Aklan piña handloom weaving (Philippines)
Nomination: Representative List 2023
EN: The pinya Bisaya (ananas comosus) is the main source of fiber for the piña handloom weaving.
EN: A porcelain shard is used to scrape the outer layer of the leaves of the pinya Bisaya (ananas comosus) immediately after harvest to extract the coarse fiber.
EN: A coconut shell is used to scrape the finer fiber from the leaves of the pinya Bisaya (ananas comosus).
EN: Immediately after scraping, the fibers are washed in running water customarily, in rivers or creeks to remove pigment and dirt.
EN: Fibers that have gone through the process of washing and cleaning are then hung to dry.
EN: Bundles of fibers are weighed and priced using local measuring and pricing methods.
EN: Strands of the dried fiber are separated, then knotted together to form long and continuous yarn.
EN: The knotted fiber is spooled on a warping wheel. The warp count determines the length and width of the woven fabric.
EN: After warping, the fibers are placed in the loom for weaving. The weaving practice is usually passed on to the younger generations by their forebears.
EN: The woven piña fiber can be embroidered, hand-painted, or dyed.
