Tapis (Philippine clothing) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Tapis across various cultures in the
The Tapis has been in use in the Philippine archipelago since at least the indigenous period before the arrival of Europeans. Spanish chroniclers from the period noted that this mode of dress remained common on many islands despite Spanish efforts to introduce what they considered more suitable clothing. They felt that the tight profile of the tapis on a female wearer was revealing and immodest, and made even worse by the often sheer fabric of the cloth. One noted that the tapis became even more revealing whenever the wearer was caught in the rain, or had just taken a bath. The locals, however, did not consider the revealing properties of the tapis to be immodest. Among the lowland peoples who came under the full influence of Spain, this would soon change as
Tapis across various cultures 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 ...
may generally refer to a single, rectangular piece of cloth one wraps around oneself as clothing, but is also the term for a colorful, hand-woven wraparound skirt
A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards.
At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are fi ...
common in the pre-colonial period, and which is still used today as part of the María Clara gown
The María Clara gown, historically known as the ''traje de mestiza'' during the Spanish colonial era, is a type of traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines. It is an aristocratic version of the '' baro't saya''. It takes its name ...
and by culturally conservative tribes.
The tapis worn by the Cordilleran women 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 ...
, known locally as the ''alampay'', are the most prominent surviving example.
It is worn by wrapping the cloth around one's waist and holding the ends together by means of a tightly tied sash. It generally reaches down to the knees. The woven pattern of a tapis describes the culture and temperament of the wearer's tribe.
Broader usage (verb)
Another use of the term, as a verb, simply means to wrap a piece of cloth around one's body to cover it up. A person who does so is said to be ('putting on a tapis'). This usage of the term does not require that the piece of cloth be a traditional tapis, and can refer to being wrapped in a blanket or towel.In historical records
The Tapis has been in use in the Philippine archipelago since at least the indigenous period before the arrival of Europeans. Spanish chroniclers from the period noted that this mode of dress remained common on many islands despite Spanish efforts to introduce what they considered more suitable clothing. They felt that the tight profile of the tapis on a female wearer was revealing and immodest, and made even worse by the often sheer fabric of the cloth. One noted that the tapis became even more revealing whenever the wearer was caught in the rain, or had just taken a bath. The locals, however, did not consider the revealing properties of the tapis to be immodest. Among the lowland peoples who came under the full influence of Spain, this would soon change as Christianization
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
and Hispanization
Hispanicization ( es, hispanización) refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic. Hispanicization is il ...
forced a much more conservative cultural imperialism
Cultural imperialism (sometimes referred to as cultural colonialism) comprises the cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" often describes practices in which a social entity engages culture (including language, traditions, ...
, and along with it, a mode of dress that emphasized a Christian-colonial sense of subjective modesty. The tapis would continue to be worn, but not in public, and usually only in more intimate settings such as one's own house. The tapis saw continued use among upland peoples, but as their environments are colder, their variations of the tapis tended to be thicker and thus less revealing.
See also
*Bahag (garment)
Bahag is a loincloth that was commonly used by men throughout the pre-colonial Philippines. They were either made from barkcloth or from hand- woven textiles. Before the colonial period, bahag were a common garment for commoners and the serf cl ...
*Patadyong
The patadyong (pronounced ''pa-tad-jóng'', also called patadyung, patadjong, habol, or habul), is an indigenous Philippine rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt worn by both men and women of the Visayas islands and the Sulu Archipelago, si ...
*Malong
The malong is a traditional Filipino-Bangsamoro rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs. The malong is traditionally used as a garment by both men and women of the numerous ethnic groups in the mai ...
*Abacá
Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impo ...
*Batik
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...
*Inabel
Inabel, sometimes referred to as Abel Iloco or simply Abel, is a weaving tradition native to the Ilocano people of Northern Luzon in the Philippines. The textile it produces is sought after in the fashion and interior design industries due to its ...
*Pañuelo
The ''pañuelo'' (from Spanish '' paño'' + '' -uelo'') or ''alampay'' is a Filipino lace-like embroidered neck scarf or shawl worn around the shoulders over the ''camisa'' (blouse). They were square-shaped and were folded in half into a trian ...
*Piña
Piña ( ) is a traditional Philippine fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace-li ...
*T'nalak
''T'nalak'' (also spelled ''tinalak''), is a weaving tradition of the T'boli people of South Cotabato, Philippines. T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a ...
References
{{reflist Philippine clothing History of Asian clothing Philippine handicrafts