Banig

Just a few miles off the San Juanico Bridge is the small coastal town of Basey, Samar. Known for the Sohoton Caves, an eco-tourist destination, the town has also come to be associated with the colorful banig, woven mats made from "tikog", a reed plant that thrives in swampy areas. Banig making is a tradition of the womensfolk of Basey handed down from generation to generation. This unique art of mat-weaving traces its roots from as far back as the Spanish colonial period. Used mainly as floor mats it has gone beyond being utilitarian to evolve into pieces of art and materials for local handicrafts. The most complicated and intricate of designs has found its way into homes as decorative wall decors. Bags, wine holders, placemats, sandals, to name a few are signs of a thriving banig industry.


Wine holders made from banig (photo courtesy of OTOP)

The beginning of your banig starts with the gathering of the "tikog". These are dried and then cut into strips which the paraglaras, term coined for the women weavers, then weaves into


Banigs for sale at the Pasalubong Center

the finished product. To make more colorful designs, the tikog strips are also dyed before being interlaced and made into the banig. The more skilled the weaver, the more complicated the design.

Here are pictures of banig products taken from the Pasalubong Center (found at the Tacloban airport) and from an art exhibit during the recent Tacloban fiesta.


Banigs on exhibit

(some informational tidbits sources from Ven Labro's article in the January issue of Phil. Daily Inquirer)