Itbayat, Batanes

IVATAN
Itbayat, Batanes
The Ivatans no longer use the Avutag garments as
their everyday wear and only the elders in the
community remain adept in making these clothes
made of bark from the Avutag tree. But through the Itbayat Avutag Traditional
Cloth Making School of Living Tradition,
master mentor Eleuterio Malupa, transfers
the traditional knowledge he acquired
during the Japanese occupation to the
Ivatan youth.
MASTER
TEACHER
Itbayat Avutag
Traditional Cloth Making
School of Living Tradition
Eleuterio
81
Malupa
years
old
SKILLS
bark cloth making
Master Eleuterio narrates that he
encourages the Ivatan youth, most of whom
did not even know that they could make
cloth out of the Avutag tree, to be creative
in the use of the bark cloth as it can be
turned into various products that can be
useful to more people and households and
can be a source of livelihood to the Ivatans.
Master Eleuterio said he learned the
skill of bark cloth making during the
Japanese occupation period when
the elders who knew the skill
decided to make bark cloth again
since there was scarcity in clothing. But the Ivatans were already practising bark
cloth making even before the Spaniards came.
However, when modern clothing became
available, the tradition was gradually put aside.
It was only recently when Master Eleuterio was
asked if he could teach the young people the
process of turning the Avutag bark into
something wearable, thus reviving the tradition.
Madali lang naman
intindihin ang
paggawa dahil
simple lang, but it
really requires a
lot of patience
above anything
else because the
process of beating
the bark requires
gentle force.
- Eleuterio Malupa
(on creating Avutag garments)
“The efforts in reviving the
traditional knowledge on Avutag
cloth making will pave the way to
encourage reforestation in the
community because we will be
needing more Avutag trees.”
- Eleuterio Malupa
(on learning traditions)
The Ivatan community in Itbayat, Batanes revive
the practice of making the Ivatan traditional
garments made from the bark of the Avutag tree.
Using a totohtoh (a bark beater made from the Sagat tree),
the log from the Avutag tree is pounded until the bark is
removed from the wood. The process takes about an hour.
After the bark is completely removed from the wood, the
outer layer or the green part of the bark is scraped off.
The bark is beaten with a certain amount of force (not too
strong) until it widens and becomes thinner.
The bark cloth is then washed and air-dried (it cannot be dried
under direct sunlight as it would cause the cloth to become hard)
before it is cut into the shape of a vest, blouse, skirt, and other
clothing materials.
The sides and hem of the cloth is sewn to produce the
finished garment.
The garments can be designed with embroidery and also
by using other kinds of bark like that of the Atipuho tree t
create a brown accent on the Avutag vest.
The whole process of making a piece of Avutag garment
takes four to five days.