RESEARCH DATA:

Woven on a deep indigo background, wanes or loincloth is typically worn by Bontoc men; although this variant is traditionally shared by other weaving communities in the Mountain Province such as the Kankana-ey (Respicio, 2000). As with most loincloths in Luzon Cordillera, the designs are found on both ends, featuring zigzags, diamonds, and triple-lined half carets, or diamond patterns in supplementary weft. According to Araneta and Lim (2014), these interconnected zigzag and diamond patterns represent mountains and rivers, which reflect the natural landscape of the community. Meanwhile, at the bottom ends, lattice-like diamond patterns resembling honeycombs (pukyutan) called the pagpag or sinullaman are found; a pattern that is also widely-used in skirts and blankets in the area. This pattern is interrupted at the center by nucleated double-lined diamonds called matmata (De Las Peñas & Salvador-Amores, 2016). They represent eyes but signify rice grains, as rice is regarded as an omniscient (all-seeing), omnipotent (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere) being or god (Respicio, 2000).