Ann and Philip Corin recently donated several baskets made by the Ifugao people from Luzon, the northernmost island of the Philippines. These baskets were originally collected by their son Russell Corin while working in the Philippines on the set of the film Apocalypse Now. During his time in the Philippines, from 1976-1978, Russell interacted with several Ifugao at the set. He was invited to visit their homes and was introduced to their handiwork. Fascinated by their technique, he subsequently acquired several examples of their handiwork.
The Ifugao reside in the mountainous northern portion of the island of Luzon. Baskets are woven mostly by men and fulfill a variety of uses such as storage and for transporting items through the mountainous country. The cultivation of rice is very important to the Ifugao, and several of the baskets in our collection are related its procurement and storage. Here are a few examples from the collection:
1) 2007.15.0018: Called a kayabang by the Ifugao, this basket is used to harvest rice or vegetables. It can be worn with shoulder straps or a strap across the forehead.
2) 2007.15.0007: Called an agawen, this basket is worn at the hip and used for collecting snails in the rice paddies.
3) 2007.15.0005A/B: In his book Philippine Basketry: An Appreciation, Robert Lane suggests that storage jars such as these derive their shapes from Chinese ceramic vessels that would have been imported to the region.
4) 2007.15.0002A/B: Known as a tupil, this container is essentially a lunchbox, used to carry food such as cooked rice to the fields.
5) There are many types of woven bags with straps worn like a backpack. Backpacks with closed tops, like this one (2007.15.0004), are known as pasiking
Learn More: The Russell Corin Collection of Ifugao Baskets from the Northern Philippines 2007.15
Resources:
Kok, Robert. Ifugao Basketry. Galerie Mabuhay, Amsterdam, 1979.
Lane, Robert F. Philippine Basketry: An Appreciation. Bookmark, Inc. Manila, 1986.