[17] This is the Arnatto dye, an American plant. Watt, Dictionary, Vol. I, p. 454.
Decorative Art
In decorative art the Tinguian offers sharp contrast to the Igorot and Ifugao, both of whom have developed wood carving to a considerable extent. They also have their bodies tattooed, while the colored lashings on spear shafts, pipe stems, and other objects show a nice appreciation for color and design. In all these the Tinguian is deficient or lacking; he does no wood carving, tattooing is scanty, while his basket work, except that from two small regions, is plain. At times he does make some simple designs on canes, on bamboo rice-planters and weaving sticks, on lime boxes and pipe stems, but these are exceptions rather than the rule. In the region about Lakub, he decorates his jars by cutting the ends of sticks to form small dies which he presses into the newly fashioned clay ([Fig. 22], No. 8), while in Manabo and some other villages the pipe makers cut the bowls of the clay pipes in floral designs or inlay small pieces of brass to form scroll patterns ([Fig. 22], Nos. 4–7). These last mentioned designs are so restricted in their manufacture, and are so different from those found elsewhere in Abra, that they cannot be considered as typical.
The figures incised in bamboo show some realistic motives, such as the fish, birds, and flowers in [Fig. 23], No. 1; the snake and lizard in No. 2; the man in No. 5; but the strictly geometrical is dominant in nearly every case. Probably the most typical of this class of work is shown in Nos. 3 and 4 and [Fig. 22], Nos. 1, 2, and 3. It should be noted, however, that, where one decorated object is seen, many more entirely plain will be found. In short, ornamentation is uncommon and of minor importance.
The one place where decoration is dominant is in the weaving, and this is done entirely by the women. Figures [24] and [25] show typical designs which occur in the blankets. Except for No. 8 in [Fig. 24], they do not appear to be copies from nature, but all have realistic interpretations. [Fig. 24] shows eight designs drawn by native weavers, which are identified as follows:
- 1. A fish.
- 2. Weaving on a Spanish bed or chair seat.
- 3. Pineapple.
- 4. A heart.
- 5. Fishhooks.
- 6. A crab.
- 7. Cross section of a pineapple.
- 8. A horse.
Figure 22.
