The ''pasiking'' (English term: knapbasket) is the indigenous basket-backpack found among the various ethno-linguistic groups of

Northern Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Pasiking designs have sacred allusions, although most are purely aesthetic. These artifacts, whether handwoven traditionally or with contemporary variations, are considered exemplars of functional basketry in the Philippines and among

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...

. The ritual pasiking of the Ifugao tribal group is called the , not to be confused with the more common . Both of those types have palm bast weatherproofing. The ritual pasiking of the

Bontoc people The Bontoc (or Bontok) ethnolinguistic group can be found in the central and eastern portions of Mountain Province, in the Philippines. Although some Bontocs of Natonin and Paracelis identify themselves as Balangaos, Gaddangs or Kalingas, the t ...

is called the , and represents an ancestor figure, and active participant in rituals. Some of the Northern Philippine tribal groups called

Igorots The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...

or Cordillerans that weave pasiking are the Apayaos or

Isneg The Isnag people (also referred to as the Isneg and Apayao) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Apayao Province in the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region. Their native language is Isneg language, Isneg (also called Isnag), a ...

, the

Tinguian The Itneg (exonym "Tinguian" or "Tingguian") are an Austronesian ethnic group from the upland province of Abra in northwestern Luzon, in the Philippines. Overview The Itneg live in the mountainous area of Abra in northwestern Luzon who descen ...

of Abra province, the Kalingas of

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

province, the Gaddang, the

Bugkalot The Bugkalot (also Ilongot or Ibilao) are a tribe inhabiting the southern Sierra Madre and Caraballo Mountains, on the east side of Luzon in the Philippines, primarily in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija and along the mountain bor ...

, the Applai, the

Bontocs The Bontoc (or Bontok) ethnolinguistic group can be found in the central and eastern portions of Mountain Province, in the Philippines. Although some Bontocs of Natonin and Paracelis identify themselves as Balangaos, Gaddangs or Kalingas, the ...

Bontoc, Mountain Province Bontoc, officially the Municipality of Bontoc ( ilo, Ili ti Bontoc; tl, Bayan ng Bontoc), is a 2nd class municipality and capital of the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,104 peo ...

, the Ilagod, the Bago, the Kankana-ey, the Balangao, the

Ibaloi The Ibaloi (also spelled Ibaloy; Ibaloi: ''ivadoy'', ) are an indigenous ethnic group found in Benguet Province of the northern Philippines. ''Ibaloi'' is derived from ''i-'', a prefix signifying "pertaining to" and ''badoy'' or house, together ...

, the

Ifugaos The Ifugao people are the ethnic groups in the Philippines, ethnic group inhabiting Ifugao Province. They reside in the municipalities of Lagawe (capital of Ifugao), Aguinaldo, Ifugao, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Asipulo, Banaue, Hingyon, Hungduan ...

, the Ikalahan, the Kalanguya, the Karao, and the Ilongots. It is also woven using

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical fores ...

by non-Cordilleran persons. Common materials used in construction are rattan and bamboo. There are pasiking specimens utilizing deer hide (parfleche), wood, turtle shell, and crocodile skin. A deconstructed version of the pasiking, including dozens of variants, were exhibited in the BenCab Museum. There are also 21st century pasiking that are made of recyclable materials like plastic cargo straps, canvas conveyor belts, and recycled detonation cord. In the 1970s on through the 1980s, the pasiking has also been a symbol among Filipino students for nationalist activism. There was a decline of making traditional bamboo crafts, including the pasiking, during the 1980s but in the mid-2010s, the industry of bamboo crafts came into resurgence with the help of the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry.

References

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