RESEARCH DATA:

The Bugkalot women’s traditional attire is called the agemet, which consists of a skirt and a blouse (The Bugkalot Tribe of the Philippines: History, Culture & Art, Language, Customs, and Tradition [Philippine Indigenous People | Ethnic Group], n.d.). Their wrap-around skirt is locally known as the agde and was traditionally made from bark cloth, secured at the waist with a rattan or wire belt called the kaget (The Bugkalot Tribe of the Philippines: History, Culture & Art, Language, Customs, and Tradition, n.d.). While the Bugkalot do not traditionally weave, acquiring textiles instead through trade, they skillfully create the vibrant and detailed embellishments on their garments.
This skirt from the collection is a tubular agde featuring intricate floral embroidery and human figures. It is heavily embellished with small coiled brass wires that dangle with tiny teardrop-shaped mother-of-pearl shell cutouts.