Anseng (a)
LOCAL NAME:
Anseng (a)
ENGLISH NAME:
Bugkalot blouse
DESCRIPTION:
Ilongot, Bugkalot, & Nueva Vizcaya: Anseng
A black blouse adorned with colorful embroidery and brass coil embellishments with small shell pendants that dangle when worn.
COMMONLY USED BY/IN:
Ilongot, Bugkalot, Nueva Vizcaya
MATERIAL COMPOSITION:
Threads, Dye, Brass wires, Mother-of-pearl shells
ITEM CONSTRUCTION:
Weaving, Embroidery, Stitching, Metalworking
DIMENSIONS:
Length
32 cm
Width
48 cm
Sleeves
20.5 cm
Brass Platelets
2.5 cm
ACQUISITION YEAR:
2021
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 blouse is locally known as the anseng, a type of blouse that exposes the wearer’s abdomen or midriff (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 blouse from the collection is a variation of the more common red-colored anseng; instead, it is a black blouse featuring intricate embroidery. Typical of Bugkalot garments, this anseng is heavily embellished with brass coils and shell platelets as pendants, particularly on its bottom edge and the ends of its sleeves.
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