AGRICULTURE AND
INDUSTRY
Prepared by:
Eva Mae Cerna
BSIE III-A(H.E.)
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS USED IN
BASKET MAKING
The weaving of vines , twigs, grasses, roots and
other such materials into containers or baskets is called
basketry. basketry was one of earliest kinds of craftwork of
primitive people. The ancient Chinese and Japanese were
famous of their beautiful baskets. The early Filipinos also
developed basketry as primitive craftwork which has been
handed down from generation to generation.
Industrial plants: where found: classifications
There are many industrial plants found in the
Philippines, growing on forests, swamps, hills or plins are
excellent materials for basketry. These plants are generally
classified into ferns, pandans, grasses, bamboos, sedges,
palms, rattans, and vines. They are scattered over a large
territory, growing with other species of plants.
1. Ferns – are group into two kinds, namely; twining and nontwining. Nito belongs to the twin group and locdo, kilog,
alolocdo, and jagnaya are non-twining.
a. Nito – there are about ten different kinds of nito found in the
Philippines. Nito climbs and twines around plants. It loses
many of its leaves as it grows and its stem become discolored.
The color changes from green to light green to dark brown and
finally to black.
Nito grows best in moist, shaded places where timber is not
very thick.
b. Locdo – this plant grows in shaded places on hillsides and
valleys. It grows to about a meter or more in height. To make
use of locdo, the hard, outer covering of the stem is cracked or
crushed. From the soft , light brown inner tissue of the stem,
the dark brown ribbon like splints are pulled out. The splints are
good materials for coiled baskets.
c. Alolocdo – this plant is similar to locdo, but it grows best in
dry thickets. To obtain the fibers, the stem is cracked and the
inner fibers are pulled out. At first they are white in color but
they soon turn brown.
d. Jagnaya – this plant is found chiefly in thickets and in
lowlands near the sea. Ordinarily, the stem is dried in the sun
before it is used.
2. Pandan – it is also called screw pine, is a tropical shrub. It is
called screw pine because its leaves are similar to those of the
pineapple and grew from the stem in a corkscrew fashion.
Pandan grow best in sandy beaches, in some what moist
localities, on the sides of mountains, near fresh water lakes and
swamps.
a. Karagumoy - the leaves of this plants are coarse. They are
split while they are fresh and then press as they dry. This strips
are used for weaving mats, hats, bags or work basket.
b. Common pandans – abundant in our country but they are
not of the products woven from pandan strips.
c. Sabutan – this plant is of great value. Its preparation is
similar to karagumoy. Its color is light gray when not bleached.
Hats made of sabutan are strong and very well suited for
tropical wear.
3. Grasses – under this group the plants which have economic
value are vetiver and tambo.
a. Vetiver – this plant grows wild in open wet lands, on banks of
rice paddies and dikes. The roots are prepared for use by
dipping them in water for about 20 minutes. These roots are
used for weaving fans because of their agreeable odor.
b. Tambo – this plant is wildly distributed in our country but it
grows best in Bataan. It is found growing on damp grows
along streams or other waterways. Tambo is best used for
making brooms.
4. Sedges – grow on wet ground. They resemble grasses. Some
of the species under this group are balangot, tikug, agas,
tikiw, tiker, and matting rush.
a. Balungot – it is found in brackish swamps and along tidal
streams. Its principal use is for making slippers and hats.
b. Tikug – it grows wild and in great abundance in marshy
places and on around rice paddies. The preparation of tikug
for industrial use consist of drying and bleaching the straw in
the sun. the process generally takes from 7-10 days. Tikug is
used for making mats which are superior to buri mats.
5. Palms – palms are of considerable economic importance, not
only for the valuable food products they yield, but also for
the industrial fibers obtained from their leaves, midribs and
petioles.
a. Areca nut – the sheath at the base of the leaf petioles and the
bracts which protect the flower cluster and fruit of the areca
nut are very useful. When dried, the sheathes are used for
the soles of the slippers and linings of handbags.
b. Dumayaca – used for making different kinds of baskets
including lunch basket. The splints are good for both weavers
and spokes of baskets.
c. Buri palm – many industrial materials are derived from buri
palms. The young leaves can be made into strips. Raffia is
the skin stripped from the leaf segments of the buri shoots
before the blade has unfolded. It is an excellent material for
making coiled basket.
d. Sugar palms – splints from sugar palms make excellent
weavers and spokes of baskets. They can also be used in
weaving baskets and paper trays. The fibers are used for
making brushes.
e. Palma Brava – the leaves of this palm are used for making
salacots (native hats). The leaves are commonly used as roof
thatches. The midribs are also used for making baskets,
brooms and trays.
Forms of Basketry Weaving
Generally speaking, there are two forms of weaving:
namely; soft strip weaving and hard strip weaving. Hard strip
weaving ussually requires materials like bamboo, banban,
rattan, nito, raffia, buri, pandan, balangot, buntal and other
such materials.
The foundation pieces on which the weaving of the
bottom of a basket is done are called spokes that are woven
with the spokes and stakes are called weavers.