History and design in Death Blankets
At the recent Filipino-American Book fair in San Francisco there were many stalls in the street between the Asian Art Museum and the SFO Public Library that carried more than books. There were stalls with: patriotic t-shirts, caps with baybayin, Kapampangan food, Virgin coconut oil, Pinoy films on DVD (original not pirated), curios, and other tempting knick-knacks to clutter the expatriate Filipino home.
In one stall I saw a display of hand-woven cloth from Northern Luzon, the type common in the “Dry Goods” section of markets in Baguio and Ilocos. These are basically white with indigo blue design and highlights in red that provide color and drama in lowland Christian or urban homes. Quite popular with interior decorators or self-taught Martha Stewarts, these blankets are employed as accent pieces in rooms to reflect a sense of Philippine culture. Removed from their original ritual purpose these Ifugao woven textiles end up as: wall hangings, bed covers, table cloth etc. Chosen for their quaint “primitive” or “folk” designs decorators don’t realize that the stylized human figures, snakes and lizards are essential elements in a “death blanket” or something used to wrap a corpse! Next time you are tempted to spice up your home with an “ethnic” textile do a bit of research to ascertain its original ritual purpose.
