clothes in the philippines are many. they are rarely worn and are only worn on special occasions or festivals.

colorful colors are used to attract attention. headgears is a necessity and sometimes they paint their faces for performance of a dance.