Anseng (c)
LOCAL NAME:
Anseng (c)
ENGLISH NAME:
Bugkalot blouse
DESCRIPTION:
Ilongot/Bugkalot, & Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino: Anseng
A red blouse adorned with yellow floral embroidery, red-and-yellow pompoms, and coiled brass wire embellishments with beads and small shell pendants that dangle when worn
COMMONLY USED BY/IN:
Ilongo, Bugkalot, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino
MATERIAL COMPOSITION:
Cotton threads, Dye, Beads, Brass wires, Mother-of-pearl shells
ITEM CONSTRUCTION:
Weaving, Embroidery, Stitching, Metalworking, Beadwork
DIMENSIONS:
Cuff to cuff
87 cm
Shoulder to hem
23 cm
ACQUISITION YEAR:
2016
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 an example of the more common red-colored anseng, featuring yellow floral embroidery and red-and-yellow pompoms. Typical of Bugkalot garments, this anseng is heavily embellished with coiled brass wires and mother-of-pearl shell platelets used as pendants, particularly along the bottom edge, the sleeve ends, near the neckline, and across the body of the garment.
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