RESEARCH DATA:

This textile from the collection is called a balukas. It is an upper garment worn by Hanunuo Mangyan men (Foronda, 2022). The base fabric is cotton dyed in a deep blue or indigo color. It features a minimalist front with a center-front opening and an eight-spoked red embroidery outlined in white threads at the back of the bodice. The motif features alternating three-pronged (trident-like) and asterisk-like embroidered details at the ends of each spoke. This eight-spoked motif, known as the pakudos, is derived from the shape of a cross (Foronda, 2022).
Thin lines of stitching run along the seams and hemlines, extending from the bodice and neckline to the sleeves. A thicker red embroidery, lined with white stitching, joins each sleeve to the bodice, highlighting the seam between the base fabrics. The rounded neckline is further outlined by a thicker white strip of fabric with pinkish geometric patterns, stitched with white and red threads. The white strip of fabric also serves as a front tie, fastening the garment when worn. Embroidered on the lower part of the left front panel are what appear to be two Mangyan syllabic symbols. These symbols are part of the Hanunuo Mangyan writing system, called the surat Mangyan, which is used to write ambahan, a traditional form of poetry written on bamboo culms.